Rahul Potluri (born 19 December 1983) is a British physician, researcher and founder of ACALM (Algorithm for Comorbidites, Associations, Length of stay and Mortality) Study Unit, United Kingdom (UK). His clinical

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

research unit is one of the first to use

big data Though used sometimes loosely partly because of a lack of formal definition, the interpretation that seems to best describe Big data is the one associated with large body of information that we could not comprehend when used only in smaller am ...

in healthcare and medical research. His work has shown for the first time a link between high

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

and breast cancer. Further research has suggested the role of cholesterol and possibly statins improving the mortality in patients with breast cancer, lung cancer,

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

and bowel cancer. Other prominent studies include health services research evaluating differences in death rates from weekend admission and discharge from UK hospitals, ethnic variations and the interplay between

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

and

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

Early life and education

Rahul Potluri was born in India and moved to the UK at the age of eight. He attended King Edwards VI Five Ways School in Birmingham. He undertook medical undergraduate training at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

. His clinical training included medicine and

cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart d ...

in London and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. He was appointed as Honorary Clinical Lecturer in Cardiology at Aston University, Birmingham, UK in 2013.Rahul Potluri
Retrieved 28 September 2015.Why Statins Could Be the Next Treatment for Breast Cancer.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.

ACALM (Algorithm for Comorbidities, Associations, Length of stay and Mortality)

Potluri developed the ACALM methodology as a medical student and along with Hardeep Uppal founded the ACALM Study Unit in 2013. Research from this unit is performed from a large clinical

dataset A data set (or dataset) is a collection of data. In the case of tabular data, a data set corresponds to one or more database tables, where every column of a table represents a particular variable, and each row corresponds to a given record of the ...

of over one million patients which is developed using ACALM methodology from anonymous routinely collected data. Potluri is an expert in

analytics in medical and healthcare research. He spoke on the topic at the

European Society of Cardiology The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is an independent non-profit, non-governmental professional association that works to advance the prevention, diagnosis and management of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, and improve scientific un ...

Conference in Rome, Italy, in August 2016 and highlighted potential developments in the field to come.Big Data in Cardiology: A Paradigm Shift?
Retrieved 11 September 2016.

Research

Cholesterol and Cancer

Potluri and the ACALM Study Unit showed for the first time in humans, a possible association between high

and breast cancer. This work was presented at the European Society of Cardiology, Frontiers in Cardiovascular Biology Conference in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, July 2014 and was widely reported in the global media.Statins could help reduce women’s risk of breast cancer.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.Study links hyperlipidaemia with breast cancer: Interview with Rahul Potluri.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.Statins could be used to cut risk of breast cancer.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.Cholesterol drugs could be used to fight breast cancer.
Retrieved 28 September 2015. Further research presented in 2016 showed the role of high cholesterol and possibly the role of statins improving the mortality and survival of patients with breast cancer, lung cancer, bowel cancer and

and strengthening calls for a clinical trial of statins in cancer.Cholesterol levels linked to breast cancer risk?
Retrieved 28 September 2015.Statins linked to dramatically improved mortality rates for cancer patients.] Retrieved 11 September 2016.

Weekend effect on hospital care

Potluri presented research from the ACALM Study Unit at the

Conference in London, August 2015, which showed that heart attack patients admitted at the weekend died earlier compared to those admitted during the working week.Heart attack victims more likely to die if admitted to hospital at weekend.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.Weekends Are Not For Heart Attack Victims, Reveals Study.
Retrieved 28 September 2015. Subsequent research looking at patients discharged from UK hospitals at the weekend had significantly worsened mortality and survival compared to those discharged during the working week.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.
Retrieved 28 September 2015. This was the first study of its kind from the UK. The significance and implications of these findings for UK are being widely debated.Hospital patients 'a third more likely' to die if discharged at the weekend.
Retrieved 28 September 2015. Further studies performed in 2016 and presented at the British Cardiovascular Society Conference showed that patients admitted with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation during the weekend had worse mortality and patients with heart failure discharged at the weekend also had a higher risk of death.Heart victims more at risk of dying if admitted to hospitals at weekend.
Retrieved 11 September 2016.Two U.K studies validate weekend effect among heart patients.
Retrieved 11 September 2016.

Ethnic variations in healthcare

Research led by Potluri evaluating

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

variations in healthcare and particularly

length of stay Length of stay (LOS) is the duration of a single episode of hospitalization. patient, Inpatient days are calculated by subtracting day of admission from day of :wikt:discharge, discharge. Analysis A common statistic associated with length of stay ...

in hospital and mortality has been widely published. His work from the ACALM Study Unit showed that patients of

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...

origin stay in hospital for a shorter period of time compared to other ethnic groups in a variety of conditions such as

Myocardial Infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

, Pulmonary Embolism, Stroke,

Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and Atrial Fibrillation.Length of hospital stay is shorter in South Asian patients with ischaemic stroke.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.Length of hospital stay is shorter in South Asian patients with acute pulmonary embolism.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.Young South Asian people at higher risk of diabetes and associated heart disease.
Retrieved 28 September 2015.A heavy-weight burden for healthcare.
Retrieved 28 September 2015. Other research focusing on young South Asians has shown that they have a higher risk of Diabetes and associated

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

compared to other ethnic groups. In 2010, he presented research at the

World Congress of Cardiology The World Heart Federation (WHF) is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, formed in 1972. The current President for World Heart Federation is Fausto Pinto. In 1978 the International Society of Cardiology merged with the Int ...

in Beijing which showed that Haemorrhagic Stroke is increasing amongst South Asians and was reported in the media.

Cardiovascular disease and mental health

Potluri's research from 2007 has highlighted and shown the significant effect of

conditions on physical health and in particular

.Research links mental health and heart failure recovery.
Retrieved 11 September 2016.The burden and trends of psychiatric co-morbidities amongst patients with cardiomyopathy.
Retrieved 28 September 2015. A series of publications have led to raised awareness of psychiatric conditions amongst cardiovascular disease in the UK. Specifically research showing for the first time that mental health conditions prolong length of hospital stay in patients with heart failure highlighted significant cost and service provision implications for the United Kingdom

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. Another important study which was widely reported showed that married people with

heart attacks A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tra ...

had significantly improved mortality and long-term survival compared to single and divorced patients.Marriage may improve chances of surviving a heart attack say researchers.
Retrieved 11 September 2016.Being married may improve your odds surviving heart attack.
Retrieved 11 September 2016. The implications of these findings were widely debated as Marriage was thought to be a proxy for psychosocial support which is essential for heart attack patient to ensure they take all the prescribed medications which determines long term outcome.Married people have greater chances of surviving a heart attack.
Retrieved 11 September 2016.Scientists say marriage can improve your chances of surviving a heart attack.
Retrieved 11 September 2016.
Retrieved 11 September 2016.

Awards and prizes

He was awarded the

Cochrane Cochrane may refer to: Places Australia *Cochrane railway station, Sydney, a railway station on the closed Ropes Creek railway line Canada * Cochrane, Alberta * Cochrane Lake, Alberta * Cochrane District, Ontario ** Cochrane, Ontario, a town wit ...

prize from the Faculty of Public Health, United Kingdom for his research on patients of South Asian origin in 2007.UK: Faculty of Public Health: Prizes.
Retrieved 28 September 2015. Other international prizes include the Young Investigator Award from the International Atherosclerosis Society at the World Congress of Cardiology, Beijing in 2010, the Asian Society of Cardiovascular Imaging (ASCI) Travelling Fellowship from the Hong Kong College of Radiologists in 2011 and the Young Investigator Grant from the European Neurological Society, Milan in 2009. National prizes as a medical student have included the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...

Prize in 2007, the

Diabetes UK Diabetes UK is a British-based patient, healthcare professional and research charity that has been described as "one of the foremost diabetes charities in the UK". The charity campaigns for improvements in the care and treatment of people with d ...

award in 2007 and the Denis Burkitt Award from the

British Nutrition Foundation The British Nutrition Foundation is a British registered charity. The British Nutrition Foundation's vision is that 'Everyone can access healthy, sustainable diets' and the charity contributes to this through its mission of ‘Translating evidenc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potluri, Rahul British 21st-century British medical doctors Living people Academics of Aston University Alumni of Aston University 1983 births Scientists from Vijayawada Medical doctors from Andhra Pradesh