akke vellinga

Akke’s research has been led by methodology and statistics, but always with a strong interest in the applicability and relevance of the research. She has worked as an epidemiologist on a range of subjects including vaccine evaluation and vaccination coverage, asthma and allergies, zoonotic diseases, in various places in Belgium. She moved to Ireland to take up a research post in the NUI Galway in 2005 and joined the Discipline of General Practice in 2008 to work on a project on antimicrobial resistance in the community. 
Akke has a PhD in Medicine (Epidemiology), a master in Science/Biology, a master in Epidemiology  and obtained diplomas in Health Economics and Education.

Research Interests

The over- and misuse of antimicrobials has resulted in limited treatment options for many bacterial infections due to their increasing resistance to more and more antimicrobials. Resistance epidemiology studies how individual, genetic and population factors influence the spread and occurence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Understanding how these factors and processes are interlinked will give us information on  how we may be able to stop the spread of antimicrobial resistance. 
In addition this main focus, Akke is also involved in various other projects where she provides epidemiological and statistical support.

Current work

Akke is now working in two half time positions in the NUI Galway. She is a senior lecturer in Primary Care and lecturer in Bacteriology (Epidemiology). In addition to her research she enjoys teaching statistics and epidemiology.

Teaching

Postgraduate Teaching:

Selected Publications

Vellinga A, Tansey S, Hanahoe B, Bennett K, Murphy AW, Cormican M. Trimethoprim and ciprofloxacin resistance and prescribing in E.coli associated urinary tract infection: a multilevel model. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2012 doi: 10.1093/jac/dks222.

Vellinga A, Bennett K, Murphy AW, Cormican M. Principles of multilevel analysis and its relevance to studies of antimicrobial resistance. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2012 doi: 10.1093/jac/dks237. 

Cormican M, Vellinga A. Existing classes of antibiotics are probably the best we will ever have. BMJ 2012. http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e3369

Cormican M, Vellinga A. Antibiotic drug research and development ( BMJ 2012; 344 doi: 10.1136/bmj.e2591). Rapid response BMJ 2012, May 7^th. http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e2591/rr/583251

Murphy M, Vellinga A, MacDermott M, Walkin S. Termination of Pregnancy: Attitudes and Clinical Experiences of Irish GPs and GPs-in-training. European Journal of General Practice 2012 (accepted).

Vellinga A, Zawiejska A, Harreiter J,  Buckley BS,  Di Cianni G, Lapolla A, Corcoy R, Simmons D, Chico A, Damm P, Desoye G, Devlieger R, Hill D, Kautzky-Willer A, Klemetti M, Mathiesen E, Rebollo P, Snoek F, Tikkanen M, Timmerman D, van Assche A, van Poppel M, Wender-Oegowska E, Dunne F. Associations of body mass index (BMI) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with neonatal and maternal pregnancy outcomes in a multicentre European database. ISRN Obesity 2012 http://www.isrn.com/journals/obesity/2012/424010.

Fennell J, Vellinga A, Hanahoe B, Morris D, Boyle F, Higgins F, Lyons M, O’Connell K, Keady D, Cormican M. Progressive increase in prevalence of ESBL production among Enterobacteriaceae from clinical specimens from 2004 to 2008. BMC Infectious Diseases 2012, 12:116. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/12/116

Vellinga A; Murphy AW, O'Brien E. Thirty-minute compared to standardised office blood pressure measurement in general practice. Br J Gen Pract 2012, 62: 126.

Vellinga A, Cormican M, Hanahoe B, Bennett K, Murphy AW. Antimicrobial management of urinary tract infection in general practice in Ireland. BMC Family Practice 2011, 12: 108

Cormican M, Myrphy AW, Vellinga A. Interpreting asymptomatic bacteriuria. BMJ 2011 Aug 4;343:d4780.

Buckley BS, Harreiter J, Damm P, Corcoy R, Chico A, Simmons D, Vellinga A, Desoye G, Kautzky-Willer A, van Assche A, Mathiesen E, Tikkanen M, Klemetti M, Lapolla A, Di Cianni G, Snoek F, van Poppel M, Wender-Oegowska E, Zawiejska A, Hill D, Rebollo P, Devlieger R, Timmerman D, Dunne F. Gestational diabetes mellitus in Europe: prevalence and current practice and barriers in screening. A review.  Diabetic Medicine, June 2011.  

Vellinga A, Cormican M, Hanahoe B, Murphy AW.Opt-out as an acceptable method of obtaining consent in medical research: a short report. BMC Medical Research Methodology 2011, 11:40.

Vellinga A, Murphy AW, Hanahoe B, Bennett K, Cormican M. A multilevel analysis of trimethoprim and ciprofloxacin prescribing and resistance of uropathogenic E.coli in general practice. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 2010; doi: 10.1093/jac/dkq149.

Vellinga A, Cormican M, Hanahoe B, Murphy AW. Predictive value of antimicrobial susceptibility from previous urinary tract infection in the treatment of re-infection. British Journal of General Practice, July 2010.

Galvin S, Boyle F, Hickey P, Vellinga A, Morris D, Cormican M. Enumeration and characterization of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli in effluent from municipal, hospital and secondary treated sources. Accepted for publication in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/AEM.02898-09v1

WestREN: a description of an Irish academic general practice research network. BMC Family Practice 2010, 11:74 doi:10.1186/1471-2296-11-74

Gorman J, Vellinga A, Gilmartin JJ, O’Keeffe ST. Frequency and Risk factors Associated with Emergency Medical Readmissions in Galway University Hospitals.  Irish Journal of Medical Science, 2009

O'Connell E, Brennan W, Cormican M, Glacken M, O'Donovan D, Vellinga A, Cahill N, Lysaght F,  O'Donnell J. Chlamydia trachomatis infection and sexual behaviour among female students attending higher education in the Republic of Ireland. BMC Public Health. 2009; 9: 397.

Vellinga A, O’Donovan D, De La Harpe D. Length of stay and associated costs of obesity related hospital admissions in Ireland.  BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8: 88.

Vellinga A, Howell F, O’Donovan D. The impact of the smoking ban in Ireland: modelling hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarctions. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2007: 61(S1); A6.

Vellinga A, Droste JHJ, Vermeire PA, Desager K, De Backer WA, Nelen VJ, Weyler JJ. Changes in respiratory and allergic symptoms in schoolchildren from 1996 to 2002, results from the ISAAC surveys in Antwerp, Belgium. Acta Clinica Belgica 2005: 60; 219-225.

Vellinga A, Depoorter AM, Van Damme P. Vaccination coverage estimates by EPI cluster sampling survey of children (18-24 months) in Flanders, Belgium. Acta Paediatrica 2005. 91:599-603.

Vellinga A, Van Loock F. The dioxin crisis as experiment to determine poultry-related campylobacter enteritis. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2002. 8:19-22.

Vellinga A., Van Damme P., Joossens E., Goossens H. Response to diphtheria booster vaccination in healthy adults: vaccine trial. British Medical Journal 2000. 320:217.

Vellinga A., van Damme P., Bruckers L., Weyler J., Molenberghs G., Meheus A Modelling longterm persistence of anti-HBs after vaccination. Journal of Medical Virology 1999: 57; 100-103

Click on this link for all Akke Vellinga's publications on PubMed