Avan Aihie Sayer graduated in medicine from the University of London and following general medical training, won a Wellcome Training Fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology. She completed an MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and then a PhD on the developmental origins of ageing at the MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit. She finished higher specialist medical training in Southampton and became a Consultant in Geriatric Medicine in 1998. She returned to the MRC as a Clinical Scientist in 2000 and was appointed to an Honorary Chair in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Southampton in 2007.

She leads Ageing & Health at Southampton, an interdisciplinary research group focused on identifying the life course causes and consequences of sarcopenia and frailty, to develop beneficial interventions that translate into meeting the healthcare needs of older people. The interdisciplinary approach involves integration of clinical, epidemiological, basic and social science to address clinically relevant research questions with findings that impact on service and policy.

A particular area of interest is capacity building in academic geriatric medicine and this is being addressed by the involvement of a growing number of clinical researchers in the group supported by the recent award of an NIHR academic clinical fellowship programme. She is involved in a number of national and international collaborations including the New Dynamics of Ageing HALCyon programme based at University College London.

Avan's secretary is Jane Pearce

Related Publications: 2009 Dennison EM, Syddall HE, Jameson KA, Sayer AA, Gaunt TR, Rodriguez S et al. A study of relationships between single nucleotide polymorphisms from the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor axis and bone mass: the Hertfordshire cohort study. J Rheumatol 2009; 36:1520-1526.AbstractLink Finucane FM, Horton J, Purslow LR, Savage DB, Brage S, Besson H et al. Randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of aerobic exercise in reducing metabolic risk in healthy older people: The Hertfordshire Physical Activity Trial. BMC Endocr Disord 2009; 9:15.AbstractLink Martin HJ, Syddall HE, Dennison EM, Cooper C, Sayer AA. Physical performance and physical activity in older people: are developmental influences important? Gerontology 2009; 55:186-193.AbstractLink Robinson S, Syddall H, Jameson K, Batelaan S, Martin H, Dennison EM et al. Current patterns of diet in community-dwelling older men and women: results from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Age Ageing 2009; 38:594-599.AbstractLink Syddall H, Evandrou M, Cooper C, Sayer AA. Social inequalities in grip strength, physical function, and falls among community dwelling older men and women: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. J Aging Health 2009; 21:913-939.AbstractLink Syddall HE, Martin HJ, Harwood RH, Cooper C, Aihie Sayer A. The SF-36: a Simple, Effective Measure of Mobility-Disability for Epidemiological Studies. J Nutr Health Aging. 2009;13:57-62.AbstractLink 2008 Costello PM, Rowlerson A, Astaman NA, Anthony FE, Sayer AA, Cooper C, Hanson MA, Green LR. Peri-implantation and late gestation maternal undernutrition differentially affect fetal sheep skeletal muscle development. J Physiol. 2008;586:2371-9 AbstractLink Martin HJ, Syddall HE, Dennison EM, Cooper C, Sayer AA. Relationship between customary physical activity, muscle strength and physical performance in older men and women: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Age Ageing 2008; 37:589-93.AbstractLink Martin H.J., Syddall H.E., Dennison E.M., Cox V.A., Cooper C., Aihie Sayer A. Assessing Physical Activity in Older People: Findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. The Open Geriatric Medicine Journal 2008:1;43-9 Moinuddin MM, Jameson KA, Syddall HE, Sayer AA, Martin HJ, Robinson S, Cooper C, Dennison EM. Cigarette smoking, birthweight and osteoporosis in adulthood: results from the hertfordshire cohort study. Open Rheumatol J. 2008;2:33-7. AbstractLink Robinson SM, Jameson KA, Batelaan SF, Martin HJ, Syddall HE, Dennison EM et al. Diet and its relationship with grip strength in community-dwelling older men and women: the Hertfordshire cohort study. J Am Geriatr.Soc. 2008;56 :84-90.AbstractLink Sayer AA, Syddall H, Martin H, Patel H, Baylis D, Cooper C. The developmental origins of sarcopenia. J Nutr Health Aging 2008; 12:427-32.AbstractLink Sayer AA, Dennison EM, Syddall HE, Jameson K, Martin HJ, Cooper C. The developmental origins of sarcopenia: using peripheral quantitative computed tomography to assess muscle size in older people. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2008; 63:835-40.AbstractLink Ugboma I, Syddall HE, Cox V, Cooper C, Briggs R, Aihie Sayer A. Coding geriatric syndromes : how good are we ? CME Journal Geriatric Medicine 2008 ;10(1) :34-36. 2007 Aihie Sayer A,.Cooper C. Aging, sarcopenia and the life course. Rev.Clin.Gerontol. 2007;16:265-74. Batty GD, Smith GD, Fall CH, Sayer AA, Dennison E, Cooper C et al. Association of diarrhoea in childhood with blood pressure and coronary heart disease in older age: analyses of two UK cohort studies. Int.J Epidemiol 2007;36:1349-55.AbstractLink Dennison EM, Syddall HE, Aihie Sayer A, Martin HJ, Cooper C. Lipid profile, obesity and bone mineral density: the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. QJM. 2007;100:297-303. AbstractLink Gale CR, Martyn CN, Cooper C, Sayer AA. Grip strength, body composition, and mortality. Int J Epidemiol. 2007;36:228-35. AbstractLink Harvey NC, Poole JR, Javaid MK, Dennison EM, Robinson S, Inskip HM, Godfrey KM, Cooper C, Sayer AA; SWS Study Group. Parental determinants of neonatal body composition. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007;92:523-6. AbstractLink Inskip HM, Godfrey KM, Martin HJ, Simmonds SJ, Cooper C, Sayer AA; Southampton Women's Survey Study Group. Size at birth and its relation to muscle strength in young adult women. J Intern Med. 2007;262:368-74. AbstractLink Pain H, Gale CR, Watson C, Cox V, Cooper C, Sayer AA. Readiness of elders to use assistive devices to maintain their independence in the home. Age Ageing. 2007;36:465-7. AbstractLink Sayer AA, Syddall HE, Dennison EM, Martin HJ, Phillips DI, Cooper C, Byrne CD. Grip strength and the metabolic syndrome: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. QJM. 2007;100:707-13.AbstractLink Schlotz W, Ambery P, Syddall HE, Crozier SR, Sayer AA, Cooper C, Phillips DI; Hertfordshire Cohort Study Group. Specific associations of insulin resistance with impaired health-related quality of life in the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Qual Life Res. 2007;16:429-36. AbstractLink 2006 Dennison EM, Syddall HE, Statham C, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C. Relationships between SF-36 health profile and bone mineral density: the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Osteoporos Int. 2006;17:1435-42.AbstractLink Jordan KM, Syddall HE, Garnero P, Gineyts E, Dennison EM, Sayer AA, Delmas PD, Cooper C, Arden NK. Urinary CTX-II and glucosyl-galactosyl-pyridinoline are associated with the presence and severity of radiographic knee osteoarthritis in men. Ann Rheum Dis. 2006;65:871-7.AbstractLink Kerr A, Syddall HE, Cooper C, Turner GF, Briggs RS, Sayer AA. Does admission grip strength predict length of stay in hospitalised older patients? Age Ageing 2006;35:82-4AbstractLink Kuh D, Hardy R, Butterworth S, Okell L, Richards M, Wadsworth M, Cooper C, Sayer AA. Developmental origins of midlife physical performance: evidence from a British birth cohort. Am J Epidemiol. 2006;164:110-21.AbstractLink Kuh D, Hardy R, Butterworth S, Okell L, Wadsworth M, Cooper C, Aihie Sayer A. Developmental origins of midlife grip strength: findings from a birth cohort study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2006;61:702-6.AbstractLink Martin HJ, Yule V, Syddall HE, Dennison EM, Cooper C, Aihie Sayer A. Is hand-held dynamometry useful for the measurement of quadriceps strength in older people? A comparison with the gold standard Bodex dynamometry.Gerontology. 2006;52:154-9. AbstractLink Roberts HC, Hemsley ZM, Thomas G, Meakins P, Powell J, Robison J, Gove I, Turner G, Sayer AA. Nurse-led implementation of the single assessment process in primary care: a descriptive feasibility study. Age Ageing 2006;35:394-8 AbstractLink Robinson SM, Batelaan SF, Syddall HE, Sayer AA, Dennison EM, Martin HJ et al. Combined effects of dietary fat and birth weight on serum cholesterol concentrations: the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84:237-44.AbstractLink Sayer AA, Syddall HE, Martin HJ, Dennison EM, Roberts HC, Cooper C. Is grip strength associated with health-related quality of life? Findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Age Ageing 2006;35:409-15. AbstractLink Sayer AA, Syddall HE, Martin HJ, Dennison EM, Anderson FH, Cooper C. Falls, sarcopenia, and growth in early life: findings from the Hertfordshire cohort study. Am J Epidemiol. 2006;164:665-71AbstractLink 2005 Dennison EM, Syddall HE, Sayer AA, Gilbody HJ, Cooper C. Birth Weight and Weight at 1 Year Are Independent Determinants of Bone Mass in the Seventh Decade: The Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Pediatr.Res.. 2005;57:582-6AbstractLink Phillips DI, Goulden P, Syddall HE, Aihie Sayer A, Dennison EM, Martin H et al. Fetal and infant growth and glucose tolerance in the hertfordshire cohort study: a study of men and women born between 1931 and 1939. Diabetes 2005;54 Suppl 2:S145-S150AbstractLink Sayer AA, Cooper C. Fetal programming of body composition and musculoskeletal development. Early Hum.Dev. 2005;81:735-44AbstractLink Sayer AA, Dennison EM, Syddall HE, Gilbody HJ, Phillips DI, Cooper C. Type 2 Diabetes, Muscle Strength, and Impaired Physical Function: The tip of the iceberg?. Diabetes Care. 2005; 28:2541-2542AbstractLink Syddall HE, Sayer AA, Simmonds SJ, Osmond C, Cox V, Dennison EM, Barker DJ, Cooper C. Birth Weight, Infant Weight Gain, and Cause-specific Mortality: The Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Am.J Epidemiol. 2005; 161:1074-1080AbstractLink Syddall HE, Sayer AA, Dennison EM, Martin HJ, Barker DJ, Cooper C. Cohort Profile: The Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Int J Epidemiol 2005;34:1234-42AbstractLink 2004 Day IN, Chen XH, Gaunt TR, King TH, Voropanov A, Ye S, Rodriguez S, Syddall HE, Sayer AA, Dennison EM, Tabassum F, Barker DJ, Cooper C, Phillips DI. Late life metabolic syndrome, early growth, and common polymorphism in the growth hormone and placental lactogen gene cluster. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004; 89:5569-5576AbstractLink Dennison EM, Syddall HE, Aihie Sayer A, Craighead S, Phillips DI, Cooper C. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with increased axial bone density in men and women from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study: evidence for an indirect effect of insulin resistance?. Diabetologia. 2004; 47:1963-1968AbstractLink Harwood RH, Sayer AA, Hirschfeld M. Current and future worldwide prevalence of dependency, its relationship to total population, and dependency ratios. Bull.World Health Organ. 2004; 82:251-258AbstractLink Sayer AA, Syddall HE, Dennison EM, Gilbody HJ, Duggleby SL, Cooper C, Barker DJ, Phillips DI. Birth weight, weight at 1 year of age, and body composition in older men: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004; 80:199-203AbstractLink Sayer AA, Syddall HE, Gilbody HJ, Dennison EM, Cooper C. Does sarcopenia originate in early life? Findings from the Hertfordshire cohort study. J Gerontol.A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2004; 59:M930-M934AbstractLink 2003 Poole J, Sayer AA, Cox V, Cooper C, Kuh D, Hardy R, Wadsworth M. Birth weight, osteoarthritis of the hand, and cardiovascular disease in men. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2003; 62:1029- AbstractLink Poole J, Aihie Sayer A, Hardy R, Wadsworth M, Kuh D, Cooper C. Patterns of interpahalangeal hand joint involvement of osteoarthritis among men and women: a British cohort study. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2003; 48:3371-3376 AbstractLink Sayer AA, Poole J, Cox V, Kuh D, Hardy R, Wadsworth M, Cooper C. Weight from birth to 53 years: a longitudinal study of the influence on clinical hand osteoarthritis. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2003; 48:1030-1033 AbstractLink Syddall H, Cooper C, Martin F, Briggs R, Aihie Sayer A. Is grip strength a useful single marker of frailty?. Age and Ageing. 2003; 32:650-656 AbstractLink Zhang B, Ye S, Sayer AA, Hammans SR, Adio S, Hinks LJ, Smythe PJ, Groot D, Cooper C, Day IN. A study of mitochondrial DNA mutations in peripheral lymphocytes in an aging cohort. Biochem Soc Trans. 2003; 31:444-446 AbstractLink 2002 Kuh D, Hardy R, Bassey J, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C. Birth weight, childhood size and muscle strength in adult life. Am J Epidemiology 2002;156:627-633.AbstractLink Mehta G, Roach T, Langley-Evans S, Taylor P, Reading I, Oreffo R, Aihie Sayer A, Clarke N, Cooper C. Intrauterine exposure to a maternal low protein diet reduces adult bone mass and alters growth plate morphology in rats. Calcified Tissue International. 2002; 71:493-498 AbstractLink O'Dell SD, Syddall HE, Sayer AA, Cooper C, Fall CH, Dennison EM, Phillips DI, Gaunt TR, Briggs PJ, Day IN. Null mutation in human ciliary neurotrophic factor gene confers higher body mass index in males. Eur J Hum Genet. 2002; 10:749-752 AbstractLink Sayer AA, Cooper C. Early diet and growth: impact on ageing. Proc Nutr Soc. 2002; 61:79-85 AbstractLink Sayer AA, Syddall H, O'Dell SD, Chen XH, Briggs PJ, Day IN, Cooper C. Polymorphism of the IGF2 gene, birth weight and grip strength in adult men. Age and Ageing. 2002; 31:468-470 AbstractLink