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claire-steves

Professor Claire Steves

Professor of Ageing and Health

  • Head of Department, Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology

Research interests

  • Ageing
  • Mental Health

Biography

Claire is a Professor of Ageing and Health and the Clinical Director of TwinsUK, King’s College London. She is also a Consultant Geriatrician at Guys and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust.

Claire is interested in how each one of us ages differently and uses population studies like TwinsUK to understand what underlies this variability. She works across health boundaries, interested in both physical and mental health and the intersections between them. She established that environmental factors are particularly important in understanding trajectories of ageing. This has led to focused work on the relationship between the microbiome and conditions of ageing, including cognitive ageing, frailty and multi-morbidity. Claire also leads a high profile Wellcome Longitudinal Population Study grant to expand our ability to contribute to health sciences, by using data linkage with health, educational and environmental records, and social and environmental scientists.

In 2020 she brought her clinical experience to the design of the Zoe Covid study app which reached over 4 million people, and since then has led research on the impact of COVID-19 infection itself and the pandemic overall on lived experience of the participants. She also is the longitudinal population study lead on the National Core Study of Health and Wellbeing which aims to understand the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic including how the pandemic has affected older populations.

Claire has published more than 100 research articles in high impact journals and appears regularly in the media.

    Research

    exercise class ladies lunge together csi project 780x450
    Adapting Pulmonary Rehabilitation for People Living with COPD & Frailty

    People with COPD and frailty can benefit from, yet face trouble completing pulmonary rehabilitation. BreathePlus will develop and test a new adapted approach.

    Project status: Ongoing

    London landscape
    Ageing Research at King's (ARK)

    Cross faculty consortium addressing ageing and healthy longevity.

    ageing
    Centre for Ageing Resilience In a Changing Environment - CARICE

    Welcome to the Centre for Ageing Resilience in a Changing Environment: CARICE

    shutterstock_1794345793
    Structural and life course determinants of LGBTQ+ health inequalities

    Leveraging King’s data and expertise to enhance understanding and move into action.

    Project status: Ongoing

    News

    Daily fibre supplement improves older adults' brain function in just 12 weeks

    A daily fibre supplement improved brain function in over 60s in just 12 weeks.

    older and younger people's hands over puzzle

    TwinsUK twins undergo first MRI Scan in study on healthy ageing

    TwinsUK participants are the first pair of twins to be scanned at King’s as part of a unique study investigating early markers of disease and aging in...

    TwinsUK MR study

    FoLSM researchers featured in 2023 Highly Cited Researcher List

    Academics from the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine have been named on the annual Highly Cited Researcher 2023 list from Clarivate

    Highly cited 2023

    TwinsUK wins multi-million-pound award for resilience research

    TwinsUK has received a multi-million pound award to study resilience in health and ageing, in Wellcome Leap’s Dynamic Resilience program, jointly funded by...

    twins

    Some people's brain function still affected by Long COVID years after infection

    UK researchers have found that people with longer-term COVID-19 symptoms including 'brain fog' showed reduced performance in tasks testing different mental...

    Stressed out man

    How much of a boost do “booster” COVID-19 jabs give?

    Scientists have found the “booster” COVID-19 vaccine programme led to a large boost in the antibodies that help protect against coronavirus. High levels of...

    Covid Vaccine on Blue

    Long COVID risk less during Omicron compared to Delta

    The Omicron variant is less likely to cause long COVID than the Delta variant, new research has found.

    Long covid

    Three types of long-COVID for people experiencing symptoms for 12 weeks or more

    New research shows at least three distinct ‘types’ of long covid for people experiencing symptoms for 12 weeks or more.

    bame-covid

    Minorities bore disproportionate mental health impact of pandemic

    Racial and ethnic minorities had higher rates of depression and anxiety than white people during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research has found.

    Graphic of healthcare workers in protective clothing

    Experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 associated with poorer mental health

    Having symptoms of COVID-19 has been associated with worse mental health and lower life satisfaction.

    mental health illustration

    Events

    20MarFoLSM Inaugural Lectures 2023-24 thumbnail

    Inaugural Lectures: Professors Elisabeth Ehler & Claire Steves

    Inspiring talks from two of our new professors about using microscopy in muscle structure and ageing resilience

    31Oct780 x 440 Ageing Well - events page

    King's Experts Series: Ageing Well

    The King’s Experts Series is a series of events exclusively for King’s alumni, this webinar will spotlight the work of King's ageing research.

    Please note: this event has passed.

    Features

    King's contributes to pandemic response

    Staff and students from across the King’s community are supporting efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

    Coronavirus CDC promo

    Why are the elderly more at risk of death from novel coronavirus?

    Dr Claire Steves, Clinical Senior Lecturer, explores the particular susceptibility of older people to the novel coronavirus?

    An older woman washes her hands in a sink

    King's contribution to coronavirus response

    King's academics and researchers are supporting ongoing research and conversation addressing the global outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

    Coronavirus promo

    Spotlight

    ZOE COVID Study app: How King's researchers slowed the spread of COVID-19

    On March 24th 2020, the ZOE COVID Symptom Study App was launched. Since then, it has more than 4 million users and is now the world’s largest ongoing study...

    COVID and RBC

      Research

      exercise class ladies lunge together csi project 780x450
      Adapting Pulmonary Rehabilitation for People Living with COPD & Frailty

      People with COPD and frailty can benefit from, yet face trouble completing pulmonary rehabilitation. BreathePlus will develop and test a new adapted approach.

      Project status: Ongoing

      London landscape
      Ageing Research at King's (ARK)

      Cross faculty consortium addressing ageing and healthy longevity.

      ageing
      Centre for Ageing Resilience In a Changing Environment - CARICE

      Welcome to the Centre for Ageing Resilience in a Changing Environment: CARICE

      shutterstock_1794345793
      Structural and life course determinants of LGBTQ+ health inequalities

      Leveraging King’s data and expertise to enhance understanding and move into action.

      Project status: Ongoing

      News

      Daily fibre supplement improves older adults' brain function in just 12 weeks

      A daily fibre supplement improved brain function in over 60s in just 12 weeks.

      older and younger people's hands over puzzle

      TwinsUK twins undergo first MRI Scan in study on healthy ageing

      TwinsUK participants are the first pair of twins to be scanned at King’s as part of a unique study investigating early markers of disease and aging in...

      TwinsUK MR study

      FoLSM researchers featured in 2023 Highly Cited Researcher List

      Academics from the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine have been named on the annual Highly Cited Researcher 2023 list from Clarivate

      Highly cited 2023

      TwinsUK wins multi-million-pound award for resilience research

      TwinsUK has received a multi-million pound award to study resilience in health and ageing, in Wellcome Leap’s Dynamic Resilience program, jointly funded by...

      twins

      Some people's brain function still affected by Long COVID years after infection

      UK researchers have found that people with longer-term COVID-19 symptoms including 'brain fog' showed reduced performance in tasks testing different mental...

      Stressed out man

      How much of a boost do “booster” COVID-19 jabs give?

      Scientists have found the “booster” COVID-19 vaccine programme led to a large boost in the antibodies that help protect against coronavirus. High levels of...

      Covid Vaccine on Blue

      Long COVID risk less during Omicron compared to Delta

      The Omicron variant is less likely to cause long COVID than the Delta variant, new research has found.

      Long covid

      Three types of long-COVID for people experiencing symptoms for 12 weeks or more

      New research shows at least three distinct ‘types’ of long covid for people experiencing symptoms for 12 weeks or more.

      bame-covid

      Minorities bore disproportionate mental health impact of pandemic

      Racial and ethnic minorities had higher rates of depression and anxiety than white people during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research has found.

      Graphic of healthcare workers in protective clothing

      Experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 associated with poorer mental health

      Having symptoms of COVID-19 has been associated with worse mental health and lower life satisfaction.

      mental health illustration

      Events

      20MarFoLSM Inaugural Lectures 2023-24 thumbnail

      Inaugural Lectures: Professors Elisabeth Ehler & Claire Steves

      Inspiring talks from two of our new professors about using microscopy in muscle structure and ageing resilience

      31Oct780 x 440 Ageing Well - events page

      King's Experts Series: Ageing Well

      The King’s Experts Series is a series of events exclusively for King’s alumni, this webinar will spotlight the work of King's ageing research.

      Please note: this event has passed.

      Features

      King's contributes to pandemic response

      Staff and students from across the King’s community are supporting efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

      Coronavirus CDC promo

      Why are the elderly more at risk of death from novel coronavirus?

      Dr Claire Steves, Clinical Senior Lecturer, explores the particular susceptibility of older people to the novel coronavirus?

      An older woman washes her hands in a sink

      King's contribution to coronavirus response

      King's academics and researchers are supporting ongoing research and conversation addressing the global outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

      Coronavirus promo

      Spotlight

      ZOE COVID Study app: How King's researchers slowed the spread of COVID-19

      On March 24th 2020, the ZOE COVID Symptom Study App was launched. Since then, it has more than 4 million users and is now the world’s largest ongoing study...

      COVID and RBC