Professor Sheila Bird is Principal Statistician at the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit.
Her area of statistical expertise includes, VCJD and BSE epidemiology; incidence, progression and projection of blood-bone viruses (such as HIV and Hepatitis C); illegal drugs epidemiology, including in prisons; application of scientific method to criminal justice for injecting drug users and in determining cost-effective sentencing; database linkage, survival, quality of life and cost-effectiveness methods; statistics in medical journals; performance monitoring in the public services.
Professor Bird chaired the Royal Statistical Society Working Party on Performance Monitoring in the Public Services (2003-06) whose report Performance Indicators: Good, Bad, and Ugly was published in late 2003. She is Honorary Officer for External Relations and an RSS Vice-President.