Sampling techniques to characterise the spatial distribution of microstructures

Career overview

Professor Marta Garcia-Finana is a Professor of Health Data Science at the University of Liverpool, having joined the institution in 2003. She completed her BSc in Theoretical Physics and MSc in Statistics at the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain. Her primary research focuses on the development and application of multivariate statistical techniques, particularly in generating models that predict clinical status using time-dependent and sometimes spatial information from patient records. Her research has clinical applications in areas such as diabetes, epilepsy, liver and bladder cancer, and stroke. In addition to her main research interests, Professor Garcia-Finana has established a strong track record in the field of Stereology, which involves quantifying geometrical parameters of biological structures through proper sampling design. A significant contribution she has made is the generalisation of the variance in Cavalieri sampling, which allows for the representation of discontinuity points in the area function using fractional derivatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was a member of the Liverpool SMART Covid-19 team, which assessed the accuracy of the Innova Lateral Flow antigen Covid-19 testing in asymptomatic individuals. This study was the first quality assurance evaluation of mass rapid testing in this population and resulted in a report for the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) in November 2020, later published in the British Medical Journal. Her work gained international media attention, including features on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC News website. She also contributed to studies evaluating social and spatial inequalities in COVID-19 management and testing strategies in care homes, providing valuable insights for public health teams and policymakers. Professor Garcia-Finana served as the Head of the Department of Health Data Science at the University of Liverpool from 2020 to 2025. She has been recognised for her contributions to the field, being named in the 2025 North Innovation Women list for her innovative work. She is interested in supervising PhD students focusing on prediction modelling, early diagnosis, and classification using large healthcare datasets. Her accolades include the Florence Nightingale award for Excellence in Healthcare Data Analytics from the Royal Statistical Society in 2023, the Research Impact of the Year award from the University of Liverpool in 2022, and recognition for Outstanding Contribution During the COVID-19 Pandemic from the University of Liverpool in 2022.

Research interests

Professor Marta Garcia-Finana''s research focuses on the development and application of multivariate statistical techniques, particularly in generating models that predict clinical status using time-dependent and sometimes spatial information from clinical records. Her work includes clinical applications in diabetes, epilepsy, liver and bladder cancer, and stroke. She has a significant track record in Stereology, employing methods to quantify geometrical parameters of biological structures and has made key contributions, such as generalising the variance in Cavalieri sampling. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she was part of the Liverpool SMART Covid-19 team, assessing the accuracy of lateral flow antigen testing in asymptomatic individuals, which resulted in the first quality assurance study on mass rapid testing in this population. Her findings were reported to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and published in the British Medical Journal, gaining international media attention. Additionally, her research has provided insights into social and spatial inequalities in Covid-19 management and testing strategies in care homes. Professor Garcia-Finana is also interested in supervising PhD students focusing on prediction modelling, early diagnosis, and classification using large healthcare datasets.

Dr G Czanner's profile is coming soon