About
Dr Mbizvo’s research uses health data to improve the lives of people with epilepsy. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles, including in The Lancet, Lancet Digital Health, Nature Communications, and JAMA Neurology. He has secured more than £500,000 in research funding as principal or co-investigator, including a £300,000 Emerging Leader Fellowship (2024–2027). He has received nine national awards for best platform presentation, including three at the Association of British Neurologists Annual Meeting (2019, 2022, and 2026) and three at the International League Against Epilepsy British Chapter Annual Scientific Meeting (2018, 2024, and 2025), setting a record at both meetings.
During his PhD, Dr Mbizvo delivered the Scottish Epilepsy Deaths Study, linking national datasets to quantify the burden and causes of epilepsy-related death. The findings showed that nearly 80% of deaths were potentially avoidable and informed policy discussions at the Scottish Parliament, where he presented the work.
Building on this work, his postdoctoral research integrates causal inference methods into health-data research in epilepsy.
Dr Mbizvo supervises PhD students, Academic Clinical Fellows, and medical students across multiple research projects. He contributes to university teaching through RS3 project supervision, co-leadership of an MSc Neuroscience module, and academic adviser roles.
Prizes or Honours
- Charles Symonds Prize: best platform presentation (Association of British Neurologists, 2026)
- Platform Prize - Best Oral Presentation (ILAE British Branch, 2025)
- Platform Prize - Best Oral Presentation (International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) British Branch, 2024)
- Starter Grant for Clinical Lecturers (Academy of Medical Sciences, 2024)
- Charles Symonds Prize: Best platform presentation (Association of British Neurologists Association of British Neurologists, 2022)
- Runner-up presentation in Clinical Neurology (European Academy of Neurology, 2020)
- Charles Symonds Prize: Best platform presentation (Association of British Neurologists, 2019)
- Liversedge Prize 2019 - Best platform presentation (North of England Neurological Association, 2019)
- The John D Matthews Postgraduate Award 2019 (The University of Edinburgh Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences (CCBS), 2019)
- Brain Travel Award (Brain, 2019)
- ILAE Conference Bursary (International League against Epilepsy, 2018)
- ABN Conference Bursary (Association of British Neurologists, 2018)
- Best Oral Platform Presentation Prize (Internationale League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) British Chapter, 2018)
- Best Overall Presentation Prize (Scottish Association of Neurological Sciences, 2017)
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) Top Abstract Award (The International Association for the Study of Pain’s CRPS Special Interest Group, 2013)
- Research Grant (Pain Relief Foundation, 2009)
Funded Fellowships
- Emerging Leader Fellowship (The Epilepsy Research Institute, 2024 - 2027)
- NIHR Clinical Lectureship (2022 - 2026)