Dr Roger Tavendale’s background is in the estimation of biochemical risk factors for ischaemic heart disease in large cross-sectional studies. He was responsible for the biochemical analyses carried out as part of the Scottish Hearth Heath Study and also for the analyses of the specimens collected by the Glasgow centre in the WHO MONICA project. His focus has now altered towards investigating those genetic factors which may influence common diseases, including asthma, COPD and diabetes. Of particular interest are those genetic factors which influence the clinical course of the disease and those which influence the response to pharmacotherapy.