Research Activity

Our patients need clinician scientists to identify, from their unmet needs, research projects to help them.

I became involved in research in about 1993. Over a long journey I have come to realise that beyond the intellectual aspects to research there is at its heart a very great moral driver. Our patients need clinician scientists to identify, from their unmet needs, research projects to help them. I have struggled along and made modest contributions to three areas of knowledge relevant to child health.

The first is an understanding of the health of a group of children and their families who are conceived with assisted conception. These were 0.5% of births 20 years ago but are now 2% in the UK.

The second is in the area of medicines for children and other clinical problems/ unmet needs involving babies and younger children. Examples of the former have been involvement with the MENDS trial and more recently the STOP study. Examples of the latter include the Bilibaby project, the BPSU hypocalcaemic fits study and the tongue tie trial I lead:

The third is a series of projects linked to the normalisation of the vaginal microbiome. The initial potential uses of this pessary gel is by far the most important work I have led in my modest efforts with collaborators to improve the health of women and children through research. My work in the filed of women’s health has recently been recognised by the award of FRCOG (hon).

Research pat.ients have often led me to useful insights into the unmet needs of children and their families which apply across the clinical setting too. For example via an early study on identical twins I conducted with Kypros Nicolaides I not only got useful insights into the special needs of that group of patients but also what a singularly unhelpful term ‘identical twins’ is. In fact the first thing I learnt from performing detailed assessments of these children was that they are not identical, that is a myth, monozygotic…yes, identical no.

When asked what I do in research as a paediatric epidemiologist I use this image in my academic talks. What is epidemiology? Take a look at this picture, we know what has gone by. An epidemiologist tries to recognise the patterns and imply causation. The basic scientist and trialists do the proof rather than spoof bit.

I would recommend involving yourself in medical research to be a must do for your own professional satisfaction as well as many other reasons. Further, more formal details of my ongoing research, which include 10 grant funded and several other projects, are available on UCL IRIS.

My curriculum vitae and publication list (current as of [placeholder]) are also available to download.

An interview from 2013 about my research and the future of fertility treatments: Listen here

My Inaugural Symposium

Here is a recording of my inaugural symposium that took place on 15th of May 2015:

Published items in the media

My work has been published in the public domain as well, covering several important topics such as ovarian cancer, swaddling babies or the use of Calpol in children. You can find links to these articles below:

Swaddling babies can cause hip problems

1) Swaddling babies can cause them hip problems, doctors warn

Practice of wrapping babies tightly in blankets or sheets is popular, but studies have shown it can lead to dislocation or abnormal development of the hip….Read more

2) Swaddling babies 'causes hip problems'

Swaddling babies could raise the risk of hip problems in later life because it prevents the joints developing normally, an expert has warned.….Read more

3) Swaddling babies can damage their hips, warns surgeon

Experts say the practice can damage healthy hip development because it restricts movement….Read more

Women who undergo IVF are a third more likely to develop ovarian cancer

1) IVF women third more likely to develop ovarian cancer

British health experts said the new findings were serious enough to consider screening IVF patients at regular intervals….Read more

Excessive use of Calpol can cause asthma or kidney, liver and heart damage

1) Excessive use of Calpol can cause asthma or kidney, liver and heart damage

Overusing paracetamol-based medicines to treat mild fevers could lead to health issues later in life….Read more

2) Parents Warned Excessive Calpol Use May Cause 'Asthma Or Kidney, Liver And Heart Damage'

Parents Warned Over Calpol Use.….Read more

3) Medical expert warns parents over Calpol dose

Parents who give their children paracetamol-based medicines, such as Calpol, without a good reason are putting children’s health at risk, a leading paediatrician has warned.….Read more

Overuse of sunscreen and lack of sun can lead to increase in rickets

1) Video games linked to return of rickets among children

With more children spending time indoors, experts warn of a re-emergence of rickets - the Victorian illness caused by a lack of vitamin D….Read more

2) Increase in rickets linked to overuse of sunscreen

A CHILD health expert has warned that parents worried about skin cancer are partly to blame for an increase in cases of childhood rickets...Read more

3) Warning over rickets 'epidemic' in children from lack of sun playing video games indoors and over use of sunscreen

The government's chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies is concerned at the rising number of children with vitamin D deficiency caused by a lack of sunlight.….Read more

Patient Care

Coping as a Paediatrician

Health Service Management

Study of ART-born children

Teaching

Research Activity

Media