Research and Teaching
As an Associate Professor at Warwick Medical School, I teach and examine at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and am the course director for a Masters course in Child Health. I am responsible for running local and national courses and developing national training materials in child protection and child death review. I am currently supervising four PhD students, and had one successful PhD student in 2013.
The main strands of my academic work have been studies into risk factors for child maltreatment, epidemiological research on sudden unexpected death in infancy, and health services research on child death review, patient safety and clinical outcomes, and fatal child maltreatment.
My work on sudden unexpected death in infancy includes the South West Infant Sleep Scene Study (principal investigator, Professor Peter Fleming), a case-controlled study of all sudden unexpected infant deaths in the South West of England. I led on a national evaluation of emerging child death review processes, funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. I have undertaken collaborative work with Professor Ruth Gilbert from UCL and Professor Marian Brandon from UEA on serious and fatal child maltreatment; with Professor Peter Fleming, University of Bristol, on Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy; and with Teresa Covington, US National Center for Child Death Review, and Dr John Frederick, Monash University on Child Death Review. From 2011 – 2013 I was the academic lead for a national Clinical Outcomes Review Programme commissioned by HQIP through the RCPCH.
Since 2011 I have been co-editor of the academic journal, Child Abuse Review
Click here see more of my academic profile.
Clinical Experience
As a general paediatrician with interests in child development and disability and in child protection, I provide a clinical service to Rugby and Warwickshire. This involves general paediatric and neurodevelopmental clinics along with multidisciplinary work in schools, clinics and other community settings. My clinical work includes management of a range of behavioural problems, general paediatrics, development and disability and child protection. In particular I have provided specialist expertise in the assessment and management of child abuse and neglect.
As designated doctor for child protection in Warwickshire I work closely with other professionals from different agencies in coordinating and developing services for child protection and I represent the Warwickshire Health Economy on the Warwickshire Local Safeguarding Children Board. I have worked with colleagues to build up a local service for responding to unexpected childhood deaths.
Academic Publications
Child Maltreatment publications
Child Death Review publications