About

Introduction

Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Newcastle

Qualifications

MBBS (University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne) DCH (Royal College of Physicians of London) MRCP (UK) FRACP

Research

Research Interests

Having trained in Paediatrics in the U.K., I sub-specialised in neonatal medicine. I have a strong background in academic neonatal medicine, undertaking my research training with Professor Malcolm Levene in Leeds. . I have experience at a senior level in major teaching hospitals in the UK, New Zealand and Australia, holding specialist qualifications in both the U.K. and Australia. I have been involved at these sites in the running of research studies ranging from physiology studies through to international multi-centred trials and thus have extensive experience of the difficulties of recruitment and involvement of sick neonates in clinical trials. Most of my research has examined aspects of cardiovascular function in neonates. In particular I have experience of a variety of vascular flow methods, including Ultrasonic Doppler, laser Doppler, flow probes (in animals) and xenon cerebral blood flow. I continued my interest in neonatal cardiovascular adaptation through my time as Neonatal Senior Lecturer in Auckland and to my current post in Newcastle.

I am now a part of the Mothers and Babies Research Centre of the Hunter Medical Research Institute, directed by Professor Roger Smith and I have developed the project of the effect of gender on neonatal cardiovascular adaptation with A/Prof Vicki Clifton. Local competitive grants and an equipment grant from local industry (2000-4) have funded this work, which formed part of the PhD of Dr Michael Stark and has lead to international recognition, prize awards and several publications. This is now the subject of an NHMRC funded study with myself as sole CI.

I work 50% of my time as Senior Staff Specialist Neonatologist and 50% as Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health of the University of Newcastle. I supervise 2 PhD students, and have Honours students and summer students. I am actively involved in encouraging research participation by junior medical, nursing and allied health staff.

I am or have been local coordinator, AI or CI for several national and international studies aimed at improving outcomes for the sick or preterm infant including the ICE trial (NHMRC ID:216725), BOOST2 (NHMRC ID: 352386), Bubbles for Babies trial of level 2 CPAP (NHMRC ID:253790), DAISY trial of developmental outcomes of surgical infants (March of Dimes, US, funded), Proprems (Probiotic trial), Torpido (Resusitation Oxygen Requirements in Preterm Infants). In addition I have some local translational studies underway in neonatal pharmacology and analysis.

Other

Membership of Societies and Professional Bodies

• Fetal and Neonatal Physiology Society ( Australia)
• Fetal and Neonatal Physiology Society ( International)
• IMPACT -Perinatal trials collaborative group
• Royal Australasin College of Physicians, Paediatrics and Child Health Division
• European Society of Paediatric Research
• European Society of Microcirculation
• Australian Society of Microcirculation
• HMRI Research Council
• Hunter Children's Research Executive

Other academic activities

I have been a reviewer for a number of journals including Archives of Disease in Childhood, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology, American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Journal of Pediatrics and the McMasters Online Rating of Evidence System.

I have reviewed grants for the NHMRC, Australian Heart Foundation, South Australia Children's Research and South African Medical Research Council.

Chair of the Hunter Children's Research Executive Research Sub-commitee.

Convenor of ABC Children's Research Network.