Staff Profile

I assumed the position of Director of PenCLAHRC at its establishment in October 2008 and, with help from colleagues, designed an innovative approach in which we actively encourage decision makers to work with us to identify key questions, attempt to answer them through primary or secondary research and then to use the results to change routine practice. I have executive responsibility for a range of PenCLAHRC projects. I trained initially in paediatrics and then in epidemiology. I remain a clinical paediatrician but spend most of my time doing research and teaching, including running courses on evidence-based practice. In recent years much of my work has been in the areas of childhood disability, management of common conditions in childhood and the search for effective methods to influence unhealthy lifestyle factors. A central tenet of my research has been the importance of involving families in the research process. In addition to my role at PenCLAHRC, I am also Director of the Institute of Health Research at the University of Exeter Medical School.