Newcastle University

Child Health Research Group

We have a research strategy committed to:

• develop a perspective and voice for academic Child Health amongst doctors and other health professionals who work with children, in the context of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, the Great North Children’s Hospital and local health service Trusts;
• strengthen and develop the existing research topics within Child Health;
• foster, support and integrate the research of new clinician scientists;
• educate and mentor future clinical academics;
• use regular meetings to realise some of the above, especially for those working at the Great North Children’s Hospital

We will also facilitate translation of research into clinical practice:

• by developing a coherent translational research strategy for Child Health for the Great North Children’s Hospital and the region
• and by fostering the next generation of clinical academic leaders.

Theme Leader

Professor Josef Vormoor

Major Research Themes

• The Neurodevelopment and Disability Groups have programmes of work around: assessment and amelioration of neural damage; developmental underpinnings and evaluation of interventions for autism and mental health disorders; quality of life of children with cerebral palsy.
• The Paediatric Immunology Group has major research interests in the epidemiology of primary immunodeficiency and treatment, long term results of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for primary immunodeficiency, and identification and characterisation of the molecular aspects of selected primary immunodeficiency disorders.
• The Childhood Cancer Research Group is involved in laboratory-based and translational cancer research and in major national and international randomised controlled trials.
• The GNCH Research Unit provides infrastructure to open and run clinical trials both in the GNCH and regionally.
• Other teams: Endocrinology, Gastroenterology (with strong links to the MRC overseas Research Laboratory in Gambia), Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Nephrology, Rheumatology and Respiratory Diseases and Paediatric Cardiology.
• This is underpinned by the Paediatric Epidemiology Group have a focus around epidemiology and population studies, many related to Neurodevelopment and Cancer.

Key Collaborations

The Child Health Research Group cuts across the different Research Institutes of the Medical Faculty, in particular the Institute of Health & Society, the Institute of Cellular Medicine, the Institute for Neurosciences, the Northern Institute for Cancer & the Institute for Genetic Medicine.

Developing Researchers

We have been actively engaging in supporting the academic clinical training pathway. We currently have a number of Academic Clinical Fellows and Academic Clinical Lecturers in post in Paediatrics.

The convener of the Child Health Research Group is also regional academic advisor, member of the Board of Postgraduate Paediatrics at the Northern Deanery and member of the RCPCH Academic Training Board.

Impact and Engagement

We are currently in the process of reviewing the research strategy for the Great North Children’s Hospital and are staging several strategic events to underpin and develop our main research themes:

• Strategic Research Meeting between IoN and IHS around health, behaviour and disability in children and adolescents (organised by Dr Jeremy Parr & Professor Alan Colver)
• On behalf of the Biomedical Executive we are currently evaluating the space needs for Child Health Research across the Faculty and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
• Strategic Research Meeting on Immunodeficiency, Autoimmunity and Inflammation (organised by Professor Andrew Cant and ICM)
• Regular Academic Lectures as part of the Wednesday Child Health Lecture series

Related Websites

• The Great North Children's Hospital

Staff List

>> Research Groups