Newcastle University

Research Interests

• Perinatal epidemiology
• Lifecourse epidemiology
• Maternal obesity
• Congenital anomalies

Presentations:

International:

• Impact of Maternal Obesity on Stillbirth and Infant Death: Absolute Risk and Temporal Trends (Parallel) at XIX International Epidemiology Association World Congress of Epidemiology (Edinburgh, 2011)
  
• A Benchmark Tariff For The Application Of Penalties For Student Plagiarism In Higher Education (Parallel) at Fourth International Plagiarism Conference (Newcastle, 2010)
  

National:

• The complex association between blood glucose concentration and birth weight in women with pre-gestational diabetes (Parallel) at Population Health Methods and Challenges Conference (Birmingham 2012).
• Maternal obesity and the absolute risks of stillbirth and infant death (Parallel) at Population Health Methods and Challenges Conference (Birmingham 2012).
• Predictors of Survival In Children Born with Down Syndrome (Plenary) at British Isles Network of Congenital Anomalies Registers (BINOCAR) Biennial Scientific Conference (Newcastle, 2010)
• Predictors of Survival In Children Born with Down Syndrome (Plenary) at Society of Social Medicine 54th Annual Scientific Meeting (Belfast, 2010)
• Increased risk of fetal loss and infant death in obese women (Plenary) at British Maternal and Fetal Medicine Society 14th Annual Conference (Gateshead, 2010)
• Maternal age and the risk of structural congenital anomalies (Plenary) at British Maternal and Fetal Medicine Society 14th Annual Conference (Gateshead, 2010)
• Twenty Year Survival of Children Born with Congenital Anomalies (Parallel) at Society of Social Medicine 53rd Annual Scientific Meeting (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 2009)
• Prevalence and Outcome for Individuals with Down Syndrome, 1985-2003 (Plenary) at British Maternal and Fetal Medicine Society 13th Annual Conference (Liverpool, 2009)
• Comparing institution policies for plagiarism: findings of the Academic Misconduct Benchmarking Research (AMBeR) project (Invited Plenary) at Universities UK Event: Tackling Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct (London, 2008)

Regional:

• The Care Pathway for Children and Young People with Cerebral Palsy: Where are we now, and where would we like to be? (Plenary) at NECCPS Annual Meeting (Durham, 2011)
  
• Maternal Age and Non-Chromosomal Anomalies (Plenary) at NorCAS Annual Meeting (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 2009)
• Survival of Children Born with Congenital Anomalies (Plenary) at NorCAS Annual Meeting (Gateshead, 2008)

Press Coverage:

RE: Peri-conception hyperglycaemia and nephropathy are associated with risk of congenital anomaly in women with pre-existing diabetes:

• Gallagher, J. 'Diabetes quadruples birth defects risk, say researchers'. BBC News Online. Feb 06, 2012.
  
• Campbell, D. 'Women with diabetes warned to take precautions when having a baby'. Guardian. Feb 06, 2012.
• 'Diabetes in pregnancy ups birth defects risk'. The Times of India. Feb 06, 2012.

 RE: Maternal Body Mass Index and the Risk of Fetal and Infant Death:

• Rochman, B. 'Obese Women Are More Likely to Miscarry or Endure a Baby's Death'. Time. Apr 08, 2011.
  
• 'Obese women "twice as likely to lose baby in first year"'. Daily Mail. Apr 06, 2011
• Griffiths, M. 'Obese women twice as likely to have miscarriages'. ABC News. Apr 06, 2011

RE: A Benchmark Tariff for the Application of Penalties for Student Plagiarism in Higher Education:

• Collins, N. 'New plagiarism penalties for cheating students'. Telegraph. Jun 18, 2010
• Attwood, R. 'Plagiarism tariff: let the punishment fit the demerit points'. Times Higher Education. Jun 17-23, 2010 - Page 6-7

RE: 20-Year Survival of Children Born with Congenital Anomalies:

• Rae, H. 'Study reveals baby survival prospects'. The Journal. Mar 11, 2010 - Page 22

RE: Maternal Overweight and Obesity and the Risk of Congenital Anomalies:

• Park A. 'Mother's Obesity Raises Risk of Birth Defects'. Time. Feb 10, 2009
• 'Obese mothers ‘risk spina bifida’'. BBC News Online. Feb 11, 2009
• Rabin, RC. 'Obesity During Pregnancy Linked to Infant Birth Defects'. New York Times. Feb 12, 2009

RE: The Recorded Incidence of Student Plagiarism and the Penalties Applied:

• Lipsett, A. 'Cheating rife among university students'. Education Guardian. Jun 02, 2008
• Coughlan, S. 'University cheats ‘not expelled’'. BBC News Online. Jun 04, 2008
• Attwood, R. '143 students expelled for plagiarism'. Times Higher Education. Jun 12, 2009

Related Journal Coverage and Commentaries:

RE: Peri-conception hyperglycaemia and nephropathy are associated with risk of congenital anomaly in women with pre-existing diabetes:

• Hadden, DR. 'Congenital anomalies in diabetic pregnancy: An important confirmation.' Diabetologia 2012, 55(4), 870-872.

 RE: Maternal body mass index and congenital anomaly risk: a cohort study:

• Koch, L. 'Maternal weight linked to congenital anomalies in offspring'. Nature Reviews Endocrinology 2010, 6(8), 418.

RE: 20-year survival of children born with congenital anomalies:

• Stone DH. 'Long Term Survival of Children Born With Congenital Anomalies'. Lancet 2010, 375(9715), 614-616.
• 'Long-term survival and congenital anomalies'. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2010, 95(10), 804.

RE: Maternal Overweight and Obesity and the Risk of Congenital Anomalies:

• 'Short Cuts - All you need to read in the other general journals: Obese pregnant women have a higher risk of fetal abnormalities' BMJ 2009, 338, b627

Other Esteem Indicators:

Memberships:

• International Epidemiology Association (IEA)
  
• Society for Social Medicine (SSM)
  

Committees etc.:

• Society for Social Medicine (SSM) Committee (2012)
  
• Society for Social Medicine (SSM) Early Career Research (ECR) sub-committee (2011-2013, chair: 2012)

Invited Reviewer for:

• BMC Medicine
• Chest
• Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 
• Pediatrics
  
• Thorax

Abstract Reviewer for:

• Society for Social Medicine (SSM) 55th Annual Scientific Meeting
• Society for Social Medicine (SSM) 56th Annual Scientific Meeting

Honours, Awards, Bursaries etc.:

• Early Career Researcher Bursary to attend the Population Health Methods and Challenges Conference (2012)
• International Epidemiology Association (IEA) Young Investigator Award for Best Poster Presentation in Theme 'Other' at the XIX IEA World Congress of Epidemiology (2011)
• Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences Runner up for best presenter at the Institute of Health and Society / Institute of Neuroscience Joint Research Day (2011)
  
• Society for Social Medicine (SSM) Top-scoring abstract from a pre-doctoral early career researcher at the 54th Annual Scientific Meeting (2010)

Funding:

Current:

Salotti J, Tennant PWG, Windebank K, Rankin J. (2012) Histiocytic disorders in children with congenital anomalies; a population-based record linkage study. Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, £14,899

Tennant PWG, Glinianaia SV, Rankin J. (2011) Investigating the epidemiology of partial urorectal septum malformation sequence: a population-based study using data from the British Isles Network of Congenital Anomaly Registers (BINOCAR). Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, £14,956 

Pearce MS, Gibson GJ and Tennant PWG. (2008) Lifecourse predictors of respiratory function and the link to systemic inflammation: a follow-up at age 61 years. Breathe North (now British Lung Foundation North Region), £24,761

Lectures and Seminars:

MRes in Medical and Molecular Biosciences

(Module MMB8009: Clinical Epidemiology)

Lectures: Measuring Disease Frequency, Study Design, Bias and Confounding.

Seminars: Measuring Disease Frequency, Case-Control vs Cohort Studies, The Barker Hypothesis

MSc in Public Health and Health Services Research

(Module HSC8055: Introduction to systematic reviewing and critical appraisal)

Lecture: Introduction to meta-analysis

PGC in Clinical Research

(Module: Study Design and Data Interpretation)

Lecture: Observational Research

MRCP Part 1

Lecture: Medical Statistics

Supervision and Examination:

MSc in Public Health and Health Services Research

Dissertation Co-Supervisor

Dissertation Examiner

• Rankin J, Tennant PWG, Bythell M, Pearce MS. Predictors of survival in children born with Down syndrome: a registry based study. Pediatrics 2012, (epub ahead of print).
• Bell R, Glinianaia S, Tennant PWG, Bilous R, Rankin J. Peri-conception hyperglycaemia and nepthropathy are associated with risk of congenital anomaly in women with pre-existing diabetes: a population-based cohort study. Diabetologia 2012, 55(4), 936-947.
• Best KE, Tennant PWG, Working-Group EUROCAT, Rankin J. Epidemiology of small intestinal atresia in Europe: a register-based study. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2012, F1-F6.
• Tennant PWG, Samarasekera SD, Pless-Mulloli T, Rankin J. Sex differences in the prevalence of congenital anomalies: a population-based study. Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology 2011, 91(10), 894-901.
• Pearce MS, Tennant PWG, Mann KD, Pollard TM, McLean L, Kaye B, Parker L. Lifecourse predictors of mammographic density: The Newcastle Thousand Families cohort Study. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 2012, 131(1), 187-195.
• Kinnunen KI, Tennant PWG, McParlin C, Poston L, Robson SC, Bell R. Agreement between pedometer and accelerometer in measuring physical activity in overweight and obese pregnant women. BMC Public Health 2011, 11(1), 501.
• Mann KD, Tennant PWG, Parker L, Unwin NC, Pearce MS. The relatively small contribution of birth weight to blood pressure at age 49-51 years in the Newcastle Thousand Families Study. Journal of Hypertension 2011, 29(6), 1077-1084.
• Tennant PWG, Rankin J, Bell R. Maternal body mass index and the risk of fetal and infant death; a cohort study from the North of England. Human Reproduction 2011, 26(6), 1501-1511.
• Sethna F, Tennant PWG, Rankin J, Robson SC. Prevalence, natural history, and clinical outcome of mild to moderate ventriculomegaly. Obstetrics & Gynecology 2011, 117(4), 867-876.
• McParlin C, Robson SC, Tennant P, Besson H, Rankin J, Adamson A, Pearce MS, Bell R. Objectively measured physical activity during pregnancy: a study in obese and overweight women. BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth 2010, 10(1), 76.
• Pearce MS, Ahmed A, Tennant PWG, Parker L, Unwin NC. Lifecourse predictors of adult fibrinogen levels: the Newcastle Thousand Families Study. International Journal of Cardiology 2010, (epub ahead of print).
• Rankin J, Tennant PWG, Stothard KJ, Bythell M, Summerbell C, Bell R. Maternal body mass index and congenital anomaly risk: a cohort study. International Journal of Obesity 2010,34 9 1371-1380.
• Tennant PWG, Pearce MS, Bythell M, Rankin J. 20-year survival of children born with congenital anomalies: a population-based study. Lancet 2010, 375(9715), 649-656.
• Tennant PWG, Gibson GJ, Parker L, Pearce MS. Childhood Respiratory Illness and Lung Function at Ages 14 and 50 Years. Chest 2010, 137(1), 146-155.
• Stothard KJ, Tennant PWG, Bell R, Rankin J. Maternal Overweight and Obesity and the Risk of Congenital Anomalies A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association 2009, 301(6), 636-650.
• Tennant PWG, Gibson GJ, Pearce MS. Lifecourse predictors of adult respiratory function: Results from the Newcastle Thousand Families Study. Thorax 2008, 63(9), 823-830.