Centre for Behaviour and Evolution

Staff Profile

Dr Anna Basu

Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Neurologist, Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences

Background

I am a Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at University of Newcastle, UK. I am a member of the Population Health Sciences Institute, and my work aligns with the Children and Families theme. 

Area of expertise: Assessments and interventions in perinatal stroke and CP; paediatric neurology; social prescribing

Google Scholar: Click here.

Qualifications

BMBCh (Oxford 1997) 

MA (Cambridge 1998)

MRCPCH (London, 2000)

PhD (Newcastle, 2007)

FRCPCH (2014)

Newcastle Teaching Award (2021)


Awards

1991 Institute of Biology, UK Award for highest A-level Biology examination mark, Oxford Board

1993 Rushton Vacation Research Studentship (Physiological Society)

1994 Tyars Prize, New Hall, Cambridge University

1994 Green College Graduate Award, Oxford University

1995 Hoffman La Roche Prize for Laboratory Medicine (jointly), Oxford University

2004  Best oral presentation (jointly) at Neuroscience North East meeting  

2006  Best oral presentation (jointly), Paediatric Registrar Research Day, Northern Region

2010  Finalist, Bright Ideas in Health awards (NHS Innovations NE)

2012  Paul Polani Research Award, British Academy of Childhood Disability/RCPCH

2013  Ronnie MacKeith prize, British Paediatric Neurology Association (jointly)

2013  NIHR Clinical Trials Fellowship

2014  NIHR Career Development Fellowship 

2016 - Associate Editor, Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology

2017 Nominated for the John Stoboe Prichard Award, International Child Neurology Association


Opponent for Linda Nordstrand PHD Defence, Karolinska Institute, Sweden, 2015

Opponent for Ann-Kristin Gunnes Elvrum PHD Defence, Trondheim University, Norway, 2016

Opponent for Linda Ek PHD Defence, Karolinska Institute, Sweden, 2019

Keynote lecture and Workshop to Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association, 2019


 

 

Research


Research Interests

My research is in neurological disorders of children, particularly those of cerebral palsy and neurocognition. I am working on projects which address the way in which the motor system can adapt to early damage. I am also studying interventions in perinatal stroke. I am also more broadly interested in how to support and advocate for children with neurodisabilities and their families.   


More information on current projects available here

Fun 'n' Games website (bimanual therapy ideas for children with hemiplegic CP following our clinical trial)

Discussion podcast on perinatal stroke based on Invited Review

Funding

2022-2023: NIHR ARC NENC. £49 715. Exploring social prescribing for children and young people in the community and hospital settings. CI. 

2021-2022: GNCH Foundation £50 000; Ways to Wellness £188 494. Social prescribing for children with neurodisability – integrating the hospital and community settings. CI.

2020-2021: NIHR PCAF Bridge. £23 522. Supervisor for Sarah Edney. Feeding disorders in neonates with brain injury.

2020: Elizabeth Casson Trust. Co-I. £9 885. Introducing telehealth in children’s therapy services: learning from Covid-19 innovations to inform future practice.

2020: Supervisor for Henry Miller Studentship (Newcastle University) with Pennington and Khatab: Personalised speech and language therapy for children with cerebral palsy using acoustic and phonological analytics.

2019-2020: Action Medical Research £68 563: Can wrist-worn accelerometers help children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy increase the use of their affected upper limb in everyday activities?

2019-2020: GNCH Foundation. £27 099. Does participation in the Training in early Detection for Early Intervention (TEDEI) e-learning course improve knowledge and change clinical behaviour of healthcare professionals? Co-applicant with Janice Pearse.  

2019-2023: Co-supervisor for Integrated Clinical Academic Programme Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship Claire Marcroft (NIHR) Improving the quality and value of enhanced developmental surveillance and support for preterm infants and their families. £249 149


2018-2021: Supervisor for Integrated Clinical Academic Programme Clinical Doctoral Fellowship Phillip Harniess (NIHR): Optimising parent engagement with early intervention physical therapy for their infants with emerging cerebral palsy. £231 074  

2017-2021: Lead supervisor for PhD studentship (ESRC NINE DTP, 1 3) Development and validation of a parent-completed screening checklist for early movement abnormalities indicating a high risk of development of cerebral palsy to Jess Baggaley. £80000

 

2016: Global Excellence Funding; Strategic Impact Funding (Newcastle University)

2016-2017: Physiotherapy Research Foundation £20 531 (Co-applicant). Motor assessment of preterm infants. 

2015-2017: NIHR HTA £273 139. Standing frames as part of postural management for children with spasticity. What is the acceptability of a trial to determine the efficacy of standing frames? Co-Investigator.

2015-2016: Sparks Innovation Grant. £83 259. Participatory design of smart phone technology to support speech therapy for very young children with cerebral palsy. Co-Investigator.

2015: Newcastle University vacation studentship to Ayaka Tsutsumi

2015: Newcastle Healthcare Charity. Pilot feasibility study of early therapy intervention in perinatal stroke. £49 917. CI.

2014-2018: NIHR Career Development Fellowship £759 885.

2014: Tiny Lives. £10 350. Development of videos and website to support an early therapy approach in perinatal stroke. 

2014: Development and manualisation of a therapy-based intervention for infants at risk of hemiplegic cerebral palsy. £10 184. NIHR Research Capability Funding, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. CI.

2014: Wellcome Trust vacation scholarship to Katie Khong 

2013: Play-based therapy to improve upper limb function in young children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. NIHR Research Capability Fund, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (to support OT input to trial) £10005. 

2013: NIHR clinical trials fellowship 

2012: Paul Polani Research Award, British Association of Childhood Disability (PI). The use of taping to improve thumb and wrist posture and hand use in infants with non-progressive brain lesions affecting hand function. £7473.

2011: Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University (CI): A tool for measuring motor planning deficits in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. £1000. 

2011: WellChild Trust (CI): to study a play-based therapy approach for the upper limb in hemiplegic cerebral palsy. £46 733

2010: Special Trustees, Newcastle Healthcare Charity (CI). Development of an electronically instrumented pegboard test for assessing manual dexterity in children including those with significant motor disability. £4334 

2009: Special Trustees, Newcastle Healthcare Charity. Study of effect of face training on face perception in prosopagnosia and in healthy controls (£1228). 

Students 

PhD students Emma Kirkpatrick and Reem Basuodan (completed); Jessica Baggaley, Claire Marcroft, Phill Harniess and Carol-Ann Mcconnellogue (current). 

I also supervise Masters students and AFP doctors - especially if interested in paediatric neurology!

Vacation studentship supervision 

Teaching

Contributor to Oxford Specialist Handbook of Paediatric Neurology second edition, Oxford University Press 

Facilitator, National Paediatric Epilepsy Training course (PET1), British Paediatric Neurology Association

Supervisor for SSC module for Newcastle medical students

Stage 5 Medical student seminar "Faints, fits and funny turns", Newcastle University 

Ward based teaching in paediatric neurology

Masters and PHD students

 

 

Publications