R

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R D Recognised Research Groups

• Cancer
• Child Health and Welfare
• Endocrinology and Diabetes
• Epidemiology

2001

• Infectious Diseases
• Neuroscience
• Trauma and Rehabilitation

2002
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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
History

• 1997 - Planning Meetings
• 1999-2000 - Evaluation
• 2001 - Launched with 6 projects

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Aim

• The aim is to achieve a greater understanding of
  the factors, and their interaction, that
  influence the development, both normal and
  abnormal, of the individual from fetal life
  through infancy and childhood into adult life.

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Objectives

• 1. Perform research to elucidate mechanisms of
  development and disease of human
  biological systems from fetal life through
  infancy and childhood into adult life
• 2. Design, evaluate and study prevention and
  treatment programmes to alleviate disease
  originating from events in early development and
  later childhood

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Objectives

• 3. Undertake research designed to optimise the
  delivery, safety and efficacy of drugs used to
  treat newborn infants and children
• 4. Develop and maintain research expertise and
  skills relevant to research in this area and to
  provide training in research skills
• 5. Promote collaborative research in the area of
  fetal, neonatal and paediatric health, welfare
  and wellbeing

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
5 Areas of Study

• 1. Fetal Behaviour and Health
• 2. Human Nutrition
• 3. Respiratory Medicine
• 4. Clinical Pharmaceutics
• 5. Social Work

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Funded Projects

• 1. Habituation in the normal and abnormal fetus
  - Prof Peter Hepper. Aim to develop and
  refine a technique to assess brain function in
  the fetus.
• 2. Pathophysiology of childhood asthma - Dr
  Mike Shields, Prof Madeleine Ennis, Dr Liam
  Heaney, Prof Stuart Elborn. Aim To map the
  course of asthma in childhood.

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Funded Projects

• 3. Evaluation of homeobox gene expression in
  lung and blood cells of premature babies - Prof
  Henry Halliday, Collaborator Prof Terry
  Lappin. Aim to determine how these genes
  control lung development.
• 4. Nutrition, air pollution and lung disease -
  Prof Madeleine Ennis, Dr Mike Shields. Aim
  to determine the association of indoor
  pollutants with respiratory health and the
  effects of antioxidants.

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Funded Projects

• 5. Long-term outcome of postnatal steroid
  treatment - Prof Henry Halliday, Collaborator
  Prof Neil Marlow. Aim To clarify the
  cost-benefit ratio of postnatal steroid use in
  preterm babies.
• 6. Risk factors and protective mechanisms in
  failure to thrive - Prof Dorota Iwaniec, Dr
  Moira Stewart, Prof David Thurnham. Aim to
  understand causes of failure to thrive with a
  view to prevention.

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Additional Projects

• 1. The interaction between viral infection and
  the
• epithelium and childhood wheezing disorders
• Dr Mike Shields Dr Liam Heaney. Aim to
  study triggers for childhood asthma (RD
  Fellow- Dr Sharon Christie).
• 2. Delivery of asthmatic drugs in paediatrics
• Prof James McElnay, Dr Jeff Millership, Dr Paul
  Collier Dr Mike Shields. Aim to optimise
  the dose and route of administration of drugs
  for childhood asthma (R D Student - Jennifer
  Bell).

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Research, Education and Training

• 1. Workshops - Research Methodology
• - Ethical issues
• - Laboratory skills
• - Writing papers
• 2. Specialised skills - 5 Research areas
• 3. Guest speakers
• 4. Mentorship scheme for Nursing, PAMS and
  Health
• Social Care

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Guest Speakers

• Professor John Warner (Southampton)
• Fetal Origins of Asthma and Related Allergic
  Disorders
• Professor John Paris (Boston)
• Ethical Dilemmas in Obstetrics and Perinatal
  Medicine

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Fellows attached for mentoring

• 1. Dale Spence A 50 year follow-up of low
  birth weight
• infants.
• 2. Janice Christie A randomised controlled
  trial of health
• visiting after birth.
• 3. Janine Stockdale Successful
  breastfeeding promotion - a
• motivational model.
• 4. David Hayes Parental reaction to child
  welfare
• interventions.

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Fellows and Students

• Ms Jean Finnegan Ms Jennifer Bell
• Ms Vanessa Brown Dr Sarah Allen
• Dr Gary Doherty Dr Zeinab Abdelrahim
• Ms Francine de Courcey Ms Jill Fleck
• Dr Julian Leggett Ms Lorraine McErlean
• Mr Trevor Wilson Dr Timothy Warke
• Dr David Grier Mr Garrett OBrien
• Dr Helga Sneddon Dr Alison Watt
• Dr Sharon Christie Dr Julia Courtney

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Programme for Research Training

• Monthly Tutorials for Research Fellows
• Quarterly Workshops for Research
• Group and Associate Members
• Guest Lectures for All
• Specific Training in each Research Area

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Progress in the first year

• 87 Peer Reviewed Publications
• 2.7m External Grants (shared)
• 43 Invited Lectures
• 6 Memberships of Editorial Boards

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Child Health and Welfare Research Group
Widening the Net

• Associate Membership - currently 60 and new
  members are welcome
• Website - www.chawrrg.qub.ac.uk
• New Principal Investigators ?