Supervisor View Full Details

• epidemiology/population health research

• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Paediatrics
• Public Health

• Gastroenterology
• Neonatology
• Psychiatry

My team has produced a series of original and highly cited research papers in high impact journals including PLoS Medicine, JAMA Psychiatry and the International Journal of Epidemiology, which collectively explore in detail causal associations between perinatal risk factors, such as in-utero exposure to stress, alcohol and Caesarean section and later child and adult morbidity. In addition We have produced comprehensive and contemporary meta-analyses on these topics which have provided the most up-to-date evidence base to inform clinical practice.
We have access to large population-based data from the Danish and Swedish National Health Registers, which contain health related data on all births in both countries from 1973 onwards. These data allow us to conduct very large and complex research studies with follow-up data from more than 40 years. We also have access and expertise in using longitudinal cohort studies from Ireland, the UK and Australasia.

We have several ongoing major epidemiology projects focusing on the short and long term impact of Caesarean section on the health of the mother and baby. These studies were based on data from Ireland, the UK, Denmark and Sweden and examined the impact of Caesarean section on subsequent pregnancies and health outcomes in the offspring including type 1 diabetes, autism, ADHD, child behaviour, adult psychosis, depression, anxiety, school performance and child obesity. Other projects examine the impact of pre-eclampsia, maternal obesity, maternal alcohol consumption on offspring health outcomes including obesity, autism and ADHD.

We also have ongoing projects which examine the effect of specific medications, such as antibiotics and diabetes medications, during pregnancy on the maternal and child health. In addition, we have projects on gastrointestinal conditions and related biomarkers in pregnancy and how they influence pregnancy outcome.