Associate Dean for Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton, and Honorary consultant at University Hospital Southampton
Co-chair of the UK Preconception Partnership
NIHR Senior Investigator Emeritus and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre Theme Lead
Member of the Maternity Disparities Taskforce at the UK Department of Health and Social Care
Involved in the establishment that children's development and their susceptibility to obesity and allergic disorders are affected by the mother's diet and lifestyle before and during pregnancy, with long-term implications for health in later life mediated through epigenetic changes; Chief Investigator, NiPPeR preconception and pregnancy nutritional randomised trial
Election (2020) to the UK Academy of Medical Sciences
MBE (2022) for services to medicine during the COVID-19 response
Current interests include engagement of adolescents with the sciences behind the health messages to promote health and wellbeing in preparation for future parenthood, characterising the optimal nutrition and lifestyle for parents before and during pregnancy to provide the offspring with the best start in life, and reduction in the transmission of disparities across generations
