I originally trained as an optometrist and worked in community practice for 15yrs in areas all over the northwest of England. During this time, I observed first-hand the difference in health between various communities which led to my interest in public health. As an optometrist, I saw facial dysmorphia related to prenatal alcohol exposure in many of my patients and this made me curious about the actual prevalence of FASD. Given what I was regularly seeing as a practitioner, I was surprised to discover that no UK data were available and became interested in the research being undertaken by Alan Price and Prof Penny Cook. I decided to study for the MSc in Public Health at the University of Salford with a view to developing my research skills for a career in research.
I was lucky enough to be the Research Assistant on the first UK FASD prevalence study, working with the children involved has been fun and rewarding. I am interested in the mixed methods approach to research and passionate about involving stakeholders in public health research.
I teach on The public health practitioner degree apprenticeship and Masters programmes here at the University of Salford, Alongside teaching, I am conducting research into the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and its impact on children’s development.
A Focus on FASD and Parental Experiences
I am also pursuing a PhD by published work, which focuses on improving the ways researchers study Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in schools. This includes exploring parents’ experiences of participating in these studies, as well as their challenges in getting support and understanding for children with FASD, ADHD, autism, or learning difficulties.
One of my recent projects investigated how alcohol consumption during pregnancy affects children’s early education. Using data from the Born in Bradford study, the team examined the link between prenatal alcohol exposure and children’s performance on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP)—a measure of early learning milestones.
The findings were striking: children exposed to five or more units of alcohol per week (around two large glasses of wine) after the fourth month of pregnancy were more likely to struggle with learning, even when factors like family income or maternal education were considered. These results highlight the importance of avoiding alcohol during pregnancy to support children’s healthy development.
I am also leading the Public involvement project to explore public views on research into developing a test that could detect if someone was exposed to alcohol in the womb using markers in the body. This project aims to understand what people think about the potential benefits and challenges of such a test, including how it could help families and what ethical or practical concerns it might raise.
By listening to parents, healthcare workers, and the general public, the team hopes to ensure the research is guided by public input, is ethically responsible, and can make a positive difference in diagnosing and supporting children affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).