Summary
I am the UK's first Asian female Professor of Primary Care, appointed in 2017 and Director of the Imperial Child Health Unit at the School of Public Health, Imperial College London since 2012. The aims of my research are to improve child health and reduce inequalities by strengthening the evidence base for primary care and public health.
Research
I lead the Child Population Health Theme for the NIHR Northwest London Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) and a national work programme for the NIHR School for Public Health Research 'Harnessing data for Child Health'
As elected President of the Child and Adolescent Health Section of the European Public Health Association, I lead a network of 3000 health professionals in a 3 year strategic plan to achieve a WHO ‘Triple A rating (Analysis Advocacy Action) to improve children’s health in Europe (2021-2024). I am a Global Burden of Disease Collaborator, BMJ International Editorial Board Member and Visiting Professor in Europe, Asia and North America
priority areas
Primary care; preconception pregnancy and parenthood
Early years; infection and vaccine preventable disease, urgent care
Health in education; physical and emotional health in schools, IMprOVE cohort
Health of young people; asthma, mental health, inflammatory bowel disease
Teaching
I lead the Child Health Specialisation for Imperial's online Global Masters in Public Health and teach on the Imperial Medical Undergraduate course. I am committed to building academic capacity and widening opportunities in primary care and public health at Imperial (promotions champion and mentor), Oxford International Primary Care Research Leadership Programme.
CLINICAL
I have been a practising GP in Putney, London since 1995. All of my research stems from encounters with patients and the public.
Publications
Journals
Ram B, Chalkley A, van Sluijs E, et al., 2021, Impact of The daily Mile on children's physical and mental health and educational attainment in primary schools; iMprOVE cohort study protocol, Bmj Open, Vol:11, ISSN:2044-6055
Blackwell J, Alexakis C, Saxena S, et al., 2021, The association between antidepressant medication use and steroid dependency in patients with ulcerative colitis: a population-based study, Bmj Open Gastroenterology, Vol:8, ISSN:2054-4774
Venkatraman T, Honeyford C, Ram B, et al., 2021, Identifying local authority need for, and uptake of, school-based physical activity promotion in England – a cluster analysis, Journal of Public Health, ISSN:1741-3842
Phillips SM, Summerbell C, Hobbs M, et al., 2021, A systematic review of the validity, reliability, and feasibility of measurement tools used to assess the physical activity and sedentary behaviour of pre-school aged children, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, ISSN:1479-5868
Blackwell J, Saxena S, Jayasooriya N, et al., 2021, Prevalence and duration of gastrointestinal symptoms before diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and predictors of timely specialist review: a population-based study, Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, Vol:15, ISSN:1873-9946, Pages:203-211