South Yorkshire partnership welcomes first four PhD researchers to pioneering child health programme

A partnership between Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University has welcomed its first four researchers to South Yorkshire’s first dedicated child health doctoral training programme, following generous funding from Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.

The SCYPHeR (South Yorkshire Children and Young People’s Health Research) Doctoral Training Programme brings together clinicians, academics and researchers from across the region to develop the next generation of child health research leaders while tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing children and young people.

SCYPHeR focuses on six key research themes: rare diseases, child health technology, mental health and wellbeing, child welfare and safeguarding, health inequalities and co-production and children’s voices

Through close collaboration between the three institutions, doctoral researchers will benefit from multidisciplinary expertise and access to clinical and academic research environments.

The first four doctoral researchers joining the programme are:

• Frankie Wardale, based at Sheffield Hallam University, who will focus on mental health and wellbeing by exploring how loneliness is experienced and measured in children with cystic fibrosis and their carers.
• Alan Royle, an Advanced Physiotherapist in the Gait & Motion Laboratory at Sheffield Children’s, who will investigate how children with neurodisabilities can be better supported to take an active role in decisions about their care, addressing key challenges in co-production and rare disease services.
• Ally Jennings, from the University of Sheffield and a Senior Social Worker with Leeds City Council, who will examine how frontline emergency care teams respond to harm, with a focus on risk management and safeguarding.
• Sarah Wilson, who will work on improving diagnosis and treatment for children with rare and undiagnosed conditions by analysing genomic data alongside functional testing.

Collaboration is key

Professor Meena Balasubramanian, Clinical Director of Research at Sheffield Children’s and Executive Director of SCYPHeR and said: “Collaboration is essential in child health research because the challenges facing children and young people are often complex and interconnected. By bringing together clinicians, academics, researchers and families, SCYPHeR is helping to accelerate innovation, share expertise and develop solutions that make a real difference.

“Welcoming our first cohort of SCYPHeR PhD researchers is a hugely exciting milestone. Doctoral researchers are essential to the future of child health research. By investing in their development now, we’re building the expertise, skills and leadership that will help transform care for children and young people for years to come.”

Professor Dan Lambert, Director of Research and Innovation of the Faculty of Health, University of Sheffield, said: “We are very pleased to welcome the first cohort of researchers to the SCYPHeR programme. This initiative highlights the power of academic and clinical collaboration across South Yorkshire. Combining the distinct research strengths of the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University with the frontline expertise of Sheffield Children’s, creates a world-class, multidisciplinary training environment.

“The researchers are tackling complex challenges, from genomic data analysis to mental health and safeguarding, ensuring our regional academic excellence translates into improved outcomes for children and young people.”

Professor Neil Bricklebank, Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange in the College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University said: “We are delighted to be a partner in the SCYPHeR collaboration which aims to embed high-quality research and practice in the region.

“These PhD studentships are an important step in achieving this goal. They are a visible demonstration of the impact that can be created through cross-institution collaboration, and will be completing vital research which will lead to improvements in the health and care of children and young people.”

Charity support

The programme has been made possible through significant investment from Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, which has committed £1 million per year over five years to support research at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

The charity’s investment represents a fourfold increase in its previous annual research funding and is helping create new opportunities to improve care for children and young people.

John Armstrong, CEO of Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, said: ““At Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, we believe research changes lives. We’re here to support the clinicians, academics and research teams who are pushing boundaries in children’s healthcare, and we are proud to support a programme that will help shape the future of child health research in South Yorkshire and beyond.

“These studentships represent more than individual research projects – they are part of a long-term commitment to building expertise, strengthening partnerships and ensuring Sheffield Children’s remains at the forefront of innovation in paediatric healthcare.”