Research focus
The overall aim of my research is to study the effect of a reduced calorie diet in pregnancy upon maternal postpartum weight and offspring adiposity. I am the lead Research Nurse for the DiGest Follow-up Study. My role includes inviting mothers and children who have taken part in the DiGest Study to join the DiGest Follow-Up Study. This includes taking informed consent, performing adult and infant anthropometric measurements, applying continuous glucose monitor sensors, arranging sample collection and entering clinical data.
Background and experience
I previously worked as a Research Nurse in the Department of Paediatrics for 17 years focusing on many studies, predominately The Cambridge Baby Growth Study and Outcome study. Other studies included: Small at birth (SABS), Continuous Glucose Monitoring in women with T1D in pregnancy trial (CONCEPTT), Exploring the impact of prematurity on lipid profile in new born babies. My last study in the Department of Paediatrics was Interlukin-2 Therapy of Autoimmunity in Diabetes. I moved to the IMS-MRL in January 2022 to develop skills in the field of diabetes, particularly gestational diabetes.
Working at the IMS-MRL
My current project involves following-up mothers and children from the DiGest trial. DiGest is a muticentre, prospective, randomised double-blind controlled trial of a reduced energy diet in women with gestational diabetes. At the end of the DiGest trial, I invite participants to join the Follow-Up Study, to identify if short-term dietary change in pregnancy can improve the health of mothers and children long-term. The DiGest Follow-Up Study assesses if the DiGest dietary intervention in pregnancy can have beneficial effects upon maternal weight and glucose tolerance and child adiposity up to three years after a pregnancy affected by gestational diabetes.
