NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health: Themes
Monday 13 May 2024
NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health supports technology and innovation across several key themes
The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in Paediatrics and Child Health will build on the last five years of NIHR Children and Young People MedTech Co-operative (NIHR CYP MedTech).
The HRC aims to continue transforming the lives of children and young people living with long-term conditions, and their families. Of the 14 NIHR HRCs, the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health is the only one that is dedicated to child health.
The HRC supports the development of paediatric health technologies across three core themes and two cross-cutting themes:
- The Early Life theme develops technologies for safe births, infection screening, resuscitation, and monitoring with the aim of reducing brain injury, death, and disability in preterm and term babies.
- The Long-Term Conditions in Childhood theme aims to empower children with chronic conditions to manage their health through early detection, home monitoring, personalised self-management, and mental health support.
- The Transition theme aims to reimagine the journey from child to adult healthcare through education, self-management, readiness assessment, and service evaluation technologies.
- The cross-cutting Mind & Body Integration theme champions holistic innovation at the interface of physical and mental health.
- The cross-cutting Child Health Artificial Intelligence Network (CHAIN) theme leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to revolutionise paediatric care through data linkage, predictive analytics, and multi-site implementation.
Each theme is managed by our core team and clinical theme leads from partner institutions, each with world-leading expertise in their respective fields. The HRC brings together the knowledge and resources of Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Sheffield, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Cambridge, the University of Nottingham, and more to create a hub for child health innovation.
Across all five themes, we embed impactful patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) to ensure technologies effectively meet the unmet needs of children, young people, and their families. Our PPIE Executive Lead, Jennifer Preston, uses various novel and established PPIE methods to engage underserved groups and measure involvement impact.