SP

Shuby Puthussery

University of Bedfordshire, University of Greenwich, University of Bielefeld, Family and Parenting Institute, Heidelberg University of Education

Research areas: Medicine · Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health · Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare · Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions · Cultural Competency in Health Care

ORCID iD 0000-0002-1865-9546
Follow

About

I am an internationally recognised public health academic with over 20 years of experience in higher education, leading applied health research, capacity building and knowledge translation in maternal and new-born health across the UK and low- and middle-income countries.

In my current role as the Director of Maternal and Child Health Research Centre in the University of Bedfordshire, UK, I provide strategic and operational leadership for a growing portfolio of interdisciplinary research focused on improving access to healthcare, experiences of care, and health outcomes for mothers, babies, and families, particularly those from underserved and disadvantaged communities.

My research combines epidemiological, qualitative, implementation, and mixed-methods approaches to generate evidence that informs policy, practice, and service innovation. I have conducted research across the UK, India, Nigeria, Taiwan, and other international settings and have published outputs in leading journals, including The Lancet, The Lancet Oncology, The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health, BMJ, BMJ Open, Midwifery, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, and the European Journal of Public Health.

I am a Co-Investigator in the NIHR-funded Maternity Disparities Consortium (MDC) and leads the Consortium's Maternity Access, Communication and Experience (M-ACE) Workstream. This programme aims to improve equitable access to maternity care, strengthen communication between women, families and healthcare professionals, and enhance experiences of maternity and neonatal care through the co-design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions across the maternity pathway.

I lead and teaches the Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Ethical and Legal Issues in Health Care units within the BSc and MSc Public Health programmes delivered across the University's UK and international campuses.

I am an experienced supervisor of MSc and PhD research projects and regularly serves as an external examiner for doctoral examinations in maternal and child health and public health.

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the UK Medical Research Council's Applied Global Health Research Board, a Senior Collaborator with the Global Burden of Disease Study, and a member of the WHO/UNICEF Research Technical Advisory Group on Wasting and Nutritional Oedema. I also serve on the Senior Editorial Board of BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth and contributes to national and international research funding, peer-review, and advisory panels.

Employment

Education

Projects & Funding

  • Implementing and evaluating a co-produced, community-based intervention to enhance timely antenatal care initiation and uptake among mothers in ethnically diverse socio-economically disadvantaged areas in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes University of Bedfordshire
    2024 - 2026
  • NIHR Challenge: Maternity Inequalities Consortium (2024-29) Initial set up grant (2024-25) National Institute for Health Research
    2024 - 2025
  • Stakeholder perspectives on equity, acceptability and feasibility of interventions to support breast feeding for infants under six months with growth faltering: a qualitative systematic review synthesis World Health Organization
    2022 - 2023
  • Stakeholder perspectives on equity, acceptability and feasibility of the duration and type of supplemental milk for infants under six months with growth faltering: qualitative systematic review World Health Organization
    2022 - 2023
  • Effectiveness of interventions to manage difficulties with breastfeeding for mothers of infants under six months with growth faltering for improving breastfeeding practices and increasing breastmilk intake: a systematic review update World Health Organization
    2022 - 2022
  • Effectiveness of postnatal maternal or caregiver interventions on outcomes among infants under six months with growth faltering: a systematic review World Health Organization
    2021 - 2022
  • Enhancing antenatal care uptake in an ethnically diverse socially disadvantaged maternal cohort: a retrospective study to develop an intervention Wellbeing of Women
    2020 - 2024
  • The SARH Systematic Review (SR) Programme for South Asia Training evidence summaries Department for International Development
    2016 - 2018
  • Evaluation of interventions for 0-5 year olds in Luton. Flying Start Programme Luton Borough Council
    2016 - 2019
  • Father’s involvement in pregnancy and early years and its impact on key areas of child development in disadvantaged families in Luton PhD Studentship Bursary Luton Borough Council
    2015 - 2018
  • Factors contributing to poor birth outcomes among Black and Minority Ethnic women in the UK - A Systematic review and a pilot study Greenwich Research and Enterprise Investment Programme
    2015 - 2018

Publications (89)