Monica Lakhanpaul
{{Short description|British pediatrician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Professor (Dr)
| name = Monica Lakhanpaul
| honorific-suffix = FRCPCH FRSA
| image = Monica_Lakhanpaul_UCL_profile_photo.png
| birth_place = Leeds, England
| alma_mater = University of Nottingham
| occupation = Professor of Integrated Community Child Health;
Consultant Paediatrician
| employer = UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London
Whittington Health NHS Trust
}}
Monica Lakhanpaul FRCPCH is a British Indian consultant paediatrician at Whittington Health NHS Trust, and Professor of Integrated Community Child Health at University College London (UCL). She was Deputy Theme Lead for Collaborations in Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care – North Thames,{{Cite web|url=https://www.nihr.ac.uk/explore-nihr/support/collaborating-in-applied-health-research.htm|title=Collaborating in applied health research|website=www.nihr.ac.uk|access-date=2019-10-10}} and is currently Adjunct Professor at Public Health Foundation India, UCL Global Strategic Academic Advisor (India), National Patient and Public Engagement Lead for the NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre and NIHR National Specialty Lead for Children.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global/regional-focus/ucl-south-asia|title=UCL in South Asia|last=UCL|date=2018-02-16|website=UCL Global|language=en|access-date=2019-10-10}}
Early life and education
Lakhanpaul grew up in Leeds. She graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine (distinction; paediatrics) from the University of Manchester in 1992, and with a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Nottingham in May 2003. Lakhanpaul also gained her Doctorate in paediatrics and child health in 2003.{{Cite web |last=UCL |date=2018-06-01 |title=lakhanpaul-monica |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/child-health/people/lakhanpaul-monica |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health |language=en}}
Clinical and research career
Following on from receiving her doctorate, Lakhanpaul took up simultaneous senior lecturer and consultant paediatrician appointments at the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, respectively. In 2012, Lakhanpaul took up her professorship at the UCL GOS Institute of Child Heath, and in 2016 she was appointed head of the Department of Population, Policy and Practice. She continues to practice clinically as a paediatrician in London, and through her Global Strategic Academic Advisor (India) roles, leads on strategy and delivery of partnerships and collaboration between UCL and South Asia and India.
Lakhanpaul's research is multi-disciplinary and translational with particular focus on research programs with a cross-sector, multi-disciplinary, structured and collaborative approach. Her work spans from clinical trials to participatory methods including public engagement and working with the arts and humanities to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, with a focus on the UK and India. She particularly focuses on disability, asthma and nutrition as exemplar public health issues in South Asian families to optimise their health and later risk for non-communicable disease.
Lakhanpaul has been instrumental in establishing the PANChSHEEL{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2019/feb/rural-child-nutrition-project-places-communities-helm|title=Rural child nutrition project places communities at the helm|last=UCL|date=2019-02-20|website=Institute of Education|language=en|access-date=2019-10-10}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.heee.uk/mrc-project-1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010221140/https://www.heee.uk/mrc-project-1|url-status=usurped|archive-date=10 October 2019|title=MRC Nutrition Project|website=HEEE|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-10}} study around integrated health, education and environmental intervention to optimise infant feeding practices through school and Anganwadi networks in India and has been widely reported on both in the UK and India.{{Cite web|url=http://indiaeducationdiary.in/panchsheeel-study-presents-integrated-package-interventions-address-nutrition-children/|title=PANChSHEEEL Study presents integrated package of interventions to address Under-Nutrition in Children|last=Admin|first=India Education Diary Bureau|date=2019-02-26|website=India Education Diary|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-10}} This is a collaboration between University College London, Save the Children, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Lakhanpaul established the Nurture Early for Optimal Nutrition (NEON){{Cite web|url=https://clahrc-norththames.nihr.ac.uk/short-film-highglights-the-impact-of-neon/|title=NEON short film highlights improved nutrition and feeding practices among East London's Bangladeshi children|date=2019-08-09|website=CLAHRC North Thames|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-10}} study to determine whether transferring health models from resource poor countries and implementing them in deprived localities in the UK could lead to clinically and cost-effective interventions within the NHS. Working with parents and healthcare professionals, Lakhanpaul also established Acutely Sick Child Safety Netting Information Needs (ASK SNIFF){{Cite web|url=http://asksniff.org.uk/|title=Ask Sniff|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-10-10}} which provides resources to help families with young children understand signs and symptoms of acute illness. It forms part of a larger program of work aiming to develop an intervention package to improve the management of acutely sick children.{{Cite web|url=https://spottingthesickchild.com/|title=Home {{!}} Spotting the Sick Child USER|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-10-10}}
She is currently leading the Children in Homeless Accommodations Managing Pandemic Invisibility Or Non-Inclusive Strategies (CHAMPIONS) project based at University College London, in partnership with De Montfort University, The Children's Society, [https://www.bacch.org.uk British Association for Community Child Health] and others.{{Cite web |title=Champions Project |url=https://www.championsproject.co.uk |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Champions Project |language=en}}
Lakhanpaul co-founded the cross-sector Health Education Engineering and Environment (HEEE) Platform,{{Cite web|url=https://www.heee.uk/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010221138/https://www.heee.uk/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=10 October 2019|title=HEEE|website=HEEE|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-10}} and was Program Director for Children and Young People, UCL Partners Academic Health Sciences Network.
In 2023, Professor Lakhanpaul was named National Patient and Public Engagement Lead{{Cite web |title=New leads for patient and public involvement |url=https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/news/new-leads-for-patient-and-public-involvement/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=GOSH Hospital site |language=en-GB}} for the [https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/our-research/our-research-infrastructure/nihr-great-ormond-street-hospital-brc/ NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre] and, in 2024, she was invited to the South Asian Health Foundation 25th anniversary event at the House of Lords and the launch of their ‘Health Inequalities: Full Stop - The hidden crisis affecting children and families in temporary accommodation in the UK' report which she co-authored.{{Cite web |title=Resources & Policies |url=https://www.sahf.org.uk/resources |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=South Asian Health Foundation |language=en-US}} In February 2024, she was invited to become Clinical Advisor to Happy Baby NGO and Barnardo's children's charity and, in July 2024, she became a Churchill Fellow selected by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Later, in September 2024, Lakhanpaul started her role as the NIHR National Specialty Lead for Children and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science (Hon DSc) by De Montfort University for her contributions to child and adolescent health worldwide.
= Awards and recognition =
- Asian Women of Achievement Award (2010){{Cite web|url=https://www.le.ac.uk/ebulletin-archive/ebulletin/news/press-releases/2010-2019/2010/05/nparticle.2010-05-38.html|title=University of Leicester - Dr Monica Lakhanpaul wins Asian Women of Achievement Award|website=www.le.ac.uk|access-date=2019-10-10}}
- HSJ Patient Safety Award for ‘Spotting the Sick Child’ (Patient Safety in Diagnosis) (2011){{Cite web|url=https://www.hsj.co.uk/|title=HSJ {{!}} Health Service Journal - for healthcare leaders|website=Health Service Journal|language=en|access-date=2019-10-10}}
- NICE Fellow
- Founding Clinical Director for the National Collaborating Centre of Women and Children's Health NICE children guidelines
- NIHR National Specialty Lead for Children
- Global Strategic Academic Advisor (India), UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement)
- Co-Director of the Childhood Infections and Pollution (CHIP) Consortium
- Adjunct Professor of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)
- Member by Distinction of the Faculty of Public Health
- Faculty Member of the Reach Alliance
- Churchill Fellow selected by Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
- National Patient and Public Engagement Lead, NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre
- Clinical Advisor to Happy Baby NGO and Barnardo's children's charity
- NIHR National Specialty Lead for Children
- Honorary Doctorate of Science (Hon DSc) awarded by De Montfort University for contributions to child and adolescent health, 2024{{Cite web |title=Consultant who has dedicated life |url=https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2024/september/consultant-receives-dmu-honorary-degreentitled.aspx |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=www.dmu.ac.uk |language=en-GB}}
- National B.A.M.E Health and Care Awards 'Ground-breaking Researcher of the Year’ Award 2024{{Cite web |title=National B.A.M.E HEALTH & CARE Awards {{!}} |url=https://bamehscawards.org |access-date=2024-10-06 |language=en-US}}
- Highly Commended at the UCL East Engagement Awards 2024.{{Cite web |last=UCL |date=2024-12-05 |title=UCL East Engagement Awards: Recognising outstanding engagement work in east London |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-east/news/2024/dec/ucl-east-engagement-awards-recognising-outstanding-engagement-work-east-london |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=UCL East |language=en}}
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:British paediatricians
Category:English women medical doctors
Category:Medical doctors from Leeds
Category:Fellows of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Category:Academics of University College London
Category:21st-century British medical doctors
Category:21st-century British women medical doctors
Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester
Category:Alumni of the University of Nottingham
Category:British women paediatricians
Category:Medical doctors from Yorkshire
Category:British people of Indian descent