Overview

Chris moved to the University of Exeter in 2009 to establish PenCRU, the Peninsula Childhood Disability Research Unit. He has 20 years experience working as an orthotist, initially training and working with his father in London. He joined the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford, in 1994 and was involved in establishing the Oxford Gait Laboratory. Chris was awarded Masters and Doctoral degrees by the University of Oxford for research about children with cerebral palsy. He was funded by the MRC as a postdoctoral Special Training Fellow in Health Services Research during which time he led development of the Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire for Children. Chris is passionate about supporting other allied health professionals in their aspirations to become clinician scientists; he has supervised or mentored several NIHR Clinical Doctoral and Pre-doctoral Research Fellows.

Qualifications

• MSc
• DPhil

Career

• 2008-2009 Research Fellow in Health Services Research, Department of Public Health, & Research Fellow, Wolfson College, University of Oxford.
• 2005-2008 MRC Special Training Fellow in Health Services Research, Department of Public Health, & Junior Research Fellow, Wolfson College, University of Oxford.
• 2002-2005 Graduate Student, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health, University of Oxford & Wolfson College, Oxford.
• 2000-2009 Principal Orthotist, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford.
• 1994-2000 Senior Orthotist, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford.
• 1983-1992 Orthotist (student 1983-88), Gilbert & Mellish Ltd, London.

Research group links

• Institute of Health Research
• Health services research

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Research

Research interests

Chris leads PenCRU: the Peninsula Childhood Disability Research Unit, which undertakes a programme of applied health research aimed at identifying ways to improve the health and wellbeing of disabled children and their families. He has led a successful portfolio of NIHR HS&DR, HTA, PGfAR, and RfPB-funded projects involving families of disabled children as partners in all aspects of the research process..

PenCRU involves families of disabled children as partners in research through our Family Faculty. Activities include setting our research agenda and deciding how to design our research projects, and disseminate the findings to various audiences. To date this has been with parents engaged in our Family Faculty. In the near future we will be involving children.

The vision for PenCRU is to work in partnership with families, clinicians, commissioners, and policymakers as the principal users of our research findings. For more information see www.pencru.org/

Research projects

• Recovery, Renewal and Reset of Services to Disabled Children
• Breathe-Easy: acceptability and feasibility of a new postural management night-time intervention to improve respiratory health of children with complex neurodisability
• Prophylactic antibiotics to prevent recurrent lower respiratory tract infections in children with neurological impairment: international multicentre randomised controlled trial.
• Improving continence for children and young people with neurodisability
• Healthy Parent Carers: a group-based intervention to improve health and wellbeing.
• Improving communication with disabled children when they have to spend time in hospital.
• Parent-to-parent support interventions for parents of babies cared for in a neonatal unit
• Autism: Parent EXperiences of Dentistry (APEx-D).
• Prevalence and Impact of Cerebral Visual Impairment.
• Changing Agendas on Sleep, Treatment and Learning in childhood Epilepsy (CASTLE), incorporating the Core Health Outcomes In Childhood Epilepsy (CHOICE) study
• Interventions to improve eating in young children with neurodisability
• PROMOTE Study: Patient Reported Outcome Measures Online To Enhance Communication and Quality of Life after childhood brain tumour
• CHildren's oUtcome Measurement Study (CHUMS): Informing the NHS outcomes framework: what outcomes of NHS care should be measured for children with neurodisability?
• Promoting positive attitudes towards disability
• What are the benefits and costs of providing peer support to parents of disabled children?
• MeASURe: Measurement in autism spectrum disorder under review
• Sleep Positioning for children with cerebral palsy: Cochrane review.
• The effects of night positioning on sleep, postural deformity and pain in children and young people with cerebral palsy - an exploratory study.
• Development of a functional classification system of eating and drinking for children and young people with cerebral palsy.
• Non-pharmacological interventions for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) delivered in school settings; a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative research.
• James Lind Alliance Childhood Disability Research Priority Setting Partnership.
• Potential therapeutic benefits of 'active' home video games.
• A comfortable and functional moving seat for children with cerebral palsy

Grants

• Morris C, Borek A, McDonald A (2023-2024) Improving the health and wellbeing of parent carers of disabled children: systematic and iterative development and evaluation of a peer-led group-based programme. NIHR PGfAR Programme Development Grant £149,970.

• Pennington L, Parr J, Morris C, Allard A, Boyle C, Yu G, Heslop P, Haining S, Grahame V, Bola K, Platts L, Exley C, Teare D. (2021-2022) Recovery, Renewal and Reset of Services to Disabled Children. NIHR Policy Research Programme. £483,160.00.

• The Healthy Parent Carers Programme: A response to the COVID-19 Pandemic The National Lottery Community Fund Coronavirus Support Grant (ref. 20136900) £31,662.

• Morris C, Thompson Coon J, Anderson R, Wright, A, Hutton E, Melluish J, Allinson A, Rogers J, Lindsay C, Richardson D, Madden N, Logan S. (2018-20) Improving continence for children and young people with neurodisability: survey of current NHS practice and systematic review of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and contextual factors that modify implementation of interventions NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme 17/20 Improving continence in children and young people with neurodisability £359,433.

• Morris C, Bjornstad G, Fredlund M, McDonald A, Tarrant M, Hawton A, Lloyd J. (2020-2021) Implementation of the Healthy Parent Carers programme: a collaboration between the University of Exeter Medical School and the Council for Disabled Children. ESRC IAA Strategic Initiative Award £74,522.

• Morris C, Bjornstad G, Borek A, Fredlund M, McDonald A, Berry V, Tarrant M, Hawton A, Lloyd J, Ukoumunne O, Logan S. (2018-20) Healthy Parent Carers programme: feasibility study of a peer-led group-based intervention to improve the health and wellbeing of parent carers of disabled children Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme £249,993.

• Bjornstad G, Morris C. (2018-19) Healthy Parent Carers (Project ID: 0010343962) National Lottery Community Fund, £37,303.

• McNamara P, Smallman H, Lingam R, Peak M, Parr J, Turner L, Grigg J, Williamson P, Everett D, Morris C, Hughes D, Hickey H, Jones A, Reddihough D, Williams K, Semple M, Gringras P, Wan M, Chang A. (2018-2023) Prophylactic antibiotics to prevent recurrent lower respiratory tract infections in children with neurological impairment: international multicentre randomised controlled trial. NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme £2,343,903

• Pal D, Gringras P, Morris C, Dunkley C, Carter B, Bray L, Hughes D, Gibbon F, Currier J, Roberts D, Smith L, Hiscock H, Gillard H. (2017-2023) Changing Agendas on Sleep, Treatment and Learning in Childhood Epilepsy (CASTLE). NIHR Programme Grant, £2,326,741.

• Parr J, Gibb C, Morris C, Sellers D, Cadwgan J, Thomas J, Pennington L, Buswell C, Craig D, Colver A, McColl E, McConachie H. (2017-2019) What interventions, which could be delivered at home by parents, are available to improve eating in young children with neurodisability and are suitable for investigation in pragmatic trials? NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme, £307,793.

• Kennedy C, Bull K, Grootenhuis M, Morris C, Hargrave D, Walker D, Liossi C, Darlington AS. (2017- 2020) The PROMOTE Study: Patient Reported Outcome Measures Online To Enhance Communication and Quality of Life after childhood brain tumour. The Brain Tumour Charity, £298,114.

• Farr W, Green D, Morris C, Bailey S, Bremner S, Memon A, Speller S, Colville V, Jackson M, Male I. (2015-2017) A Feasibility Study of Virtual Reality as a Therapeutic Intervention in Children with Ambulatory Cerebral Palsy. NIHR, Research for Patient Benefit, £214,665.

• Morric C, Shilling V, Janssens A, Lloyd C, Bailey S, McHugh C, Logan S. (2014-19) Involving families in developing ideas for research, designing collaborative studies, seeking research grants and producing outputs directly useful to families. Cerebra £796,303.

• Morric C on behalf of PenCRU (2013-14) Engaging disabled children and young people in research, and supporting them appropriately to be involved. Catalyst: Public Engagement Seed Fund, University of Exeter £4350.

• Morric C on behalf of BACD Strategic Research Group. (2012-2014) Setting priorities for childhood disability research: a JLA Priority Setting Partnership. Paul Polani Fund, RCPCH / BACD. £20,000.

• McConachie H, LeCouteur A, Parr J, McColl E, Law J, Rodgers J, Jones G, Gringras P, Charman T, Simonoff E, Green J, Garland D, Morris C, Macdonald G, Livingstone N, Beresford B, Pickles A, Baird G, Terwee C. (2012-13) MeASURe: Measurement in autism spectrum disorder under review. NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme, £263,910.

• Ford T, Stein K, Thompson Coon J, Norwich B, Taylor E, Shotton C, Morris C, Pritchard W, Garside R, Logan S. (2012-13) Non-pharmacological interventions for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) delivered in school settings; a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative research. NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme, £308,000.

• Morris C, Shilling V, Allard A, Thompson Coon J, Green C, Williams J, Tomlinson R, Beresford B, Jenkinson C, Tennant A, Logan S. (2012-2013) Informing the NHS Outcomes Framework: what outcomes of NHS care should be measured for children with neurodisability? NIHR Health Services and Delivery Programme, £247,419.

• Sellers D, Pountney T, Pennington L, Mandy A, Hankins M, Morris C. (2010-13) Development of a functional classification system of eating and drinking abilities for children and young people with cerebral palsy. NIHR, Research for Patient Benefit, £163,116.

• Pountney T, Porter D, Khan Y, Cowan D, Underhill J, Humphreys G Morris C. (2010-13) The effects of night positioning on sleep, postural deformity and pain in children and young people with cerebral palsy - an exploratory study. NIHR, Research for Patient Benefit, £178,478.

• Morris C. (2005-8) Measuring the effectiveness of health services for foot and ankle problems in children. Medical Research Council (MRC) Special Training Fellowship in Health Services & Health of the Public Research £188,175.

Links

• PenCRU
• Healthy Parent Carers

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Publications

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External Engagement and Impact

Awards

Research Fellowship (2009-2010) Wolfson College, University of Oxford.

Junior Research Fellowship (2006-8) Wolfson College, University of Oxford.

Promising Career Award (2005) American Academy for Cerebral Palsy & Developmental Medicine.

Graduate Prize Studentship (2002-5) Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford.

Committee/panel activities

Mac Keith Press (Trustee/Board of Directors (2013-2022), Associate Editor (2009-15), Editorial Board (2003-15)

Co-Chair, Research Committee, International Alliance of Academies of Childhood Disability (2020-2023)

National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) Chronic Neurodisability Study (Advisory Group Member, 2016-17).

NICE Guidance CG145: Spasticity in children and young people with non-progressive brain disorders: management of spasticity and co-existing motor disorders and their early musculoskeletal complications, External Adviser.

Editorial responsibilities

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology: Associate Editor (2010-2015) and Editorial Board member (2004-2015).

External positions

CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University, Canada (International Collaborator, since 2009).

Honorary Departmental DPhil Supervisor, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), Univeristy of Oxford.

Honorary PhD supervisor, University of Plymouth

CHILD-BRIGHT Network, part of the Canadian Institute for Health Research Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (International Scientific Advisory Committee, since 2016)

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Teaching

External Adviser, Periodic Review of Postgraduate Research Degree Provision, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton 2022

External examiner

• Jennifer Carroll, Plymouth University, 2023
• Laurel Mimmo, Doctor of Philosophy, UNSW Australia, 2022
• PhD thesis, Bond University, Queensland, Australia 2020
• Robyn Heesh, Master of Health Science Research, Australian Catholic University, 2019
• Alexandra Robertson, PhD Thesis, Institute of Child Health, University College London, 2018
• Leanne (Lanie) Campbell PhD Thesis, University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Australia, 2013.
• Karen McConnell, PhD Thesis, Queens University Belfast, 2012.
• Aileen Ibuki, PhD Thesis, La Trobe University, Australia, 2011.
• Jonathan Robin, MD Thesis, University of Melbourne, Australia, 2010.

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Supervision / Group

Research Fellows

Postgraduate researchers

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