Paul Polani Research Award
Enabling teams to pilot, undertake, or complete an original paediatric neurodisability research project in the UK
BACD-RCPCH Polani Award
funded by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and BACD, through the Paul Polani Fund, supports research and innovation in UK Paediatric Neurodisability. Research to build a robust evidence-base is essential to provide optimal services for Children and Young People with Disabilities and their families.
The Paul Polani Research Award aims to enable a team to pilot, undertake, or complete a paediatric neurodisability original research project in the UK.
Past Winners
All awards were funded by the RCPCH Polani Fund, which is administrated by BACD, unless stated otherwise.
| 2020 | Breathe-Easy: a pilot study to examine the acceptability and feasibility of a novel night-time postural management night-time intervention (PMN-TI) to improve respiratory health of children with complex neuro-disability Dr Sarah Crombie, Dr Jessica Baskerville, Dr Diane Sellers, Dr Akshat Kapur, Professor Stephen Bremner, Dr Christopher Morris This award was co-funded by the RCPCH and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists Charitable Trust (CSPCT) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2025.101816 |
| 2019 | Non-invasive assessment of anaemia in children with neurodisability attending community paediatric clinics: A feasibility study Dr Richard Lee-Kelland, Dr Steve Jones, Dr Clare Sheahan, Professor Pete Blair, Dr Jenny Ingram, Dr Fiona Finlay |
| 2018 | Modern illness or a thing of the past? Surveillance study of childhood/adolescent Syndenham's chorea in the UK and the Republic of Ireland Dr Tamsin Newlove-Delgado, Dr Oana Mitrofan, Dr Eva Woodling, Dr Michael Morton, Dr Ming Lim, Andrew Samuel, Nadine Mushet, Prof Stuart Logan https://adc.bmj.com/content/108/9/736 |
| 2016 | How Much Does it Cost the NHS to
Assess a Child for Possible Autism? Dr Ian Male, Dr William Farr, Emma Gowling, Dr Stephen Bremner, Prof Heather Gage and Aaron Gain https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/rehabilitation-sciences/articles/10.3389/fresc.2023.1119288/full |
| 2015 | The
Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System for cerebral palsy: a study
of stability and associations with growth over time Dr Diane Sellers, Dr Liz Bryant, Alison Hunter, Dr Vivienne Campbell and Sam Weddell https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3233/PRM-180581 |
| 2013 | Identification of behavioural
risk markers for Challenging Behaviour in very young children with intellectual
disabilities Dr Dawn Adams, Prof. Chris Oliver, Louise Handley, Associate Prof. Doug Simkiss |
| 2012 | The use of taping to improve
thumb and wrist posture and hand use in infants with non-progressive brain
lesions affecting hand function Dr Anna Basu, Dr Jill Kisler https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2014.00281 |
| 2011 | Creation and validation of a tool
for identifying children with functional visual impairments in children with
hemiplegia Dr Melissa Gladstone |
| 2010 | Sleep in Children with Severe
Cerebral Palsy-Objective Measurement of the Impact of Botulinum Toxin Hip
Injections Dr Charlie Fairhurst, Suzie Turner, Jane Orgill, Claire Lundy, Mat Blackshaw, Dr Paul Gringras |
| 2009 | Respiratory function in children
with severe motor disorders using night-time postural equipment Dr Cathy Hill, Dr Kathryn Padoa, Penny Allen, Pam Shults, Dr Romola Bucks |
| 2008 | Measuring the efficacy of
computer communication intervention for children with cerebral palsy Dr Jeremy Parr, Katie Price |
| 2007 | Establishing the Lifestyle
Assessment Questionnaire, a measure of participation Dr Helen McConachie, EC Jessen and Rob Forsyth Predicting the development of intelligible speech by children with cerebral palsy: a pilot study Dr Lindsay Pennington, Dr Mark Pearce, Prof Allan Colver & Dr Mary Gibson https://www.academia.edu/71988985/Predicting_the_development_of_communication_skills_by_children_with_motor_disorders |
