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Professor Julie Parkes BM, BCh, DRCOG, MRCGP, MPH, PhD, MFPHM

Professor of Public Health, Head of the School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education

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Professor Julie Parkes is Head of the School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education and Professor of Public Health within Medicine at the University of Southampton.

Julie Parkes is doubly qualified as a GP and in Public Health. She currently is “new blood” HEFCE funded senior lecturer in PH with a Honorary consultant contact with SUHT. She qualified from Oxford in 1982 having done her pre- clinical studies in Cambridge. She trained to be a GP at Northwick Park GP VTS (1986). After 10 years as a principal in General Practice she joined the Wessex Public Health Training Programme. She became interested in Academic Public Health and in 2003 was awarded an MRC Clinical Fellowship in Health of the Public and Health Services Research. Her doctoral thesis was in Biomarkers in Chronic Liver Disease and the PhD was awarded in 2007. She has been an active member of Public Health Sciences & Medical Statistics department in Faculty of Medicine University of Southampton for 17 years and is Head of the School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education.

Julie has had a sustained focus on biomarkers in chronic liver disease and chronic liver disease epidemiology for more than a decade. The biomarkers research is mainly in the diagnosis of the severity of liver fibrosis and in predicting clinical outcomes culminating in over 10 peer reviewed publications. Her epidemiology interest has been focused on Chronic Viral Hepatitis and NAFLD with an interest in Metabolic syndrome and the liver. She has an overarching interest in use of diagnostic tests in clinical practice.

Julie has had an interest in Offender Health since conducting a Health Needs Assessment in the Dorset Cluster of prisons. Currently her interests are in research into the health of people under the supervision of Probation service. She is Chair of the Southampton Offender Health Research Group which welcomes membership from all sectors and all Faculties. She teaches on both graduate and undergraduate medicine courses aspects of public health and clinical epidemiology.

Julie is an Educational Supervisor for Public Health Specialty Registrars attached to the Population Sciences group and is Academic coordinator for the Wessex Public Health Specialty Training scheme.

Julie has a strategic role as senior clinical epidemiology/health services methodology input in South Central Research Design Service, providing both a clinical and research perspective.

Qualifications
Appointments

 

Research interests

Chronic liver disease

This includes:

a. Non invasive methods (in particular biomarkers) in predicting fibrosis/clinical outcomes. She has conducted research in this field for the past decade resulting in many peer reviewed publications. This includes the early identification of people at risk of serious liver disease, and management of people with serious liver disease/cirrhosis. In addition current interests include the role of non invasive tests in monitoring the progression of liver disease.

b. Exploration of the epidemiology of Hepatitis C. Current research includes UK National surveys of burden and management of Hepatitis C in UK 2001 and 2011.

c. Chronic liver disease and diabetes. This includes research on the clinical outcomes related to liver disease in people with diabetes.

d. Epidemiology of abnormal liver function tests and cirrhosis using primary care datasets, and linked primary and secondary care databases.

Health Inequalities & disadvantaged groups

OFFENDER HEALTH

Research interests are focused on the health and well being of those people involved at all stages of the criminal justice system. Current research interests are the health and well being of those people with Court Orders who are under the supervision of Probation Service. Particularly interested in the interface between NHS and probation, and evaluation of effectiveness of interventions in this group.

a. Offender health needs and access to healthcare services. A mixed method study to determine the knowledge perceptions and attitudes of Probation and NHS Commissioning staff towards health of those people supervised by Probation Service, and to explore the interface between Probation and Health Services and identify models of good practice. It incorporates a national survey (England and Wales) of probation staff, and offender health commissioning leads.

b. Improving the Health of People with Court Orders Supervised by Probation Services. This study is a mixed methods study recruiting a prospective cohort of new probationers in Hampshire Probation Trust. Aims are to determine prevalence of health status, health literacy, changes in health assessed over a year, access to and use of health related interventions, and exploration of probationers’ perceptions of their health. It will provide information on aspects of feasibility of conducting robust studies in this setting that could inform a larger study.

c. Southampton Offender Health Research Group (OHRG). This is a newly formed cross sectoral/cross faculty group which is concerned with developing collaborations and research in the health of those in the criminal justice system. This group will work together to seek funding for, and conduct and support research in offender Health.

CHRONIC DISEASE IN ETHNIC MINORITIES

a. Prevalence of and Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in a Nepali community

A study to measure the prevalence and risk factors for of cardiovascular disease in the adult Nepali population in Rushmoor compared to a similar non Nepali population using evidence synthesis and primary research approaches. Quantification of these issues will increase health professional awareness as well as allow appropriate services for this population to be designed.
b. Associations of abnormal liver function and ethnicity A study to explore the associations between ethnicity and abnormal liver function tests in a large English population based cohort study with 63% being Indian Asian.

HEALTH LITERACY

Health literacy is the cognitive and social skills determining the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways that promote and maintain good health. In the UK there has been increasing emphasis on the importance of participation of patients in their own health and health care. A low population level of health literacy has been identified as one of the important barriers to achieving this goal. This is particularly relevant in the context of the management of chronic disease

a. Health literacy and chronic disease

Plan to conduct a study to investigate the prevalence and associations of limited health literacy in a population of people with chronic heart disease in the UK and to determine the effects of low health literacy on self management of this disease.

Please visit the Primary Care website.

Department(s)

Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education

Affiliate Department(s)

Population Health Sciences Research group

Research project(s)

HHRCKD Hampshire Health Record Chronic Kidney Disease study

GATEWAY

A randomised control trial, economic and qualitative evaluation to examine the effectiveness of an out-of-court community-based Gateway intervention programme aimed at improving health and well-being for young adult offenders; victim satisfaction and reducing recidivism

Postgraduate student supervision

Currently supervising 3 DM students

Faculty of Medicine 
  • Head of the School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education
  • BM Intermediate examination Board
  • Programme Lead Population & Epidemiology Graduate Entry medical students
University of Southampton

Chair of Southampton Offender Health Research Group

Wessex Deanery

Academic Coordinator for Wessex Public Health Specialty Training Scheme
Educational Supervisor Public Health Specialty Registrars (STRs)
As Academic Coordinator of the Wessex Public Health Specialty training programme I aim to make accessible high quality academic experiences for STRs. I have established a half day release course focused on preparation for higher professional examinations. Initial results indicate that this has contributed to improved success rates

National responsibilities

Member Liver Strategy Group (prevention & screening) Department of Health

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Articles

Conferences

Reports

Generic Public Health including inequalities of health

Epidemiology of liver disease

Diagnostic tests in particular related to liver disease

Critical Appraisal

As Epidemiology Lead for the Graduate Entry Medical Programme I make a strategic contribution to this prestigious and successful programme in all domains of the programme-curriculum, assessment and evaluation. I have been involved in establishment of innovative interactive teaching of risk communication of diagnostic test results.

Professor Julie Parkes
Faculty of Medicine, Room AB215, Mailpoint 801, South Academic Block, University Hospital Southampton, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD
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