Reena Perchard

Dr Reena Perchard is an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology based in the Maternal & Fetal Health Research Centre at the University of Manchester. Holding a dual clinical-academic role, she combines specialist training in paediatrics with translational research into the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD).

Research interests centre on how antenatal and early-life factors programme lifelong cardio-metabolic risk. Using cutting-edge multi-omics approaches, she investigates genetic determinants of pre- and postnatal growth, childhood obesity, and cardiac remodelling. Her work is directly aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 3—Good Health and Well-being.

Across eight peer-reviewed articles (2019–2022) her publications chart a clear trajectory from basic genetic discovery—such as identifying novel mutations underlying short stature—to applied clinical studies, including pharmacogenomic prediction of growth-hormone responsiveness and large-scale cohort analyses of maternal ethnicity and childhood adiposity.

Funding & leadership: She is principal investigator on the ongoing EPIGROW study, leads a publicly available dataset of genomic findings in short stature, and recently completed her PhD thesis investigating antenatal exposures in fetal growth restriction.

Team science: She collaborates extensively within the Maternal & Fetal Health Research Centre, a vibrant, multi-disciplinary environment that integrates placental biology, clinical obstetrics, and paediatric follow-up to advance precision medicine for mothers and children.