Chair appointed for UK’s biggest study of babies and young children
18 October 2011
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are delighted to announce that Professor Dame Janet Finch has been appointed as Chair of the Birth Cohort Study Governing Board.
This pioneering study will track the growth, development, health, wellbeing and social circumstances of over 90,000 UK babies and their families - from all walks of life - and will initially cover the period from pregnancy right through to the early years. Recruitment is due to begin in 2013.
Professor Paul Boyle, Chief Executive of ESRC said:
“I am pleased to welcome Professor Dame Finch as the Chair of the new Birth Cohort Study Governing Board. With Professor Finch’s exceptional academic credentials and interdisciplinary experience, this appointment will further strengthen the opportunities for this ground breaking study to have an impact on the quality of life within the UK”
Sir John Savill, Chief Executive of the MRC, added:
“I am delighted that Professor Dame Finch has accepted the important position of Chair of the new Birth Cohort Study Governing Board. Large cohort studies are a vital resource for providing a life course perspective on human health, and I have no doubt that Professor Finch’s contribution to this endeavour will be invaluable.”
Professor Finch, one of the country’s leading social scientists, is currently Professor of Sociology at Manchester University and was formerly Vice Chancellor at Keele University. Her research expertise lies principally in studies of family relationships, especially relationships across generations. She has been involved at national level in a range of policy-making bodies related to higher education, including Research Council funding, work with the NHS and equal opportunities.
She was awarded a CBE in the 1999 New Year’s Honours List for services to Social Science. She was also awarded a DBE, Dame Commander of the British Empire, in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours List, for services to Social Science and Higher education.
Professor Finch said:
“I am delighted to be given this opportunity to Chair the Governing Board of the new Birth Cohort Study, which is more than five times larger than earlier cohorts and will address important questions for children’s health and wellbeing. I look forward to working with the study team, academic colleagues, the Government and the Research Councils.”
The appointment is for 3 years beginning October 2011 and ending September 2014.
The new Birth Cohort Study is the largest ever UK-wide study of babies and young children, having received a landmark £24.25 million commitment from the Department of Business Innovation and Skills. This investment adds to the £4.25 million by the ESRC and the MRC, awarded to scientists led by Professor Carol Dezateux at University College London.
