Dr Penny Curtis
Senior Lecturer in Research
Address:
The University of Sheffield School of Nursing and Midwifery
Samuel Fox House
Northern General Hospital
Herries Road
Sheffield
S5 7AU
Tel: 0114 226 9622
Email: p.a.curtis@sheffield.ac.uk
Qualifications
PhD MA BA RN RM
Research Interests
Childhood and youth. The health and well-being of families, children and young people. Social aspects of birth and parenting.
Grants
The Leverhulme Foundation. Making Healthy Families (With: Dr Jenny Owen [ScHARR], Dr Graham Smith [Royal Holloway, University of London], Dr Paul Ward [Flinders University, Adelaide]). Feb 06 - July 08.
The Leverhulme Foundation. Children as Family Participants (With: Prof. Allison James [PI] Dept of Sociological Studies). Jan 06 - Dec 07.
The Economic and Social Research Council Space to Care: Children´s perceptions of spatial aspects of hospitals (With: Prof. Allison James, Dept of Sociological Studies). Jan. 05 – April 07
Sheffield Health and Social Research Consortium A qualitative study to explore the support needs of parents with children who are obese. (With: Dr Helen Stapleton, School of Nursing and Midwifery). Feb 06 – Jul 07.
Sheffield Health and Social Research Consortium Does it work: Evaluation of a community based obesity intervention programme (SHINE) (With: Dr Paul Dimitri (Sheffield Children´s Hospital NHS Trust) Mar 07 – Nov 07
Professional activities and recognition
Awarded The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust's (TOAST) Research Prize for 2007 for work with parents of children and young people with obesity.
Member of Editorial Board, Midwifery
Invited speaker National Obesity Forum conference, October 2006.
Member of the Steering Group for the Children´s Commissioner´s (11 Million) project `Happy and Healthy´.
Deputy Director of the University of Sheffield Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth (http://cscy.group.shef.ac.uk/)
Key projects
2007 – 2008 a questionnaire survey to elicit public attitudes to childhood obesity (with Dr Helen Stapleton and Dr Tony Blackett [School of Nursing and Midwifery]).
2006 – 2008 from the Leverhulme Foundation. Making Healthy Families for a study into conceptions of family and particularly healthy family which are embedded in policy and in the practise of professionals´ and para-professionals´ responsible for the delivery of community based, food interventions. The study also explores how these are received by family participants. (With: Dr Jenny Owen [ScHARR], Dr Graham Smith [Royal Holloway, University of London], Dr Paul Ward [Flinders University, Adelaide]). The project is part of a larger programme of research focusing on food/eating in a `family´ context. See: 'Changing Families, Changing Food', http://www.shef.ac.uk/familiesandfood/
2006 – 2007 from the Leverhulme Foundation, for a study (Children as Family Participants) which explores children´s participation in the everyday practice of family life. `Doing´ family is considered as the ongoing and dynamic social relationships through which `being a family´ is realized and the project explores children´s perspectives on that process. Focusing on food and eating practices in and across different forms of family and different family styles the project looks both at 11-12year old children´s experiences and perceptions of their contribution to the family through the everyday negotiations that take place with parents and other family members over food. (With: Prof. Allison James [PI] Dept of Sociological Studies). The project is also part of a larger programme of research focusing on food/eating in a `family´ context. See: 'Changing Families, Changing Food', http://www.shef.ac.uk/familiesandfood/
2007 (10 months) from Sheffield Health and Social Research Consortium for a study evaluating the effectiveness of a community based obesity intervention programme (SHINE). The study also includes qualitative work with children and young people who do not manage to lose weight through participating in the intervention. (With: Dr Paul Dimitri (Sheffield Children´s Hospital NHS Trust), Kath Sharman, SHINE and Carol Saul.
2006 – 2007 from the Sheffield Health and Social Research Consortium for a study exploring parent´s recognition and understanding of overweight and obesity in their children and their perceptions of their support needs. (With: Dr Helen Stapleton, School of Nursing and Midwifery).
2005 – 2007 from the ESRC, a study (Space to Care) which explored children´s perceptions and experiences of aspects of internal aspects of the hospital environment. (With: Prof. Allison James, Dept of Sociological Studies). Research findings and tools to enable to be children´s views to be included in the process of designing and utilising hospital spaces are available from: http://cscy.group.shef.ac.uk/research/spacetocare.htm
2005 – 2006 from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, a research stimulation grant for a study of the experiences of children and young people with obesity. (With Shirley Cutts, School of Nursing and Midwifery).
2002- 2003 from the Royal College of Midwives, for a study exploring the perceptions and reactions of Midwifery managers to midwives´ reasons for leaving the profession. (PI Mavis Kirkham)
2001 – 2002, from the Department of Trade and Industry for a study examining why midwives leave the profession. (PI Mavis Kirkham). (http://www.rcm.org.uk/info/docs/Why do midwives leave full report.doc)
1997-1999. A study evaluating the use of evidence based leaflets. (PI: Professor Mavis Kirkham)
Key publications
If you would like to request a copy of a paper please use the following link: *Request a copy of a paper*
James, A Curtis, P and Birch, JC (forthcoming 2007) Constraining Children´s Citizenship: Care and control in the construction of childhood. In Invernizzi, A and Williams, J (Eds) Children and citizenship. London. Sage.
Birch, J. Curtis, P. James, A. Sense and sensibilities: in search of the child-friendly hospital. Built Environments. (forthcoming)
Curtis, P. Woodhill, R. Stapleton, H. (2007) The peer-professional interface in a community-based breast feeding peer-support project. Midwifery 23: 146-156
Curtis, P Ball, L & Kirkham, M. (2006) Ceasing to practise? Working life and employment choices. British Journal of Midwifery BJM 14:6 336-338
Curtis, P Ball, L & Kirkham, M. (2006) Flexible working patterns: Balancing service needs or fuelling discontent? British Journal of Midwifery BJM 14:5 260-264
Curtis, P Kirkham, M & Ball, L (2006) Bullying and horizontal violence: Cultural or individual phenomena?. British Journal of Midwifery BJM 14:4 218-221
Curtis, P Kirkham, M & Ball, L (2006) Working together? Indices of division within the midwifery workforce. British Journal of Midwifery BJM 14:3 138-141
Curtis, P Kirkham, M & Ball, L (2006) Management and Morale: Challenges in contemporary maternity care. British Journal of Midwifery BJM 14:2 100-103
Curtis, P Ball, L & Kirkham, M (2006) Why do Midwives Leave? (Not) Being the kind of midwife you want to be. British Journal of Midwifery BJM 14:1 27-31
View more of Penny´s publications
Postgraduate students
Maria Hargate
Zainab Zahran
Liz Crathern
Caryl Skene
