Prof Chris Todd

Research interests

Fall Prevention  Falling is very common amongst older people and is responsible for considerable disability and distress. Interventions such as exercise aimed at improving balance and increasing muscle strength can reduce falling amongst older people, but we still need to know a lot more about how to ensure such interventions are most effective. Much of Chris's work relates to identifying how to encourage uptake and adherence to promote effectiveness of interventions. Chris led the Prevention of Falls Network Europe and currently leads a number of projects related to fall prevention.  He also lead the ProFaNE team that developed the FES-I, a very widely used measure of fear of falling (see FES-I website).   His has also led work on interventions for people with visual impairments.  His current interest is in using smartphones and other technologies to detect, monitor, predict and prevent falls (see FARSEEING  and PreventIT) and using exergamiing to promote  strength and balance exercises. He was part of the EC's European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (see EC website1 and website2 ) and led the Prevention of Falls Network for Dissemination ProFouND.  He is currently leading a Cochrane review of population based intervention  for falls and fall injuries.

Healthy Ageing, Resilience and Frailty  Chris directs the NIHR Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit. a collaboration between the University of Manchester, Newcastle University and the LSE., providing evidence for policy to the  Department of Health and Social Care.

Cancer and Palliative Care A major area of interest is how to support people during their last illness so that they can have maximum quality of life and remain with their family and friends. Chris’ group have been investigating access to palliative care services and the way that community based palliative care services, nursing services and social care, can help people to remain at home when they are seriously ill. His most recent studies  have focused on supporting the family carers of people with palliative care needs, and the methodological challenges of palliative and end of life care research. He was  co-PI on the MORECare project and played a central role in the Cancer Experiences Collaborative CECo leading work on methdology.  He is a coinvestigator on the PiPS studies developing a prognosticator for palliative care.

Breast cancer amongst older women. Breast cancer is prevalent amongst older women but evidence shows that older women are less likely to receive surgery and other standard interventions than their younger counterparts. Chris works on a programme of studies with Dr Katrina Lavelle and Prof Nigel Bundred investigating aspects of the management of breast cancer. 

Integrating nutrition into the care pathway for colorectal cancer patients. Chris works with Dr Sorrel Burden on a programme that uses the MRC Framework/Guidance for developing complex interventions in this case using nutritional interventions for cancer. The first phase of the work involved qualitative interviews with people with colorectal cancer.  We are currently conducting a randomised controlled trial of a nutritional intervention in preoperative colorectal cancer patients.

A description of my expertise is also held on the ResearcherID website

Methodological knowledge

Promoting positive ageing: The prevention of falls and fractures in older people (See the ProFaNE website). Outcomes of care. Age related inequalities in access to cancer treatments. See the FARSEEING website

The psychology of falling: Mechanisms to promote uptake and adherence to fall prevention interventions. Psycho-social consequences and sequellae of falls (fear of falling). See Prevention of Falls Network Europe (ProFaNE) website.

Stress amongst health care professionals: Surveys of stress in professional groups. Interventions and job redesign to reduce stress.

Research methods: Trial design, outcome measurement, quality of life, interfacing between quantitative and qualitative methods.   See the MORECare and CECo websites