Dr Johnson leads the education and training of researchers specialising in nutrition. A consultant neonatologist, he is interested in improving the health and growth of premature or unwell babies.

Supporting nutrition researchers

Mark has supported several nurses and doctors to develop a research career, and has helped pioneer the role of nurses as link advisors for research in clinical practice.

Improving care for premature babies

Mark's research centres around the nutritional care and growth of preterm infants, and the implementation of practice change in order to improve care.

He has published in over ten peer reviewed journals, with expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, including systematic reviews into the use of early parenteral nutrition in preterm infants, the impact of enhanced nutrition on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants and the effect of preterm birth on body composition and growth.

Shaping UK neonatal research

Mark provides oversight for neonatal research in the UK, as a member of the national NIHR Medicines for Children Research Network neonatal clinical studies group.

He is also a member of the British Association of Perinatal Medicine working groups on parenteral nutrition and training in research methods.

Career

Mark graduated in medicine at Southampton, going on to complete his training in paediatrics and neonatal medicine in the Wessex region.

During his training he was an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow, and was later awarded a prestigious NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship to fund his PhD.

Mark completed his PhD in 2015, which focused on change management in neonatal care in the context of nutrition, successfully implementing improved nutritional practices in order to improve the growth of preterm infants.