Julian Hamilton-Shield has a clinical practice within the department of Paediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. He is also Professor of Diabetes and Metabolic Endocrinology at the University of Bristol.

His main research area is developing and testing innovative management strategies in chronic diseases of childhood including types 1, 2 and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, obesity and lipid disorders. He also has links with a laboratory studying adipocyte biology with an expertise in fat cells derived from infants and children. The childhood theme has additional expertise in functional neural imaging, eating behaviours, qualitative and quantitative statistical methodologies.

He is also industry lead for the Bristol BRC, having successfully collaborated on NIHR i4i and Innovate grant applications (device development and testing) and worked on an industry funded ‘first in human’ safety and tolerability study in obesity.

View all research projects

Micronutrients and human appetite: Investigating the hidden drivers of food selection

Some animals can sense when they’re missing important nutrients and change their eating habits to…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Population diet and physical activity

How does ROHHAD syndrome impact children and families?

ROHHAD (rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, autonomic dysregulation) syndrome is a rare and life-threatening…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Is hydrogel safe and effective for weight loss?

Surgery is the most effective but also the most expensive way for maintaining long-term weight-loss…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Improving weight loss in young people living with obesity

Overweight and obesity affects one in three children in England. It is linked to other…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Does time-restricted eating in children improve metabolic health?

This project will explore whether time-restricted eating can improve metabolic health in children. Time-restricted eating…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Population diet and physical activity

Setting up a community type 2 diabetes service for children and young people

When children and young people develop type 2 diabetes, it is a serious condition that…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Carbohydrate counting and risk of disordered eating in young people with type 1 diabetes

Young people living with type 1 diabetes have a higher risk of developing disordered eating…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Waist-to-height ratio as a tool for predicting metabolic risk

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that people…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Population diet and physical activity

Painless glucose monitor for children and young people living with diabetes

For children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes, checking blood sugar levels is essential to…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Improving the evidence on the effects of intermittent fasting on appetite

This project explored ways to monitor the effects of intermittent fasting on appetite and…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Would parents attending a weight management programme accept support for their children?

We know that a child is at increased risk of being affected by overweight or…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Developing a platform trial for obesity

Platform trials are different to traditional clinical trials. Instead of testing a specific drug or…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Improving access to school-based physical activity for young people with type 1 diabetes

Research shows that physical activity improves blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity and heart health as…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Developing a non-invasive continuous glucose monitor

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) means using a device to estimate your blood glucose, also called…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

Tackling inequalities in childhood obesity with the help of Islamic religious settings

Childhood obesity is highest in children from Asian and Black ethnic groups in the UK.

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Population diet and physical activity

Diversity in diabetes

Data from health services has shown that children and young people with diabetes from families…

Theme Diet and physical activity

Workstream Clinical diet and physical activity

View all news

New intervention could increase adolescents’ motivation to manage their weight

A new intervention, developed in collaboration with young people living with obesity, could increase adolescents’…

New weight loss pill aims to bridge gap in obesity treatments

An innovative new pill could soon offer a new and affordable weight management treatment, following…

Eating over a longer part of the day in adolescence linked to lower body weight in early adulthood, study finds

A new study has found that adolescents who eat over longer periods of the day…

Signposting children to weight management services could happen when parents attend an adult programme

Parents attending an adult weight management programme, who were worried about their child’s weight,…

Improving diabetes management in children and young people from underserved communities

Children and young people with diabetes from families in underserved communities have higher blood sugar…

Flash glucose monitoring may improve diabetes management in children and young people

Flash glucose monitoring might help young people improve control of their diabetes, according to…

Does exercise affect how our brains respond to food cues?

A single bout of exercise increased reactivity to food cues in parts of the brain…

Early involvement of public contributors can benefit product development in healthcare

Involving public contributors at an early stage of product development might benefit companies trying to…

Significant inequalities in child weight management service provision

Over three quarters of acute NHS trusts in England (77%) do not have a child…

Reaching for high-carb foods may not be instinctive when blood glucose is low

It is possible that choosing high-carbohydrate foods during an episode of low blood glucose isn’t…