Dr Barney Scholefield MBBS, BSc, MSc, MRCPCH, PhD

• PhD Medicine, Warwick University, 2013
• Master of Science in Critical Care, Cardiff University, 2010
• Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2003
• Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS), Guy’s, Kings and St Thomas’ Hospital, 2000
• Bachelor of Science (Clinical Anatomy), 1997

Barney trained in Medicine at Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ hospital, London. He followed a career in paediatric medicine, training in the West-Midlands, sub-specialising in paediatric critical care. During his training he followed a parallel academic and research training programme, undertaking an MSc at Cardiff University and a PhD in Medicine at Warwick.

His post-doctoral research programme continued at the University of Birmingham whilst working since 2012 as a consultant in the Paediatric Intensive Care at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. In 2017 he commenced a five year, NIHR funded Clinician Scientist Fellowship continuing his research into prognosis and treatment of children after cardiac arrest. In 2023 he was appointed as Associate Professor and Faculty at the Department of Critical Care, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. 

Barney is interested in co-supervising doctoral research students who are interested in research in the field of paediatric acute and critical care, neuro-critical care, transport medicine and rehabilitation and mobilisation in collaboration with a primary supervisor at the University of Birmingham.

If you are interested in studying any of these subject areas please contact Dr Barney Scholefield directly, or for any general doctoral research enquiries, please email mds-gradschool@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

For a full list of available Doctoral Research opportunities, please visit our Doctoral Research programme listings.

Barney's current research interests include:

• Evidence Synthesis and Systematic Review methodology in the field of paediatric resuscitation science
• Early prognostic modelling of neurodevelopmental outcome for children after cardiac arrest
• Post cardiac arrest neuroprotective interventions in children (eg. therapeutic hypothermia)
• Prognostic value of neurophysiological monitoring (Cerebral Function Monitoring & EEG)
• Pre-hospital resuscitation research
• Paediatric critical care pragmatic trials

He recently held an NIHR Clinician Scientist Fellowship award for the NEUROdevelopmental Prognosis After Cardiac arrest in Kids programme (NEUROPACK study). He is the past-elected chair of the Paediatric Critical Care Society Study Group (PCCS-SG) leading UK wide collaborations in paediatric critical care trials and is the current co-chair of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) Paediatric life support task force.

Barney was a Chief Investigator for the Paediatric Early Rehabilitation and Mobilisation Feasibility study, funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA). He has published peer-review articles on prognostic modelling, therapeutic hypothermia and feasibility of clinical trials. An enthusiastic teacher and communicator on the themes of hypothermia and post cardiac arrest management; lecturing widely at national and international level.

Area of clinical expertise

• Paediatric Intensive Care
• Paediatric Critical Care Research and Clinical Trials
• Paediatric Cardiac Intensive Care
• Paediatric Neuro-Critical Care
• Resuscitation and Post cardiac arrest management
• Targeted temperature management for neuro-protection

Membership of Professional Bodies

• Ontario Medical Association
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario 
• British Medical Association
• Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
• Birmingham Acute Care Research Group, University of Birmingham
• International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation
• Paediatric Critical Care Society, UK
• Paediatric Critical Care Society – Study Group (research)
• European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM)
• European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC)

Other interests

• Keen outdoor sportsman competing in triathlons, running, hiking and cycling; now that rugby hurts too much.
• Plays the Trombone and Piano in a band ‘The Raggedy Edge’
• Finds a little spare time to be father to four brilliant children….