Dr Joanna Garstang

Dr Joanna Garstang is an accomplished Consultant Community Paediatrician and Clinical Associate Professor specialising in Paediatrics and child safety. With a strong commitment to improving outcomes for young people and their families, she provides compassionate, expert care across complex aspects of child health. Her combined academic and clinical background enables her to deliver highly specialised care while leading vital research initiatives in child protection and public health.

Her clinical interests and expertise centre on child safeguarding, child protection medical assessments, and the review of sudden unexpected infant and child death. Dr Garstang focuses on multi-agency working to enhance child safety, improve investigative procedures, and ensure that bereaved families receive respectful, trauma-informed support. Serving as a respected Clinical Lead and Designated Doctor for Child Death, she collaborates across healthcare and social care disciplines to promote high standards of care and learning from child mortality reviews.

Dr Garstang completed her primary medical education, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from the University of Bristol in 1995. She furthered her postgraduate training by earning a Master of Science (MSc) in Child Health in 2010 and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Sciences in 2015, both from the University of Warwick. She obtained her Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Community Paediatrics in 2016. Demonstrating an ongoing commitment to professional excellence, Dr Garstang became a Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (MRCPCH) in 2000 and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (FRCPCH) in 2025.