Skip to main content
Lucilla Poston

Professor Lucilla Poston CBE

Professor of Maternal & Fetal Health

Research interests

  • Child & Family
  • Women

Biography

Professor Lucilla Poston CBE is a Professor of Maternal & Fetal Health in the School of Life Course & Population Sciences. Her research spans maternal nutrition, obesity and gestational diabetes with a focus on the short as well as longer term consequences for the health of mother and the child. Approaches include studies in mother -child cohorts and development of pragmatic interventions in pregnancy to improve pregnancy outcome and child health. Her team also interrogate the early life origins of disease through maternal and child electronic health record data linkages.

Professor Poston is President of the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG) and was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2009. She was appointed NIHR Senior Investigator, Emeritus in 2017, having succeeded twice in open competition. In the same year, Lucilla was awarded a CBE for services to Women’s Health. In 2024 Lucilla was listed by Research.com as being one of the top 1000 female scientists in the world, according to the H Index.

Previously Professor Poston was the Tommy's Chair of Maternal & Fetal Health and the Director of the Tommy’s Maternal & Fetal Research Unit based at St Thomas’ Hospital, and the Head of the School of Life Course & Population Sciences.

    Research

    Family thumbnail
    eLIXIR, Born in South London

    Addressing relationships between maternal and child physical health and investigating interactions with mental health

    Melodies for Mums 2
    Developmental and Reproductive Biology in Health and Disease

    Developmental and Reproductive Biology in Health and Disease

    global
    Global Maternal Health

    Global Maternal Health

    pregnant woman and phone_flipped
    Obesity, Gestational Diabetes and Fetal Growth

    Obesity, Gestational Diabetes and Fetal Growth

    hypertension 2
    Maternal Hypertension

    The Hypertension group strategy focuses on improving outcomes for women with hypertension in pregnancy

    Children of UPBEAT

    To study heart and blood vessel health in children born to mothers with obesity who had participated in the UK Pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial.

    Project status: Ongoing

    News

    King's academics make the Best Female Scientists in the World 2023 Ranking

    Five scientists from King’s have been ranked as some of the top female scientists in the world for this year by Research.com.

    Professor Francesca Happe, Professor Janet Treasure, Professor Lucilla Poston, Professor Irene Higginson and Professor Cathryn Lewis

    King's to participate in partnership for improved mother and infant data

    The partnership will improve maternal and infant health, particularly among disadvantaged groups, by developing new resources and tools for research that use...

    Electronic Health Data

    Pregnant women from ethnic minority or deprived socio-economic backgrounds more likely to have depressive symptoms

    Pregnant women with depression and maternal obesity were also associated with several outcomes that can negatively affect the brain development of their...

    pregnant woman with doctor 780x450

    Preventable risks for obesity in 3-year-old children

    New results from the UPBEAT study show that maternal and early-life modifiable risk factors are associated with higher measures of obesity and fatness in...

    Child reaching for strawberries

    Risk of pre-eclampsia related to blood pressure and BMI, study shows

    The genetic risk of pre-eclampsia – a potentially dangerous condition in pregnancy – is related to blood pressure and body mass index, an international study...

    Woman in white top with hand on her belly looks out of the window

    Diet and lifestyle during pregnancy linked to modifications in infants' DNA

    A new study has shown pregnant women with obesity could reduce the health risks for their infants through improved diet and more physical activity.

    pregnancy-obesity

    Mother and baby data programme releases first findings

    Initial findings from a programme investigating the associations between physical and mental health between mother and child have been published.

    Baby-news

    Healthy diet and exercise during pregnancy could lead to healthier children, study finds

    New research shows improving the lifestyle of women with obesity during pregnancy could mean long-term cardiovascular benefits for their children.

    obesity pregnancy

    Study gives insight into different treatment options for gestational diabetes

    Researchers have found evidence that points to more than one cause for developing gestational diabetes in obese women.

    gestational diabetes treatment

    Events

    16Febmaternal care 780x440

    Data and maternal health

    Seminar with Professor Lucilla Poston

    Please note: this event has passed.

    16Junpregnancy

    Inside & Out: Models to study maternal health and efficacy of therapeutic interventions

    Biochemical Society’s Early Career Life Scientists’ Virtual Symposium

    Please note: this event has passed.

    09MarPregnancy and nutrition

    Early-Life Nutrition Masterclass 2021 - Preconception, Pregnancy and Early Childhood

    Early Life Nutrition Masterclass 2021 - Preconception, Pregnancy and Early Childhood

    Please note: this event has passed.

      Research

      Family thumbnail
      eLIXIR, Born in South London

      Addressing relationships between maternal and child physical health and investigating interactions with mental health

      Melodies for Mums 2
      Developmental and Reproductive Biology in Health and Disease

      Developmental and Reproductive Biology in Health and Disease

      global
      Global Maternal Health

      Global Maternal Health

      pregnant woman and phone_flipped
      Obesity, Gestational Diabetes and Fetal Growth

      Obesity, Gestational Diabetes and Fetal Growth

      hypertension 2
      Maternal Hypertension

      The Hypertension group strategy focuses on improving outcomes for women with hypertension in pregnancy

      Children of UPBEAT

      To study heart and blood vessel health in children born to mothers with obesity who had participated in the UK Pregnancies Better Eating and Activity Trial.

      Project status: Ongoing

      News

      King's academics make the Best Female Scientists in the World 2023 Ranking

      Five scientists from King’s have been ranked as some of the top female scientists in the world for this year by Research.com.

      Professor Francesca Happe, Professor Janet Treasure, Professor Lucilla Poston, Professor Irene Higginson and Professor Cathryn Lewis

      King's to participate in partnership for improved mother and infant data

      The partnership will improve maternal and infant health, particularly among disadvantaged groups, by developing new resources and tools for research that use...

      Electronic Health Data

      Pregnant women from ethnic minority or deprived socio-economic backgrounds more likely to have depressive symptoms

      Pregnant women with depression and maternal obesity were also associated with several outcomes that can negatively affect the brain development of their...

      pregnant woman with doctor 780x450

      Preventable risks for obesity in 3-year-old children

      New results from the UPBEAT study show that maternal and early-life modifiable risk factors are associated with higher measures of obesity and fatness in...

      Child reaching for strawberries

      Risk of pre-eclampsia related to blood pressure and BMI, study shows

      The genetic risk of pre-eclampsia – a potentially dangerous condition in pregnancy – is related to blood pressure and body mass index, an international study...

      Woman in white top with hand on her belly looks out of the window

      Diet and lifestyle during pregnancy linked to modifications in infants' DNA

      A new study has shown pregnant women with obesity could reduce the health risks for their infants through improved diet and more physical activity.

      pregnancy-obesity

      Mother and baby data programme releases first findings

      Initial findings from a programme investigating the associations between physical and mental health between mother and child have been published.

      Baby-news

      Healthy diet and exercise during pregnancy could lead to healthier children, study finds

      New research shows improving the lifestyle of women with obesity during pregnancy could mean long-term cardiovascular benefits for their children.

      obesity pregnancy

      Study gives insight into different treatment options for gestational diabetes

      Researchers have found evidence that points to more than one cause for developing gestational diabetes in obese women.

      gestational diabetes treatment

      Events

      16Febmaternal care 780x440

      Data and maternal health

      Seminar with Professor Lucilla Poston

      Please note: this event has passed.

      16Junpregnancy

      Inside & Out: Models to study maternal health and efficacy of therapeutic interventions

      Biochemical Society’s Early Career Life Scientists’ Virtual Symposium

      Please note: this event has passed.

      09MarPregnancy and nutrition

      Early-Life Nutrition Masterclass 2021 - Preconception, Pregnancy and Early Childhood

      Early Life Nutrition Masterclass 2021 - Preconception, Pregnancy and Early Childhood

      Please note: this event has passed.