Charles Newton
MBChB (UCT), MA (Oxford), MRCP (London), MD (UCT), FRCPCH
Cheryl & Reece Scott Professor of Psychiatry
I examine the epidemiology and behavioural consequences of children experiencing a range of adversities in the low-income countries of insults, in particular the association of autism and developmental disorders with infections of the central nervous system (including malaria, HIV and bacterial meningitis). I am conducting research on genetics of autism, epilepsy and psychosis in sub-Saharan Africa. I also conduct research on the epidemiology and psychiatric co-morbidity of epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa, examining interventions to reduce the treatment gap and stigma associated with these disorders. I examine the neurocognitive consequences of sickle cell disease in Africa. This research has led to an interest to the mental health of children from immigrant populations in the UK and Europe. My research in Oxford focuses on autism and neurodevelopmental disorders, particular the causes and consequences of these conditions in Europe.
Recent publications
Modelling seizure-related predictors of epilepsy diagnostic gap in two urban informal settlements of Nairobi using machine learning.
Journal article
Mwanga D. et al, (2026), Glob Epidemiol, 11
Caregiver assessment of executive function deficits among HIV-infected and HIV-exposed uninfected preschool children in Kenya
Journal article
Sigilai AK. et al, (2026), Frontiers in Pediatrics, 14
USP25 in genetic generalized epilepsy: a gene under scrutiny.
Journal article
Erfanian Omidvar M. et al, (2026), Brain, 149, e16 - e18
Correction: Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Social Communication Questionnaire in Rural Kenya.
Journal article
Kipkemoi P. et al, (2026), J Autism Dev Disord, 56
"Familiar Foe Revisited": examining the relationship between endemic Burkitt's lymphoma and changing malaria admissions in the coastal region of Kenya.
Journal article
Mwaniki MK. et al, (2025), BMC Cancer, 25
