Dr Maria Giakoumi

Dr Maria Giakoumi is a paediatrician with over 10 years of experience in the East of England deanery across acute, neonatal, and community paediatrics. Her clinical work includes extensive experience in neurodevelopmental assessments, social communication clinics, and supporting children and families with experiences of abuse and adversity. She is a certified ADOS, Griffiths, and Bayley assessor completing evaluations for children’s development. She has been involved in supporting children and families throughout their diagnostic and care journeys, with a strong commitment to neurodiversity-affirming and family-centred practice.

Maria values highly the role of clinicians as advocates for children and their caregivers. She puts children at the centre of everything she does. Through her community work, she has supported families facing vulnerability, including those affected by domestic abuse, social adversity, mental health challenges, and chronic illness. She is particularly interested in how healthcare professionals can create safe, trauma-informed environments that facilitate disclosure from children, empower caregivers, and ensure timely safeguarding responses.

Her academic interests span around all types of abuse towards children and women, children’s rights, and the importance of the child’s voice being central to all policies and actions. She is also deeply engaged with neurodevelopmental conditions and mental health as key factors of vulnerability, and with the broader social determinants that shape children’s outcomes. She has contributed to research, audit, and education throughout her training, with publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national conferences.

Maria is particularly interested in the impact of early experiences on a child’s life trajectory, especially the consequences of attachment disruption on neurodevelopment, mental health, and long-term wellbeing. She wishes to progress knowledge on the intersection between neurodevelopment, mental health, attachment formation, and early experiences, and is keen to promote supportive and inclusive approaches for children and families.

Beyond her clinical work, Maria is passionate about strengthening societal and professional awareness of abuse affecting women and children, promoting equity for all, and improving recognition of neurodevelopmental needs in children and vulnerable adults. Her medical education background includes mentoring and teaching medical students and delivering presentations within the paediatric department and journal clubs that she has worked in.

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