Dr Charlotte Elder

BSc, MBBS, PhD, DRCOG, MRCPCH

School of Medicine and Population Health

Senior Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Endocrinology

Charlotte Elder
Profile picture of Charlotte Elder
c.j.elder@sheffield.ac.uk
Room 10, The Damer Street Building, Sheffield Children's Hospital

Full contact details

Dr Charlotte Elder
School of Medicine and Population Health
Room 10, The Damer Street Building
Sheffield Children's Hospital
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TH
Profile

For enquiries, please contact – SMPH-West-Operational@sheffield.ac.uk

Charlotte Elder received her undergraduate medical degree from Imperial College, (University of London) UK in 1999 and, after initially training as a general practitioner, trained in paediatrics and then paediatric endocrinology and diabetes (CCT 2017). Dr Elder studied for her PhD at the University of Sheffield (awarded 2015) and then continued her research as an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer (2015-2018) whilst doing Higher Specialist Training in paediatric endocrinology at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Charlotte was appointed as Senior Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Endocrinology at the University of Sheffield in 2018 and then as an MRC funded UKRI Biomedical Science Innovation Scholar (2021-2024). Her primary research area is the development of non-invasive ways to assess adrenal function, for which she has received over £3.2m in funding to date (Oct 2025). With colleagues in the Adrenal Insufficiency Research Group, she has developed a novel formulation of Synacthen for nasal administration – Nasacthin, and a home-waking salivary cortisone screening test. 

Dr Elder is an honorary consultant paediatric endocrinologist at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. She provides a general endocrinology service, but her specialist clinical interests are steroid induced adrenal insufficiency and Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology. 

Dr Elder is passionate about fostering research interests in junior colleagues and making research accessible for all health care professionals. She has supervised and mentored over 100 under- and postgraduates, helping them present, publish and win prizes. Charlotte is Deputy Director of Studies for Phase 3a, was Director of Undergraduate Medical Education at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust until 2024 and rotation lead for Child Health from 2012-2014. She led the Paediatric Endocrinology module on the University’s Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes MSc.

Research interests

Charlotte Elder's main research area is adrenal insufficiency, with the development of improved and non-invasive ways to test adrenal function, for which she has been awarded over £1.5m. She leads a team developing a non-invasive Short Synacthen Test (diagnostic test), using a novel formulation of Synacthen (Nasacthin) for nasal administration and the measurement of the glucocorticoid response in saliva samples. Nasacthin has patent applications filed or awarded in multiple global territories. Dr Elder is co-leading work to develop Waking Salivary Cortisone as a first line test for adrenal insufficiency. As part of this work her group has developed novel approaches to salivary collection in very young children, which won an NHS Innovation award, and are being used to understand more about adrenal function in preterm infants. In recognition of her work she was the winner of the Excellence in Research & Innovation award for Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in 2023.

Current projects:

  • Nasal Tetracosactide and Chitosan for Adrenal Stimulation - Chief Investigator on £1.2m MRC DPFS award to deliver
    • Randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled cross-over trial in healthy women, men and children
    • Randomised cross-over trial in a patient population with adrenal insufficiency
    • Normative data study in healthy children to derive reference centiles for The Nasacthin Test (£156k UKRI Innovation Scholarship)
  • Neonatal adrenal function studies - lead
  • Steroid weaning studies - co-lead
Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Journal articles

  • Dixon S, Lewis J, Debono M, Elder CJ, Caunt S, Jacques RM, Newell-Price J, Whitaker MJ, Keevil B & Ross RJ (2024) The cost-effectiveness of using waking salivary cortisol in the diagnosis of adrenal sufficiency. HEDS Discussion Paper Series(24.04).
  • Arshad MF, Elder C, Newell-Price J, Ross R & Debono M (2024) . The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 109(11), e2031-e2037.
  • Debono M, Caunt S, Elder C, Fearnside J, Lewis J, Keevil B, Dixon S & Ross R (2023) . Clinical Endocrinology, 99(6), 517-524.
  • Lawrence NR, Arshad MF, Pofi R, Ashby S, Dawson J, Tomlinson JW, Newell-Price J, Ross RJ, Elder CJ & Debono M (2023) . Journal of the Endocrine Society, 7(12).
  • Mushtaq T, Ali SR, Boulos N, Boyle R, Cheetham T, Davies JH, Elder CJ, Gan H-W, Hindmarsh PC, Katugampola H , Krone N et al (2023) . Archives of Disease in Childhood, 108(11), 871-878.
  • Debono M, Elder CJ, Lewis J, Fearnside J, Caunt S, Dixon S, Jacques RM, Newell-Price J, Whitaker MJ, Keevil B & Ross RJ (2023) . NEJM Evidence, 2(2).
  • Tonge JJ, Keevil BG, Craig JN, Whitaker MJ, Ross RJ & Elder CJ (2022) . Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 107(11), 3128-3136.
  • Elder C, Vilela R, Johnson T, Taylor R, Kemp E, Keevil B, Cross A, Ross R & Wright N (2020) . Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 105(8), 2692-2703.
  • Elder CJ, Langley J, Stanton A, De Silva S, Akbarian-Tefaghi L, Wales JKH & Wright NP (2019) . Clinical Endocrinology, 90(4), 623-629.
  • Elder CJ, Harrison RF, Cross AS, Vilela R, Keevil BG, Wright NP & Ross RJ (2018) . Clinical Endocrinology , 88(6), 772-778.
  • Cross AS, Kemp EH, White A, Walker L, Meredith S, Sachdev P, Krone NP, Ross RJ, Wright NP & Elder CJ (2018) . Clinical Endocrinology , 88(5), 744-751.
  • Elder CJ & Bishop NJ (2014) . Lancet, 383(9929), 1665-1676.
  • Elder CJ, Sachdev P & Wright NP (2012) . Archives of Disease in Childhood, 97(10), 870-873.
  • Elder CJ, Sachdev P & Wright NP (2012) . Arch Dis Child, 97(10), 870-873.

All publications

Journal articles

  • Arshad MF, Ahmed A, Beddows S, Mullamitha A, Newell-Price J, Ross R, Elder C & DeBono M (2025) . Endocrine Abstracts, 110, P128-P128.
  • Date KL, Baster K, Caunt SL, Cohen J, Debono M, Fearnside J, Johnson TN, Ross RJ, Taylor RN & Elder CJ (2024) . BMJ Open, 14(12).
  • Dixon S, Lewis J, Debono M, Elder CJ, Caunt S, Jacques RM, Newell-Price J, Whitaker MJ, Keevil B & Ross RJ (2024) The cost-effectiveness of using waking salivary cortisol in the diagnosis of adrenal sufficiency. HEDS Discussion Paper Series(24.04).
  • Arshad MF, Elder C, Newell-Price J, Ross R & Debono M (2024) . The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 109(11), e2031-e2037.
  • Tavernier M, Ross C, Jessica C, Balagamage C, Keevil B, Ross R, Debono M & Elder C (2023) . Endocrine Abstracts, 95(OC5.9).
  • Debono M, Caunt S, Elder C, Fearnside J, Lewis J, Keevil B, Dixon S & Ross R (2023) . Clinical Endocrinology, 99(6), 517-524.
  • Lawrence NR, Arshad MF, Pofi R, Ashby S, Dawson J, Tomlinson JW, Newell-Price J, Ross RJ, Elder CJ & Debono M (2023) . Journal of the Endocrine Society, 7(12).
  • Fahad AM, Elder C, Newell-Price J, Ross R & Debono M (2023) . Endocrine Abstracts, 90.
  • Mushtaq T, Ali SR, Boulos N, Boyle R, Cheetham T, Davies JH, Elder CJ, Gan H-W, Hindmarsh PC, Katugampola H , Krone N et al (2023) . Archives of Disease in Childhood, 108(11), 871-878.
  • Cross AS, Moustafa M & Elder CJ (2023) . Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition.
  • Debono M, Elder CJ, Lewis J, Fearnside J, Caunt S, Dixon S, Jacques RM, Newell-Price J, Whitaker MJ, Keevil B & Ross RJ (2023) . NEJM Evidence, 2(2).
  • Tonge JJ, Keevil BG, Craig JN, Whitaker MJ, Ross RJ & Elder CJ (2022) . Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 107(11), 3128-3136.
  • Low A, Parry-Okeden S, Ferguson EC, Wright N & Elder CJ (2022) . Archives of Disease in Childhood: Education & Practice, 107(3), 182-187.
  • Craig JN, Sharman MR, Fitzgerald CG, Wigg D, Williams BS, Wilkinson EE, Wright NP, Langley J & Elder CJ (2021) . Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, 34(1), 65-70.
  • Elder C, Vilela R, Johnson T, Taylor R, Kemp E, Keevil B, Cross A, Ross R & Wright N (2020) . Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 105(8), 2692-2703.
  • Devaraja J, Elder C & Scott A (2020) . Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Case Reports, 2020(1).
  • Ferguson EC, Stewart EK, Hannah C & Elder CJ (2020) . Archives of Disease in Childhood, 105(3), 310-311.
  • Bacila I-A, Elder C & Krone N (2019) . Archives of Disease in Childhood, 104(12), 1223-1228.
  • Lawrence N, Cheetham T & Elder C (2019) . Clinical Endocrinology, 91(3), 417-423.
  • Elder CJ, Langley J, Stanton A, De Silva S, Akbarian-Tefaghi L, Wales JKH & Wright NP (2019) . Clinical Endocrinology, 90(4), 623-629.
  • Elder CJ, Harrison RF, Cross AS, Vilela R, Keevil BG, Wright NP & Ross RJ (2018) . Clinical Endocrinology , 88(6), 772-778.
  • Cross AS, Kemp EH, White A, Walker L, Meredith S, Sachdev P, Krone NP, Ross RJ, Wright NP & Elder CJ (2018) . Clinical Endocrinology , 88(5), 744-751.
  • Cockill TG, Hewitt A, Heafey C, Wright NP & Elder CJ (2017) . Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism , 30(12), 1277-1280.
  • King D, West N & Elder CJ (2017) . Archives of Disease in Childhood Education and Practice Edition, 102(2), 94-99.
  • Elder CJ & Dimitri PJ (2017) . ADC Education & Practice, 102(2), 100-104.
  • Calvert A, West N & Elder C (2016) . Archives of Disease in Childhood, 101(Suppl 1).
  • Elder CJ & Dimitri P (2015) . Archives of Disease in Childhood.education and Practice Edition, 100(5), 272-276.
  • Elder CJ & Wright NP (2014) . Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 56(10), 921-922.
  • Elder CJ & Bishop NJ (2014) . Lancet, 383(9929), 1665-1676.
  • Elder CJ, Somerset LM, Ram V, Wright NP, Wales JK & Dimitri PJ (2014) . Clin Endocrinol (Oxf), 80(6), 925.
  • Jackson C, Wernham EM, Elder CJ & Wright NP (2013) . Practical Diabetes, 30(1), 16-18.
  • (2012) . Archives of Disease in Childhood, 97(11), 1008.1-1008.
  • Elder C, Hinchliffe C & Wright N (2012) . Diabetic Medicine, 29(9), 1213-1214.
  • Elder CJ, Sachdev P & Wright NP (2012) . Archives of Disease in Childhood, 97(10), 870-873.
  • Elder CJ, Sachdev P & Wright NP (2012) . Arch Dis Child, 97(10), 870-873.
  • Elder CJ & Natarajan A (2010) Mauriac Syndrome - A Modern Reality. J PEDIATR ENDOCR MET, 23(3), 311-313.
  • Elder C, Hinchliffe C & Wright N (2010) . Journal of Clinical Pathology, 63(7), 660.1-660.
  • Elder CJ, Wright VJ & Wright NP (2009) . ARCH DIS CHILD, 94(12), 1000-1001.
  • Elder CJ, Ackerman B & Kingdon C (2008) Audit cycle of newborn observations on the postnatal wards.. Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal & Neonatal, 93(6), f475.
  • Elder CJ, Ackerman B & Kingdon C (2008) Audit cycle of newborn observations on the postnatal wards. ARCH DIS CHILD-FETAL, 93(6), 1475-1475.
  • Elder CJ, Barton JS, Brook CGD, Preece MA, Dattani MT & Hindmarsh PC (2008) . Hormone Research in Paediatrics, 70(2), 89-92.
  • Pilling EL, Elder CJ & Gibson AT (2008) . Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab, 22(3), 447-462.
  • Elder CJ, Sprigg A & Coombs RC (2008) . Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed, 93(1), F23.
  • Elder CJ & Urquhart DS (2006) Limitations of empirical therapy for bacterial meningitis in a healthy child with Listeria monocytogenes meningitis. Journal of Pediatric Neurology, 4(1), 65-67.
  • Fahad AM, Ahmed A, Beddows S, Marsh I, Mullamitha A, Newell-Price J, Ross R, Elder C & Debono M () . Endocrine Abstracts.
  • Mushtaq T, Ali S, Boulos N, Boyle R, Cheetham T, Davies J, Elder C, Gan H-W, Hindmarsh P, Katugampola H , Kerr S et al () . Endocrine Abstracts.

Conference proceedings

  • Craig J, Tavernier M, Ross C, Lewis J, Jacques R, Keevil B, Ross R, Debono M & Elder C (2024) Screening for Adrenal Insufficiency in Children by Home Waking Salivary Cortisone testing. HORMONE RESEARCH IN PAEDIATRICS, Vol. 97 (pp 98-98)
  • Ahmed A, Hattangadi I, Gopalakrishna N, De Silva S, Elder C & Ferguson E (2024) Prematurity and low birth weight may be key indicators for a low peak cortisol on neonatal Short Synacthen Tests. HORMONE RESEARCH IN PAEDIATRICS, Vol. 97 (pp 265-266)
  • Ahmed A, Hattangadi I, Gopalakrishna N, De Silva S, Elder C & Ferguson E (2022) Effect of maternal steroid medication prescribed during pregnancy on neonatal adrenal function. HORMONE RESEARCH IN PAEDIATRICS, Vol. 95(SUPPL 2) (pp 127-128)
  • Tonge J, Keevil B, Craig J, Langley J, Whitaker M, Ross R & Elder C (2022) Collection of salivary steroids in children under conditions replicating home sampling. HORMONE RESEARCH IN PAEDIATRICS, Vol. 95(SUPPL 2) (pp 111-111)
  • Aji A, Colyer S, Burn S, Dimitri P, Wright N, Krone N & Elder C (2018) . Endocrine Abstracts, Vol. 58. Birmingham, UK, 7 November 2018 - 7 November 2018.
  • Burn S, Colyer S, Dimitri P, Wright N, Krone N & Elder C (2018) . Hormone Research in Paediatrics, Vol. 90 (pp 146-146). Athens, Greece, 27 September 2018 - 27 September 2018.
  • Aji A, Colyer S, Burn S, Dimitri P, Wright N, Krone N & Elder C (2018) . Hormone Research in Paediatrics, Vol. 90(Suppl 1) (pp 128-129). Athens, Greece, 27 September 2018 - 27 September 2018.
  • Cross AS, Sachdev P, Wright NP, Jabbar I & Elder CJ (2017) . British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes and British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Research group
  • Lydia Foriestier-Zhang, MD Student
Professional activities and memberships

Charlotte’s other roles include Chair of the Awards Committee of the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes, member of the Athena Swan Committee and University of Sheffield Partner Governor on Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust’s Council of Governors.