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Speakers

Elizabeth Angier
PhD Candidate Southampton University, General practitioner, Primary Care locality lead Hampshire Isle of Wight Integrated Care System, Southampton University, UK


Sarah Baker
Head of health Policy and Developments, Anaphylaxis UK
Sarah leads the health agenda for Anaphylaxis UK working with the charity’s Clinical and Scientific panel to ensure patients receive the most up to date and evidenced based information about serious allergies and anaphylaxis.
Sarah brings a personal perspective of allergies to Anaphylaxis UK as she has multiple food allergies and carries adrenaline, which enables her to appreciate the physical and psychological aspects of serious allergy and anaphylaxis for both children and their families.


Surinder Birring
Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Consultant Respiratory and General Medicine Physician, King’s College Hospital, London, UK


Robert Boyle
Clinical Reader, Imperial College London, UK


Helen Brough
Professor of Paediatric Allergy, Evelina Children’s Hospital, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital
Helen is the President of the Allergy and Immunology Section of the Royal Society of Medicine (2022-2024). She was the Chair of the Paediatric Section for the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and represented Paediatric Allergy for the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases (2019-2022). She co-authored the 2022 European guidelines for the management of atopic eczema. She was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Clinician Award by the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI).
Helen’s research interests are in genetic and environmental risk factors for the development of food allergy and the prevention, diagnosis and management of food allergy. She is a Principal Investigator for the Stopping Eczema and Allergy (SEAL) study assessing whether proactive skin care in young infants with dry skin or eczema prevents the development of food allergy. She completed her MSc at the University of Southampton and her PhD at King’s College London.


Silvia Bulfone-Paus
Professor, University of Manchester, UK


Sarah Burrell
Senior Research Nurse, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK
Sarah trained as an adult intensive care nurse and respiratory specialist nurse before starting her research career, with a focus on respiratory and allergy studies. She was awarded the Jill Warner Prize on completion of her Allergy MSc (Imperial College London) in recognition of delivering a project with a significant impact on patient care. In particular, she is passionate about Patient Public Involvement (PPI) in the research process, being awarded the NIHR Excellence in PPI and Engagement prize (BOPI study) at the North West London Clinical Research Awards 2021. She also has extensive experience in clinical and primary care research in the UK and other healthcare systems. Another particular interest Sarah is in exploring strategies to enable clinical nurses to become involved in clinical research so that there is a greater awareness of the value of research and innovation among staff.


Lydia Collins-Hussey
Clinical Dietetic Advisor, Allergy UK, UK


Stephen Durham
Stephen Durham, Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, National Heart and lung Institute, Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital London, UK


Pamela Ewan
Consultant Allergist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
She developed an effective collaboration with Dr Andrew Clark, and they most recently developed a programme of desensitisation to treat peanut allergy and this led to the establishment in 2014 of the Cambridge Peanut Allergy Clinic. In various national roles she worked to highlight the need for allergy care and to improve NHS allergy services, for which she was awarded CBE. She is co-founder and until recently chair of the National Allergy Strategy Group and a past President of the British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology.


Adam Fox
Professor of Paediatric Allergy, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, UK
Adam was elected as BSACI President, the first Paediatrician to hold this position, from October 2018 until 2021 and is now Chair of the National Allergy Strategy Group.
Adam was awarded ‘Paediatric Allergist of the Year’ from Allergy UK in 2007. His doctoral thesis on peanut allergy received the Raymond Horton Smith prize from Cambridge University in 2012 and he was included in The Times ‘Britain’s 100 Best Children’s Doctor’s’. Adam received the William Frankland Award for Outstanding contribution to Allergy in 2015 and a Department of Health National Clinical Excellence award from the in 2016 and 2020.


Claudia Gore
Consultant in Paediatric Allergy, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK
Clinically, she has specific expertise in caring for children and young people with complex multisystem allergic disease and severe eczema and in providing as well as expanding services for allergic adolescents.
Her research background includes the role of probiotics and the gut microbiota in infant eczema, quality of life in allergic diseases, nutrition in allergic disease, allergen avoidance measures, eczema treatments and diagnostics.
Claudia is an active contributor to the EAACI Adolescent Taskforce and is the Paediatric Chair of the BSACI Transition Working Group – all aimed at improving healthcare transition for adolescents and young adults with allergic conditions.
These activities support the improvement of care for adolescents and young adults with allergic and other conditions through innovative ways of engaging patients, families, educators, health and care staff:
www.11to25hub.com
Patient Voices: Terrific Teens!


Robin Gore
Consultant respiratory physician, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
His clinical and research interests are focused on severe asthma, aeroallergen exposure and its relationship with allergic disease activity, and optimizing networked care for patients with severe asthma through the east of England severe asthma network.


Clive Grattan
Consultant Dermatologist, Guy’s Hospital, London, UK


Dorothea Gross-kreul
Senior Specialist Nurse for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK


Jamal Hayat
Consultant Gastroenterologist, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK


Fiona Henley
Paediatric Asthma Clinical Nurse Specialist, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, UK


Judith Holloway
Professorial Fellow in Allergy, MSc Allergy Programme Lead, University of Southampton, UK


Hannah Hunter
Specialist Allergy Dietitian, Guy’s Hospital, UK
Her clinical practice is combined with research and specific interests include adult oral immunotherapy, the dietary management of eosinophilic oesophagitis and investigation of emerging food allergens such as mycoprotein.
She is Treasurer for the Food Allergy Specialist Group (FASG) of the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and dietetic representative for the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI).


Nicola Jay
Consultant Paediatric Allergy, Sheffield Childrens Hospital NHS Trust, England


Steve Jenkins
Consultant Physician, Mid and South Essex Hospitals NHS Trust, UK


Christina Jones
Associate Professor in Clinical Health Psychology, University of Surrey, UK
Chrissie’s main research focuses on the design and evaluation of psychological and behavioural interventions for individuals and their families, with long term conditions (e.g., allergy, diabetes, and respiratory disease) and mental health comorbidities, placing strong emphasis on involving patients and public in the research she undertakes. Chrissie has expertise in multi-method evaluations and synthesising current evidence using systematic reviews and meta-analysis.


Maeve Kelleher
Consultant in Paediatric Allergy, Childrens Health Ireland, Ireland


Margaret Kelman
Specialist Allergy Nurse, Allergy UK, UK


Alicia Kennedy
Chief Operating Officer, The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, UK


Kate Khaleva
Clinical Research Fellow, University of Southampton, UK


Katherine Knight
Allergy Clinical Nurse Specialist, Evelina Children’s Allergy and The Food and Allergy Immunotherapy Clinic, UK
Since 2021 Katherine has also worked at the Food and Allergy Immunotherapy Clinic providing oral Immunoetahrpy to children from across the UK.
Katherine teaches on various allergy study days and leads on the community allergy training sessions. She is co- director of the Allergy Academy Allergy in Practice course and has presented at past BSAI and PAAM conferences. Katherine holds an allergy masters from Southampton University and submitted a dissertation regarding the adrenaline auto injector prescribing practice of the St Thomas’s allergy team.
Katherine is very proud of the multidisciplinary approach to allergy as well as the strong nurse led services within children’s allergy services and is keen to share her allergy knowledge and experience.


Mich Lejeunese
Consultant in Paediatric Allergy & Immunology, Southampton Children’s Hospital, UK


Douglas Mack
Assistant Clinical Professor, McMaster University, Canada


Ricardo Madrigal-Burgaleta
Locum consultant allergist, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, UK


Tom Marrs
Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Allergy, St Thomas’ Hospital, UK


Rita Mirakian
Consultant Allergist, Cambridge University Hospitals /Addenbrookes Hospital, UK
Her main allergy Interests are focused on Drug Allergy and Rhinology.
She was one of the clinicians who established the Standard of Care Committee within the BSACI organisation aiming to develop evidence based Guidelines for the management of patients with allergies.
In 2009 she prompted the preparation of the BSACI Guidelines for the ‘Management of Drug Allergy’. This document was followed in 2015 by the Guideline on ‘ The management of allergy to penicillins and other beta lactams’.
With the help of interested Clinicians she currently aims to accomplish the preparation of evidence based tools/algorithms for the diagnosis and treatment of NSAID hypersensitivity reactions. These reactions are the second (and possibly the first) most common adverse drug reactions in Europe. However the diagnostic and management processes are not fully established.
For over 10 years Dr Mirakian has also worked within an ENT/Allergy environment and has treated patients with chronic rhinitis/rhinosinusitis. She has been one of the Authors of the Guidelines for the management of rhinitis/rhinosinusitis


Daniel Munblit
Reader in Paediatrics, King’s College London, UK
A strong advocate for regulating the infant formula industry, his research highlighted the overdiagnosis of cow’s milk allergy and the lack of infant formula health claims substantiation.
Dr. Munblit has served on various committees at the World Allergy Organization (WAO) and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI). He currently serves as an Associate Editor for Clinical & Experimental Allergy and World Allergy Organization Journal.


Dean Naisbitt
Professor of Drug Safety Science, University of Liverpool, UK
Dr Naisbitt has been recognized with several honours and awards including the ISSX New Investigator Award, the British Pharmacological Society Novartis prize and the ACS Chemical Research in Toxicology Young Investigator award. He has published over 180 research articles and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Chemical Research in Toxicology, Toxicological Sciences and Current Opinion Allergy and Clinical Immunology.


David Orton
Consultant Dermatologist, OneWelbeck Skin Health and Allergy, UK
Dr Orton is past President of the British Society of Cutaneous Allergy and past Secretary of the European Society of Contact Dermatitis. During these roles he focused on consumer protection from allergens used in cosmetics and everyday household products. He is credited with forging links between UK Dermatologists and the cosmetics industry. This has allowed for constructive dialogue over issues directly affecting consumers and continues to generate ongoing clinical research.
He has published extensively in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has authored multiple book chapters, and he is a frequently invited lecturer on contact dermatitis.


Karen Pett
Clinical Nurse Specialist Paediatric Dermatology, West Hertfordshire NHS Teaching Trust, UK
SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS:
The introduction of Nurse led Paediatric Dermatology clinics at Watford General Hospital, leading to shorter waiting times, a greater time spent with patients & their families & positive outcomes for the patient
Independent Nurse non medical prescriber ensuring greater autonomy and a complete holistic experience for patients & their families
Being a successful member of the Eczema Education programme for Lambeth Health Authority, delivering a programme of education to parents of children with Atopic eczema, and leading to a reduction in GP attendances following the course
Within the Eczema Education programme being part of taskforce that implemented a specialist award winning programme aimed at young people aged 11-18 years
Chair of the Paediatric group of the BDNG , attending , chairing and presenting every year at annual conferences and targeted study days
Published author of multiple articles in Dermatology publications and wider press, including the current edition of Harpers Textbook of Paediatric Dermatology
In my spare time i am a member of Girlguiding UK where i volunteer as a Rainbow , Brownie , Guide and Ranger leader. I enjoy going to the gym , running and have 2 dogs and 2 grown up children.


Graham Roberts
Consultant in Paediatric Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, University of Southampton, UK


Chris Rutkowski
Consultant Allergist, Department of Adult Allergy, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital London & Urticaria Clinic, St John’s Institute of Dermatology, London, UK


David Sanders
Prof of Gi, Sheffield Teachings Hospitals & University of Sheffield, UK


Ravishankar Sargur
Consultant Immunologist and Clinical Director – Laboratory Medicine, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
He has keen interest in quality control and quality assurance of allergy and immunology laboratory tests. He is Clinical director for UKNEQAS Immunology, Immunochemistry and Allergy which provides external quality assurance schemes for immunology and allergy diagnostic assays. He is an assessor for IQAS and QPIDS accreditation schemes, and immunology representative on the UKAS Technical advisory committee.


Louise Savic
Consultant Anaesthetist and NIHR Doctoral Fellow, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK


Sinisa Savic
Associate professor and honorary consultant immunologist, University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching hospitals NHS Trust, UK
Dr Savic has clinical and research interests in pathogenesis and management of systemic autoinflammatory disorders and chronic urticaria.


Glenis Scadding
Hon. Consultant Allergist & Rhinologist and Hon. Associate Professor, RNENT Hospital and Division of Immunity and Infection, UCL, UK
She trained at Cambridge University and the Middlesex Hospital, to which she later returned as an allergy trainee under Jonathan Brostoff and Ivan Roitt. She is also a EUFOREA Board Member and Lead for Rhinitis and Scientific Chief Editor for Rhinology Section, Frontiers in Allergy.
Glenis is a BSACI Past President and has been awarded the BSACI William Frankland medal for outstanding services to UK Clinical Allergy as well as Allergy UK-Allergist of the Year- 2011, European Academy of Allergy and Immunology Clemens von Pirquet award for research, British Medical Association -Walter Jobson Horne Award and World Allergy Organization -Outstanding Clinician
In 2020 she gave the BSACI Jack Pepys Lecture. Her research interests include rhinitis and its co-morbidities, including asthma and rhinosinusitis; aspirin hypersensitivity and sublingual immunotherapy. She is the author of over 400 peer- reviewed publications (H index 78) and of 2 novels, proceeds from which go to dementia research.


Guy Scadding
Consultant Allergist, Royal Brompton Hospital, UK


Mohamed Shamji
Professor in Immunology and Allergy, Imperial College London, UK
His research interest entails understanding the underpinning mechanisms of upper and lower airway diseases, including food allergy, to support the identification of diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring biomarkers of immune modulation by biologicals and allergen immunotherapy. Professor Mohamed Shamji has gained national and international recognition for his research expertise in the field of allergen-specific immunotherapy, immunomodulation and studies mechanisms of allergen-specific immunotherapy on cellular/humoral and molecular levels and how it induces immunological and clinical tolerance. His research also involves the identification of novel biomarkers for monitoring the clinical efficacy of allergen immunotherapy. Professor Shamji is actively engaged in evaluating novel approaches to allergen immunotherapy using a modified hypoallergic form of allergen protein, subcutaneous immunotherapy combined with novel adjuvants, sublingual immunotherapy, peptide immunotherapy, biologics plus allergen of interest strategies to improve safety, efficacy and induce immune tolerance to sensitise allergens. His research has led to several preclinical studies moving onto phase II and III trials of allergen immunotherapy, biologicals and immune modulators.
He is a Principal Investigator and co-investigator on MRC, the immune tolerance network (ITN/NIH) and several industry-funded projects funded through Imperial College London. He has published >150 peer-reviewed articles in the field of allergy, allergen immunotherapy, and biologicals. He received the Phadia Allergy Research Forum (PhARF) Award 2018 (the most Prestigious Award in Allergy). He is also a recipient German Society of Allergy (AeDA) Immunotherapy Award 2021. He is the past Chair of the EAACI Scientific Programme Committee and EAACI Immunotherapy Interest Group. He served on the EAACI Science Committee and chaired the EAACI Research and Outreach Committee. He serves as EAACI Vice-President of Congresses and leads the EAACI ROC Working Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science in precision immunology for personalised medicine. Dr Shamji is also a member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) Immunotherapy, Rhinitis, Sinusitis and Ocular Diseases (IRSO) Interest Section.


Isabel Skypala
Consultant Allergy Dietitian, Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals – part of Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, UK


Helen Smith
Professor of General Practice, Keele University, UK and LKCMedicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore


James Thaventhiran
MRC Investigator, MRC Toxicology Unit / Cambridge University Hospitals, UK


Mamidipudi Thirumala Krishna
Chair of Allergy, Clinical Immunology and Global Health and Honorary Consultant Allergist and Immunologist, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham and Department of Allergy and Immunology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
TK was Clinical Lead for the regional Allergy service at UHB (2005-19), and led his department through two successful IQAS accreditations. He also led a successful bit for the University of Birmingham and UHB to be designated as a WAO Centre for Excellence in Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology in 2020. TK was awarded the prestigious Jack Pepys Lectureship by the BSACI in 2021.


Victoria Timms
Clinical Nurse Specialist – Paediatric Allergy, Allergy London/The Food Allergy Immunotherapy Centre, UK
Victoria began working in Paediatric Allergy in 2010 when she was a Research Nurse and continued to do so as a Research Sister. In these roles she supported Allergy Research Studies at The Evelina London Children’s Hospital (ECH). Victoria joined the Children’s Allergy and Dermatology Service at ECH in 2012 as a Deputy Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) being the lead nurse for clinical trial studies (GAP, PRESTO and ASSIGN), the Yellow Fever Vaccination Service for children with egg allergy and the lead nurse for supporting the Nurse Consultant and Clinical Nurse specialists in the provision and delivery of the sublingual and subcutaneous immunotherapy service. Within the three years Victoria was a Deputy CNS, she managed and supervised food and drug challenges, the Allergy and Dermatology Outpatients department, junior staff and nursing students; performed skin prick testing, spirometry, exhaled nitrous oxide testing and administered vaccinations, subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy.
In 2015 Victoria joined the Children’s Allergy Research Unit at ECH as a Clinical Research Sister to amalgamate her allergy and research experience. In her 3 years within the Allergy Research Unit Victoria had the experience of supporting the Palisade and ARTEMIS oral immunotherapy for peanut studies, she was the Lead/Joint Lead Nurse for the management and provision of a variety of allergy research studies, was one of the Clinical Research Sisters who was responsible for the day to day management and supervision of clinical activity on the unit, managed and supported junior staff and nursing students, and supported recruitment and retention of children and their families who participated in allergy research studies.
In 2018 Victoria rejoined the Children’s Allergy Service at ECH as a CNS in Paediatric Allergy before moving to support, as a CNS, leading private allergy clinics in London seeing patients from around the world.
Victoria has been nominated for The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses and an Allergy UK Hero Award in the Health Care Professional Category.


Paul Turner
Reader in Paediatric Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Imperial College London, UK


Sophie Vallis
Information Officer, Anaphylaxis UK


Gillian Vance
Professor of Medical Education, Newcastle University, UK
Gill is passionate about developing education and training in allergy. She established the allergy e-module at Newcastle University and has supported leadership and strategy-building of the BSACI Allergy Education Network from its inception. Locally, she is the Director for the Specialised Foundation Programme in Northern Deanery, and nationally, co-leads the NIHR Incubator for Clinical Education Research — new NIHR infrastructure to support capacity building across the health professions, promote career progression and excellence within the discipline.


Marta Vasquex-Ortiz
Consultant in Paediatric Allergy, Hon Senior lecturer and Programme Director of Allergy MSc, Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust. Imperial College London, UK
Marta did her training in Paediatrics and Paediatric Allergy, and her PhD in Spain. She moved to the UK in 2014 with an EU-funded Marie Curie Postdoctoral Individual Fellowship.
Her research so far has focused on food allergy and specifically on food immunotherapy, quality of life and improved allergy diagnostics. Her PhD contributed to better understanding the safety of food immunotherapy. She leads an international collaboration investigating diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for acute FPIES using a ‘whole-omics’ approach.
Marta is member of the Paediatric Section Board of EAACI where she leads/co-leads taskforces aiming at improving transition care for allergic adolescents and clinical outcomes in food allergy.


Carina Venter
Professor Pediatrics, University of Colorado, Children’s Hospital Colorado, USA
She was a member of the EAACI and AAAAI food allergy guidelines on Allergy Prevention and the EAACI guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy guidelines., the NICE (UK) food allergy guidelines and the National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Peanut Allergy Prevention Guidelines. Dr. Venter is currently the chair of the EAACI work group on Immunomodulation and nutrition.


Amena Warner
Head of Clinical services, Allergy UK, UK
Previously working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Immunology & Allergy for a London NHS Trust.
Teaching was a very important part of this role, which included GP’s and other hospital staff as well as patients, in how to manage allergic symptoms and avoid or reduce exposure to causative allergen(s).
Research was also a big part of this role, both internal and externally collaborative, with many publications from this as well as partaking in commercial research for pharma.
This role made me greatly appreciative of the important role of the immune system and it’s underpinning to many aspects of ill health.
Training at University College, London in 1979 after studying the 3 sciences at A level, Paediatric training was gained at Great Ormond Street hospital and a Public Health Specialist qualification was gained in 1994.
Amena has been a past president, treasurer and board member of an International Nurses Group, a board member of the Immunology & Allergy Nurses group as well as being the first Nurse to sit on the BSACI council, starting up the National Nurses in Allergy group, which has now evolved into the Allied Heath group within the BSACI


Timothy Watts
Consultant Allergist, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Dr Watts qualified from Barts and The London Medical School and was later awarded a competitive NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in Allergy. He completed dedicated higher specialty training in Adult Allergy within Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals.
Dr Watts has specialist clinical and research interests in delayed (Type IV) drug hypersensitivity and cutaneous allergy (patch testing) and has published widely in these fields. He additionally developed and leads a drug patch testing service at Homerton University Hospital, which functions as a regional tertiary referral centre within London for the investigation of delayed-type drug eruptions. He is also clinical supervisor and training lead for Immunology & Allergy Specialty Registrars at Homerton Hospital.


Andrew Whyte
Consultant Allergist and Immunologist, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, UK


Simon Williams
Chief Executive, Anaphylaxis UK
At present, Simon is guiding the charity through a phase of evolution, reshaping its strategic direction with the aim of extending its reach and providing an increased level of support, education, and information to a larger demographic. During this period of rapid growth and organisational change, the overarching objective of Anaphylaxis UK remains the securing of a brighter, more secure future for individuals who are at risk of anaphylaxis.
Simon has held positions in a number of patient charities, and prior to Anaphylaxis UK was at HEART UK- The Cholesterol Charity where he worked for over seven years.


Karen Wright
Senior Teaching Fellow MSc Allergy, University of Southampton, UK
