I chose a career in paediatric allergy because of the multisystem nature of allergy, the complexity of conditions and the opportunities for meaningful translational research. Whilst in Wessex, I conducted a multicentre clinical trial in primary prevention of allergy (before the disease had developed) among infants using oral immunotherapy – the results were published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 2015.
During my paediatric allergy subspecialty training in Wessex, I developed an interest in children with complex food allergies most often presenting to the gastroenterology or immunology teams. As a trainee I presented at international conferences and co-authored European (EAACI) guidelines.
I co-ordinated the regional paediatric allergy network in Wessex, completed subspecialty training in 2016 and was appointed consultant in paediatric allergy at Addenbrooke’s and look forward to expanding paediatric allergy services.