Bupa Platinum consultant
Fee assured
Verified account
Open Referral network
Specialises in
- Paediatric immunology, infectious diseases & allergy
Offers
- Video and telephone consultations
About me
Helen is a Consultant in Paediatric Allergy, and is the Head of Service for the Children’s Allergy Service at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, St. Thomas’ Hospital; this is the largest Children’s Allergy Service in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. She is the specialty group lead for Allergy, Respiratory, Gastroenterology and Palliative Care. She is the Chairwoman of the Paediatric Section for the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Helen graduated from King’s College, Cambridge University, with double honours in Medicine and Experimental Psychology, before completing her clinical training at the Royal Free and University College London Medical School. She trained in Paediatrics on the South London Paediatric training rotation. She was then awarded one of the few recognised UK Higher Specialist Training posts in Paediatric Allergy and Immunology and trained in some of the UK’s leading teaching hospitals: Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College Hospital, and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Helen, therefore, has dual accreditation and is on the specialist register for both General Paediatrics and Paediatric Allergy. Helen is also certified by the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) as a European Paediatric Allergist. During her training, Helen completed an MSc in Allergy, gaining a distinction at the University of Southampton. She was subsequently awarded a PhD in determining routes of developing peanut allergy, at King's College London University.
In her NHS service, Helen runs general allergy clinics, and leads the joint specialist Allergy / Respiratory service, with Consultant Respiratory Paediatricians. She previously led the joint specialist Allergy / Gastroenterology service with Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologists and ran joint Allergy / Ear, Nose and Throat clinics with Consultant ENT Specialists. She set up and continues to run community Children’s Allergy services, and Allergy Transition services for teenagers, to empower them to better manage their allergies. She was awarded 'Health Professional of the Year' runner-up in 2010 by Coeliac UK.
Helen's clinical and research interests are in food allergy prevention, diagnosis and treatment, immunotherapy, asthma, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders and eczema. She is leading the Pronuts study; this is a multicentre European study evaluating if, in children with at least one nut allergy, the introduction of other nuts into the diet, can prevent the development of new nut allergies. Helen co-authored the LEAP study (http://www.leapstudy.co.uk), which showed that in young children with eczema, or egg allergy, early introduction of peanut into the diet prevented the development of peanut allergy. She is an investigator for the oral and patch peanut desensitisation trials which are running at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
Helen has published a textbook in General Paediatrics (Rapid Paediatrics and Child Health) and has written chapters for Paediatric Allergy books. She has published original research on the role of environmental peanut exposure on the development of peanut allergy, oral tolerance induction and new biomarkers for food allergy. She was awarded the BSACI Barry Kay Award, for research in Paediatric Allergy, in 2013. Helen has written reviews on active management and prevention of food allergies, the use of antihistamines in children, dietary management of peanut allergy and the risks of exposure to food in the environment in allergic patients. She chairs the national atopic eczema guideline group for the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Standards of Care Committee.
Areas of interest
Prevention, diagnosis and management of food allergy; atopic eczema; allergic asthma; allergic rhinitis (hay-fever); immunotherapy to environmental allergens (e.g. house dust mite, pollens, pet dander); allergic conjunctivitis, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, sinusitis; eosinophilic eosophagitis; eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease; insect sting; latex allergy.
Medical secretaries
About me
Current NHS consultant posts held
Helen is a Consultant in Paediatric Allergy, and is the Head of Service for the Children’s Allergy Service at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, St. Thomas’ Hospital; this is the largest Children’s Allergy Service in the UK and one of the largest in Europe.
Research interests
Helen's research interests are in food allergy prevention, diagnosis and treatment, immunotherapy, asthma, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders and eczema. She leads the Pronuts study; a multicentre European study for the prevention of tree nut allergy. Helen co-authored the LEAP study which showed that early introduction of peanut into the diet prevented the development of peanut allergy. She is an investigator for the oral and patch peanut desensitisation trials.
Personal interests
Helen runs general allergy clinics, and leads the joint specialist Allergy / Respiratory service, with Consultant Respiratory Paediatricians. She set up and continues to run community Children’s Allergy services, and Allergy Transition services for teenagers, to empower them to better manage their allergies.
Awards received
Outstanding Abstract Presentation, European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology and World Allergy Organization (2013 and 2017)
Barry Kay Award, British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2013)
International Fellow in Training award, AAAAI (2011)
Health professional of the year award (runner-up) Coeliac UK (2010)
Helen Webb Prize for Paediatrics and Child Health (2002)
Royal Free and Blackwell Science Prize for Academic Excellence (2000)
(Additional) Languages spoken
- Spanish
- Fluent
- French
- Conversational
- German
- Conversational
Publications
1.Selective nut-eating in peanut or tree nut allergic children - how can molecular allergology help? CEA 2018
2.The development of peanut allergy and the role of environmental and exposure. Curr Allergy Clin Immunol 2018
3. Environmental peanut exposure increases the risk of peanut sensitization in high-risk children. CEA 2018
4.The role of environmental exposure to peanut and the development of peanut allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2018
5. The role of environmental exposure to peanut in the development of clinical allergy to peanut. CEA 2017
6.US guidelines for the prevention of peanut allergy.Archives of Disease in Childhood - Education and Practice 2017
7.Immune mechanisms of food allergy and its prevention by early intervention. Curr Opin Immunol 2017
8.Distribution of peanut protein in school and home environments of inner-city children. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2017
9. Making the Most of In Vitro Tests to Diagnose Food Allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2017
10. Managing Nut Allergy: A Remaining Clinical Challenge. JACI Pract 2017
11. The role of the gastroenterologist in non-IgE mediated gastrointestinal food allergy. Paediatric Child Health 2016
12.The use of antihistamines in children. Paediatrics Child Health 2016
13.EAACI Molecular Allergology User's Guide. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2016
14.LEAP-On Study Team. Effect of Avoidance on Peanut Allergy after Early Peanut Consumption. N Engl J Med 2016
15.EAT Study Team. Randomized Trial of Introduction of Allergenic Foods in Breast-Fed Infants. N Engl J Med 2016
16.Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy N Engl J Med 2015
17.Atopic dermatitis increases the impact of exposure to peanut antigen in dust on peanut sensitization and allergy JACI 2015
18.Active management of food allergy: an emerging concept. Arch Dis Child 2015
Courses offered to GPs
As an honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College London, Helen teaches on both the Paediatric MSc and Immunology MSc course, the Allergy Academy and the Centre of Excellence course for international fellows. Helen set up an educational programme for primary care as part of the community-based Children’s Allergy services at Gracefield Gardens Community Centre. She is the Co-Chair for the European Allergy (EAACI) Congress 2020 which will be held in London.
My outcomes
Outcomes (checked and approved by medical professional body)
Please click on this link if you would like to see information about this
healthcare professional’s performance compared to their peers, as published by
their medical professional body.
https://www.evelinalondon.nhs.uk/our-services/hospital/allergy-service/overview.aspx
Outcomes (self-reported)
My April 2019 multisource feedback from 18 colleagues and 36 patients showed mean scores of 4.92/5 and 4.95/5 respectively for my professional behaviour and practice.
My qualifications & training
Qualifications
- MA (Hons) Cantab
King’s College, Cambridge University 2003
- MRCPCH
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 2006
- PhD
King's College London and Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Pediatric Allergy, Division of Asthma, Allergy and Lung Biology, London, SE1 9RT, UK 2015
- BA Hons (Upper Second)
King’s College, Cambridge University 1999
- MB BS London
Royal Free & University College London Medical School 2002
- MSc Allergy
University of Southampton 2012
Additional training
- Allergology/Clinical Immunology Knowledge Examination
European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2012
GMC registration
Reference number 6048377
Professional bodies (positions held - last 3 yrs)
- Health Advisory Board
Allergy UK 2019
- Chair of Paediatric Section
European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2019
- Council member
Royal Society of Medicine Clinical Allergy Immunology Section 2019
- Standards of Care Committee
British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2019
Details of entry to specialist register
- Paediatrics
, 2013
- Paediatric Immunology, Infectious Diseases and Allergy
, 2013
Affiliations / memberships
Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Fellow of American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology
British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)
British Paediatric Allergy, Immunology and Infection Group
My private practice
Practice hours
Practice
Day
Hours
Appt Bookings
- 205 - 209 Great Portland StreetLONDONW1W 5AH
- Tuesday
- 08:30
- 16:00
- 020 3146 7721
- 205 - 209 Great Portland StreetLONDONW1W 5AH
- Saturday
- 08:30
- 15:00
- 020 3146 7721
Post treatment communication
Following treatment of a Bupa member, I will communicate with GPs
in line with Department of Health, GMC and appropriate professional bodies
guidelines.
In the event of an urgent query following treatment, Bupa members should use the
following contact details
02031467721