Study Doctors |
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Dr. Gideon Lack, MD
LEAP Study Principal Investigator
Professor Gideon Lack is Professor of Paediatric Allergy, King’s College London and a member of the MRC-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma. He is also Head of the Children's Allergy Service, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Having completed his medical degree and senior house office appointments at the John Radcliffe in Oxford, he spent four years training as a paediatrician in New York, and a further four years specialising in Paediatric Allergy & Immunology in Denver, Colorado. Over the past 10 years, he has worked at St Mary’s Hospital London where he ran the Department of Paediatric Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Lack's research has focused on the prevalence of food allergies in children and the relationship between food allergies, eczema, and asthma. |
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Dr. George DuToit, MD
LEAP Study Co-investigator
Dr du Toit obtained his initial specialist training at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town. Prior to taking up his current post, he was employed as a Consultant Paediatric Allergist at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington. Major research interests include Chronic Urticaria and Food Allergy. |
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Dr. Graham Roberts, MD
LEAP Study Co-investigator
Dr Roberts qualified in Medicine from the University of Oxford. He completed a 4 year clinical research fellowship in paediatric allergy and respiratory medicine at Imperial College School of Medicine at St Mary’s. He then completed his training in paediatric respiratory medicine at The London Hospital and the Royal Brompton Hospital. He is currently a clinical senior lecturer in paediatric allergy and respiratory medicine at the University of Southampton. His research interests focus on the epidemiology of paediatric allergic diseases and the development of improved clinical management strategies for these diseases. |
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Dr Susan Chan, MD
Clinical Research Fellow
Susan trained in Medicine at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and completed her specialist training in Paediatrics in London. She is currently undertaking laboratory research into the mechanism of peanut allergies in children. |
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Dr. Rosa Caballero, MD
Clinical Research Fellow
Dr. Caballero performed her specialist training in Allergy at the University Hospital of Navarra (Spain). She completed her PhD in Medicine with the dissertation title “Basophil Activation Test in allergy to pyrazolones and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs intolerance“. Subsequently, she spent one year in Georgetown University Medical Center (Washington DC, USA) and completed a Clinical and Research Fellowship in Allergy and Immunology. Over the past two years, she has been working in the Allergy Department at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. |
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Dr Adam Fox , MD
Consultant in Paediatric Allergy
Adam studied medicine at Cambridge University. He trained in paediatrics and paediatric allergy in London, working at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Royal Free Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital. His research interests include gastrointestinal food allergy and eczema. |
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Dr Suzana Radulovic, MD
Clinical Research Fellow
Originally from Montenegro, Dr Radulovic qualified in Medicine and completed her specialist training in Paediatrics at the University of Belgrade, Serbia. After completing her specialist training, she spent three years working as a paediatrician at the PICU, Institute for Children’s Diseases, University of Montenegro. Over the past two and a half years she has been working as a Sponsored Research Fellow within the Allergy & Clinical Immunology Department, Imperial College, London. Her main research interests are in allergic rhinitis and food allergies. |
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Study Nurses |
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Helen Fisher
Senior Research Nurse
Helen trained in nursing at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. She has worked in a variety of roles including school nursing and general paediatrics, before joining the allergy team as a research nurse in 2003. Her specialist interests include immunotherapy.
[currently on leave] |
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Aine Sheridan
Senior Research Nurse
Aine qualified as a children's nurse from Thames Valley University in September 1999. From October 1999, she worked at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington including roles in general paediatrics and the high dependency unit. Aine joined the St Mary’s Department of Paediatric Allergy in 2003 and moved over to the LEAP Study in 2007. Her specialist interests are food allergy and immunotherapy.
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Louise Coverdale
Research Nurse
Louise trained in Coventry and obtained her degree in Children’s Nursing in September 2004. Following University Louise worked on a busy Paediatric Unit prior to specialising in paediatric oncology, both within inpatient and outpatient settings. Louise has a real passion for research with special interests in asthma, eczema and associated health promotion. |
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Mable Abraham
Research Nurse
Mable graduated as a nurse from Mangalore University, India in 2000. Since then she has worked on paediatric wards & ICU. Prior to joining the Leap study she worked as a PICU nurse at King’s College Hospital for more than 5 years. |
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Dietitians |
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Mary Feeney
Research Dietitian
Mary qualified as a registered dietitian from Kings College London in 2005. She spent 3 years at the Central Middlesex Hospital in Brent, North West London, working with adults and later in paediatrics. Following this she worked as a paediatric dietitian at Mayday Hospital in Croydon. |
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Charlotte Stedman
Research Dietitian
After completing a MSc in Nutrition at King's College London, Charlotte qualified as a registered dietitian from London Metropolitan University in 2006. She spent a year at at Poole Hospital in Dorset where she gained experience in adult and paediatric dietetics. She then moved to the Isle of Wight were she first worked as an adult dietitian at St Mary's Hospital and then went on to work with children and adults at the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre. She joined the LEAP Study Team in September 2009. |
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Phlebotomist |
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Devi Patkunam
Phlebotomist
Devi is a highly skilled paediatric phlebotomist with over 12 years experience in taking blood from young children, including neonates. In her 14 years at St Mary’s Hospital, Devi was also involved in venupuncture in adults, PH Studies, Cystic Fibrosis (Sweat) tests, ECG’s and sleep studies.
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Laboratory/Immunology |
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Dr. Victor Turcanu, MD
LEAP Study Co-investigator (Immunology)
Dr Turcanu trained at the Medical University 'Gr. T Popa', Iasi, Romania. He is a Specialist Physician in Internal Medicine and also holds a PhD degree in Immunology and cell biology from the 'Louis Pasteur' University, Strasbourg, France. Dr. Turcanu's main scientific interest is therapeutic immunomodulation in allergy and autoimmune diseases. |
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Dr. Alick Stephens, MD
Laboratory Coordinator (Immunology)
Alick initially studied Biochemistry at Liverpool University. He obtained 18 years experience in the field of protein biochemistry and cell biology at Imperial College London, before moving to King’s College in 2006. Alick is involved in the immunological and laboratory aspects of the department's active research programme. |
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Asha Sudra
Laboratory Technician
Asha studied a BSc in Biomedical Science and MSc in Immunology at Kings College London. Asha is involved in the immunological and laboratory aspects of the study. |
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Deeviya Patel
Laboratory Technician
Deeviya completed her BSc in Biological Sciences at King’s College London in 2006. Prior to joining the LEAP team in mid-2008, she worked as a research technician at the Clinical Trials Unit in the Department of Asthma, Allergy and Respiratory Science, KCL. |
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Administration/Management |
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Monica Basting
Study Co-ordinator
Monica holds an MA in Languages from the University of Würzburg, Germany. She has worked for many years in the private sector, where she was a project and subsequently a production and quality manager. Monica changed direction in 2007 and joined a children’s leukaemia charity, where she was responsible for a portfolio of research management and HR tasks. |
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Gemma Adcock
Data Co-ordinator
Gemma graduated in 2004 from the University of Edinburgh after studying Immunology. Since then she has worked on various clinical trials running at King's College London and Imperial College in laboratory posts. Joining the LEAP team has allowed Gemma to expand her interest in how trials are managed. |
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Deborah Ballinger-Mills
Study Administrator
With degrees in music performance and education, Deborah’s first career was as a musician and school music teacher in Canada. She came to the UK in 1999 and most recently has been working at King’s College London as research team administrator in the Institute of Psychiatry and undergraduate teaching administrator for the Year 4 Reproductive & Sexual Health block in the School of Medicine. |
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LEAP Study Alumni |
Although these people are no longer working on the LEAP Study, they have all contributed in very important ways to the study in the past, and have our sincere thanks! |
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Lori Nirenstein
Former LEAP Study Co-ordinator
Lori hails from South Africa. She has a clinical background in Audiology and a Masters in Maternal and Child Health. After 5 years in community based rehabilitation, Lori worked as a senior researcher for the University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute and more recently as child health programme co-ordinator for the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (UK). |
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Ruth Towell
Former LEAP Study Senior Research Dietitian
Ruth qualified as a registered dietitian with a degree in nutrition from University of Surrey in 1993. Her specialist dietetic interests are adult critical care and paediatric allergy. In 2002 she completed an MSc in teaching and learning whilst leading on practice development within a critical care unit at St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey. Her next job as a paediatric dietitian at St Mary’s Hospital in London led her into this research post working in paediatric allergy and specifically peanut allergy. |
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Sarah Lacey
Former LEAP Study Research Dietitian
Sarah qualified as a registered dietitian from the University of Surrey in 2004. She worked for 3 years for Nottinghamshire County PCT of which 2 years were spent working as a paediatric dietitian.
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Tammy Amarra
Former LEAP Study Research Dietitian
Tammy qualified as a registered dietitian from the University of Wales, Cardiff in 2005. She has worked as an adult/paediatric cardiology dietitian at the Royal Brompton Hospital and a children’s centre dietitian at the Barts & The London NHS Trust. |
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Lyn Clough
Former LEAP Study Research Nurse
Lyn trained at Bristol Children's Hospital. She brings to the team a wealth of paediatric experience notably from an out patient setting and acute sector. Her previous post was as modern matron at QEH Greenwich. Her primary area of interest is asthma. |
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Fiona Henley
Former LEAP Study Research Nurse
Fiona qualified as a paediatric nurse from Anglia Polytechnic University in 2001. Since then she has worked on a burns unit as well as in general paediatrics. Before joining the Leap team, Fiona worked on a paediatric ambulatory care unit and was the link nurse for allergy within the paediatric setting. |
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Saadia Hussain
Former Research Nurse
Saadia graduated as a paediatric nurse from Thames Valley University, Slough, in 2003. She has spent the last four years working in a busy general paediatric ward at Wexham Park Hospital in Berkshire. |
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Erica Harris
Former Study Administrator
Erica Harris joins the study team from St Marys NHS Trust, where she advised researchers on Ethics and Research Governance issues from 2003. Prior to joining St Marys Hospital, she worked in both the private and public sectors leading to an active interest and involvement with homeless charities in London and abroad. Erica is responsible for the front line communication and day to day organisation of the families of the 480 children enrolled on the study. |
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