Meet Our Expert Team | Allergy Centre of Excellence

George Du Toit is a Professor of Paediatric Allergy at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital and King’s College London, which is part of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

He obtained his medical degree in 1993 from the University of the Witwatersrand and pursued a specialization in children’s medicine. He further specialised in children’s allergy and asthma at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, University of Cape Town. In 2000, he was appointed as a consultant paediatrician and allergist at Imperial College London, St Mary’s Hospital. In 2006, he joined the children’s allergy service at Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

George is actively involved in clinical trials that aim to prevent, treat, and diagnose food allergies. He has participated in several landmark studies, including the LEAP and EAT-On Studies, that aim to prevent food allergy. He has also conducted numerous oral immunotherapy trials, which led to the first licensed product for treating peanut allergy. In addition, he is exploring novel treatment strategies, such as the daily application of a peanut skin patch. He has participated in studies that use new biological agents to moderate food allergy.

George’s clinical and research activities have earned him international recognition. He has received several awards, including the BSACI Dr. William Frankland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Allergy (2018), EAACI Daniel Bovet Award for Allergy Treatment and Prevention (2020), AAAAI Hugh A. Sampson Lectureship in Food Allergy (2022), and Winner of the EAACI Clinical Fellow Award (2024). He was a winner of Top Doctors award (2023).

George’s private practice is London Allergy Consultants and he posts regularly about allergy related issues on Instagram @London_allergy_consultants and X (formerly Twitter) @GoAllergy.

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Adam read Medicine at Cambridge University and is Professor of Paediatric Allergy at King’s College London and Consultant Paediatric Allergist at Evelina London Children’s Hospital. At Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, he served nine years as Clinical Lead for Allergy, three as Clinical Director for Specialist Ambulatory Services, and five as Deputy Medical Director (Commercial). He was founding Director of the KCL Allergy Academy, a postgraduate programme and BMJ Awards finalist in 2018.

From 2018 to 2021, Adam was President of the British Society of Allergy & Clinical Immunology — the first paediatrician elected to the role. Since 2022 he has chaired the National Allergy Strategy Group, jointly chairs the Department of Health & Social Care’s Expert Advisory Group for Allergy, and leads the 2025–35 National Allergy Strategy.
With Profs Gideon Lack and George Du Toit, he established The Allergy Centre of Excellence at Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2021, before opening their own premises in London’s prestigious Harley Street Medical District in 2025, offering cutting-edge allergy diagnostics and treatments.

Adam was named Allergy UK’s ‘Paediatric Allergist of the Year’ (2007), received Cambridge University’s Raymond Horton Smith Prize for his doctoral thesis on peanut allergy (2012), and featured in The Times’ ‘Britain’s 100 Best Children’s Doctors’. He received the William Frankland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Allergy (2015), Department of Health National Clinical Excellence Awards (2016, 2020), and in 2024 became only the second recipient of the BSACI Fellows Award for outstanding contribution to clinical allergy. In 2025, he was awarded an OBE for services to Paediatric Allergy in the King’s Birthday Honours and included in the Tatler Doctors List (2013 & 2026) of the UK’s best private medical consultants.

Adam’s Instagram @dradamfox is the most followed UK allergy account and an excellent resource for allergy related information.

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Professor Gideon Lack is a world-leading paediatric allergist and the founder of London’s LACK Allergy Clinic. His groundbreaking research has transformed how food allergies are prevented and treated worldwide. As Principal Investigator of the landmark LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut allergy) and EAT (Enquiring About Tolerance) studies, he overturned decades of medical advice and helped prevent thousands of cases of food allergy in children across the globe.

Professor Lack studied medicine at Lincoln College, Oxford, before training as a paediatrician in New York and specialising in Paediatric Allergy and Immunology in Denver, Colorado. In 1995, he returned to London as a Consultant at St Mary’s Hospital, where he led the Department of Paediatric Allergy and Immunology for 12 years. He became Professor of Paediatric Allergy and Immunology at Imperial College London in 2005, and joined King’s College London the following year, where he continues to teach and conduct research.

Today, Professor Lack heads the Children’s Allergy Service at Evelina London Children’s Hospital and leads the LACK Clinic in central London, providing specialist care for both children and adults.

His contributions have been recognised with numerous awards, including the William Frankland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Allergy from the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He serves as a Consultant to the Sean Parker Allergy Centre at Stanford University, sits on the Editorial Boards of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Clinical and Experimental Allergy, and is Secretary to the Food Allergy Section of the World Allergy Organisation.

Professor Lack’s expertise spans the full spectrum of allergic disease, from severe childhood asthma and anaphylaxis to food allergies, eczema, hay fever and immunotherapy. His ongoing research continues to pioneer new ways to prevent and treat allergic conditions, building on the paradigm-shifting insights of the LEAP and EAT studies.

Gideon’s private practice is LACK Allergy Clinic, he also posts about all things allergy related on Instagram @DrGideonLack

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Dr Susan Chan joined the team early 2023 as Medical Director. Dr Chan is a Consultant Paediatric Allergist who is Deputy Head of Service at the Evelina Children’s Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at King’s College London.

She treats a variety of allergic diseases, including allergies to food, drugs and inhaled environmental allergens, as well as eczema, asthma, hayfever and urticaria. In her NHS service she leads the Chronic Urticaria and the Biologicals (anti-IgE or omalizumab/Xolair) Service, and co-leads the Joint Allergy Dermatology Service and the Joint Allergy Respiratory Service.

Her research interests include food allergy prevention and treatment. She was the Principal Investigator on the ADAPT Children’s Eczema Study and Investigator on the peanut allergy studies being carried out at the Evelina Children’s Hospital.

Chloe joined The Allergy Centre of Excellence in early 2023 and has experience working as a CQC Registered Manager & Consultant. She obtained a Bachelor of Science Hons degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from The University of East London in 2014 and recently graduated from University of Sunderland with an MBA with specialism in healthcare. She has over a decade experience, managing practices of various specialities.

James qualified at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London as a Paediatric Nurse and, after working in general paediatrics/haematology, joined the allergy team at St Mary’s Hospital, London then for many years was the lead allergy nurse at the Royal Free Hospital & Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, both in London.

Most recently has been Children’s and Young Persons Allergy Nurse Consultant at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and Associate Clinical Lecturer in Newcastle University where he is Lead of the Allergy E-module programme.

He previously completed his MSc in Allergy from the University of Southampton and focused on the use of component resolved diagnostics in peanut allergy. He is a non-medical prescriber and Honorary Nurse Consultant at Great Ormond St Hospital.

His main research interests are in food allergy, allergic rhinitis and MHealth.

He is involved with many food allergy support groups and regularly on various allergy social media groups (Twitter @allergynurseuk)

A registered children’s nurse since 1990. Karen currently works as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and nurse prescriber in Paediatric Dermatology at West Hertfordshire NHS Trust. Karen has helped to establish the Nurse led eczema clinics for children and over the last 12 years, has developed the service within West Hertfordshire Chair of the Paediatric subgroup of the British Dermatological Nursing Group for the UK. Areas of special interest include children’s eczema and teenage acne.

Katherine qualified as a children’s nurse at the Nightingale Institute in 1998. She worked at St Thomas’ hospital initially before moving on to a ward sister post then community children’s nursing. It was in this role that she led on the development of an at home acute asthma service and developed an interest in asthma and allergy.

She joined the Evelina allergy service in 2013 and currently works as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. She has experience in nurse led allergy services, food and drug allergy, pollen and venom immunotherapy. Katherine has recently completed an allergy masters at Southampton University.

Katherine is a member of the BSACI and regularly teaches on allergy focused courses as well as being a co-director on the allergy academy ‘allergy in practice’ course. She has twice been nominated and shortlisted for the Guys and St Thomas’ hospital specialist nurse of the year.

Gemma qualified from Northumbria University as a paediatric nurse in 2005. She has worked in general paediatrics for several years before joining the children’s allergy team at Kings College Hospital in 2010.She joined the children’s allergy team at St Thomas’s Hospital as a clinical nurse specialist in 2014. She conducted nurse led clinics covering food and drug allergy, allergic rhinitis and sublingual/subcutaneous pollen and venom immunotherapy. She completed an allergy MSc from Imperial College in 2018. She was co-course director for the allergy academy’s allergy in practice course in 2023.

Helen trained as a Children’s nurse at Great Ormond Street, qualifying in 1990.

After 5 years working on Hedgehog Ward, Helen moved to the community and trained as health visitor. She spent the next 23 years working across Kent and South East London before moving back to nursing, spending 18 months as a palliative care nurse at Demelza Children’s Hospice in Eltham.

In April 2019 Helen joined the Children’s Food Allergy Research Team at St. Thomas’ Hospital, where she became Lead Nurse on The Bat 2 Study, and has worked extensively on both the oral peanut immunotherapy and peanut skin patch immunotherapy clinical trials, alongside working with the team on the conclusion of the LEAP and EAT studies.

After retiring from the NHS in August 2023, Helen is excited to be able to continue working within food allergy at The FAIC.

Victoria qualified as a Paediatric Nurse in 2003 after completing her nurse training at The University of Leeds. Following this Victoria worked at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children on a busy general surgical unit and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. Before specialising in Paediatric Allergy, Victoria gained experience of working as a School Health Advisor, Nurse Counsellor and Sales Account Manager.

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. Victoria joined the Children’s Allergy and Dermatology Service at The Evelina London Children’s Hospital in 2012 as a Deputy Clinical Nurse Specialist 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 Clinical Nurse Specialist, 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 The Evelina London Children’s Hospital 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 The Evelina London Children’s Hospital as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Paediatric Allergy before moving full time to support, as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, leading private allergy clinics in London seeing patients from around the world. Victoria has worked within Professor Adam Fox’s private practice Allergy London since 2013 and was the Lead Nurse for The Food Allergy Immunotherapy Centre assisting in opening the PALFORZIA peanut desensitisation service at Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2021.

Victoria has been nominated for The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses and an Allergy UK Hero Award in the Health Care Professional Category.

Hannah began her career by being awarded a BSc in psychology from Newcastle University, following this she completed a postgraduate diploma in children’s nursing from King’s College London in 2013. She worked in general paediatrics in the NHS and quickly discovered her interest in the field of allergy and began her first nurse specialist post in 2015. She achieved her MSc in 2018 from King’s College London, focussing on mental health and allergy. She then spent a year in the allergy research team at St Mary’s Hospital.

Hannah then moved to Guy’s and St Thomas’ allergy team in 2019 where she qualified as a non-medical prescriber. During her 5 years in post, she enjoyed running nurse-led food and drug allergy clinics, leading the sublingual dust/pollen immunotherapy service, along with working on the day unit delivering food and drug challenges.

Hannah was the paediatric representative on the BSACI nursing committee for 2 years, before stepping up to serve a 2 year term as chair in 2021. She has previously served as an honorary lecturer at London South Bank University and spoken at national conferences and teaching days.

Paris is a Registered Nurse with three years of experience in paediatric acute care at a tertiary children’s hospital in Australia. Her background includes working in a paediatric respiratory and medical ward, as well as adolescent orthopaedics, trauma, and surgical care. She has now relocated to the UK, where she works as a Registered Nurse specialising in paediatric allergy.

Fatmed Kamara qualified as a Children’s Nurse at King’s College London University in 2022 and went on to spend three years working at King’s College Hospital. She cared for children with a wide range of conditions, including oncological, haematological, and respiratory disorders. During her nursing training, she was inspired by the work of allergy nurses and developed a strong interest in this field. She is now excited to build her skills further and support children and families living with allergies.

Nina trained as a Paediatric Nurse in Bristol and began her career as a renal nurse at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, supporting children with a range of long-term conditions. Having recently relocated to London, she is now expanding her skills in paediatric allergy, continuing her passion for providing specialist nursing care to children and their families.

Dr David Mass is a GP with a specialist interest in allergy and has been working with Dr Fox treating patients at the allergy clinic since 2010. Dr Mass also works in a busy London NHS practice and is a GP trainer, appraiser and runs his own private practice.

Dr Mass completed the Postgraduate Diploma of Allergy at Southampton University in 2010 and has developed specific interests in Sublingual Immunotherapy, ENT and Dermatology during this. He applies these clinical skills with a wide variety of allergy patients in his day-to-day practice.

He is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Dr Mass has publications related to the ACT campaign – an awareness campaign for cow’s milk protein allergy.

Dr Ru-Xin Foong is a Consultant in Paediatric Allergy at Evelina Children’s Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

She holds an MBBS and BSc (Hons) in Psychology from King’s College London, and a PhD focused on the resolution of food allergy.

Dr Foong’s clinical and research interests span food allergy prevention, treatment and diagnostics. She is also an expert in SLIT for the treatment of aeroallergies.

Known for her warm, evidence-based approach, she is a long-standing and trusted member of the London Allergy Consultants team.

Dr Colin Bernstein is a consultant Paediatrician who trained in Cape Town, South Africa. He subsequently completed his paediatric postgraduate training in London sub-specialising in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, with a Fellowship year abroad at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Australia.

After moving to Manchester, he co-founded the PANDA Unit at Salford Royal Hospital. In addition to his NHS work, he runs a busy private practice in Manchester.

Colin has a special interest in Paediatric allergy. He is a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, The Association of Paediatric Emergency Medicine and British society of Allergy and Clinical immunology.

Married with 2 daughters who are at university, in his spare time he can be found in the garden, in the gym or walking his very cute dog, Wasabi.

Dr Karen Murphy is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist specialising in supporting those living with allergies. She has over 15 years experience within the NHS working across the lifespan with various physical and mental health needs.

Karen obtained an undergraduate psychology degree from Loughborough University in 2010, before going on to complete a MSc in mental health studies at King’s College London. When qualifying as a Clinical Psychologist she worked at the Evelina Children’s Hospital allergy service before setting up her own private practice in 2019. The service provides a range of support, as well as the recently launched Serene- The Allergy Podcast. This is a space to bring professionals together to discuss the psychological impact of living with allergies and the power of working together to provide the highest level of care.

Karen is passionate about supporting those living with allergies to thrive. From navigating hospital appointments, to eating out and travelling, she believes with support these are possible for everyone.

Website- drkarenmurphy.co.uk
Instagram handle- @drkarenmurphy
Podcast link available from Spotify or Apple.

I am a Paediatric Intensivist and have worked as a consultant at King’s College Hospital in London since 2024.

I completed my medical and paediatric training in Italy before relocating to the United Kingdom with my wife in 2015, intending to gain experience in Paediatric Intensive Care (PICU) before returning home but then we decided to remain, having both fallen in love with the country, the professional culture, its passion on teamwork and its commitment to continuous improvement and collaborative research.

I have had the privilege of training and working at internationally renowned institutions, including Burlo Garofolo Hospital in Trieste (Italy), Imperial College Healthcare Trust, the Royal Brompton Hospital, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, and Great Ormond Street hospital, before joining King’s College.

My clinical work spans all aspects of paediatric intensive care. I am the lead for Neurocritical Care at King’s College Hospital PICU, where I lead quality improvement work through multi-disciplinary collaboration.

Outside work, I am a passionate photographer, and I like riding my bike.

Is a senior paediatric cardio-respiratory intensive care consultant and Director of paediatric ECMO Program at Royal Brompton Hospital, Evelina London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.

GMC: 6047549

Key Appointments

Deputy Head of Service, Cross-site PICU (RBH/Evelina): 2025–Present.

Director, Paediatric ECMO Service: 2008–2026.

Training Programme Director, London School of Paediatrics: 2018–2025.

Academic & National Leadership

Co-Chair: PCCS Science & Education Committee: Overseeing national scientific strategy.

Research: Authored >30 peer-reviewed publications (10 hi-index) with >310 citations.

Education: RCPCH College Assessor and international faculty for EuroELSO, ESPNIC and Prague ECPR Conferences.

Qualifications:

EMLM: Executive Master’s in Leadership (2023)

FFICM: UK (2018)

FRCPCH: UK (2009)

MRCPCH: UK (2002)

MBBS: Karnatak University (1996)

Akash Deep is the Director of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit(PICU) at King’s College Hospital, London, and Professor of Paediatric Critical Care at King’s College London. He is the Sepsis and Deteriorating Patient Lead for King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He joined King’s College Hospital in 2008.

Prof Deep is the current Medical President-Elect for the European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Society (ESPNIC). He chairs the Liver Failure Working Group for ESPNIC. He is the Chair for the Liver Failure Working group for PALISI (Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators) network from the United States. He has been the Founding Chair for the Critical Care Nephrology Section of ESPNIC.

Prof Deep is the Chair for the Science and Education Committee of Paediatric Critical Care Society (PCCS) of UK. He is the Senior Trustee to the UK Sepsis Trust and is the author of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines for septic shock in children. Prof Deep is the Chief author of the Sepsis Toolkit for management of sepsis in children, released by the UK Sepsis Trust at the House of Commons.

Prof is the Chief Editor for the official ESPNIC textbook published by Springer on ‘’Critical Care Nephrology and Renal Replacement Therapy in Children’’. He is an invited national and international speaker in major Paediatric and Paediatric Intensive Care conferences.

Special interests include various aspects of management of acute liver failure, especially extracorporeal support in acute liver failure in children, acute kidney injury in neonates and children, Continuous renal replacement therapy, sepsis education/awareness and haemodynamics in septic shock.

With 20+ years’ experience, Marie has an extensive knowledge of the private medical industry, working in top private hospitals in London. Marie now provides bespoke paediatric private medical practice management to a number of very well respected and busy General/Specialist Consultant Paediatricians, building practices, promoting growth and excellent relationships at all levels and ensuring at all times the patient experience is of the highest standard. Of course this is all made possible with the support of an excellent team.

For the past 5 years Marie has supported one of the highly respected Allergy Professors’ private practice, involved in the new food allergy immunotherapy service. Marie says “As we move into this new era of peanut desensitisation, I am excited and privileged to be involved in providing the necessary practice management to facilitate the programme and the highly anticipated future expansion to cover other foods.”

Complementing a strong work ethic and vast experience, Marie is a mother of two, albeit now adults, and therefore has huge empathy for patients’ parents.

Alisha has been working with children for the past four years. During that time, she also studied Health and Social Care, which deepened her understanding of how to best support children’s well-being and how they process different experiences in life. Recently, she has developed an interest in learning more about allergies and the various aspects involved in managing them. She is excited to continue growing in this field and feels fortunate to be part of a team that is as passionate about learning and making a difference as she is. Every day brings something new, and she values the opportunity to contribute to the team while expanding her knowledge.

Hiba has a diverse background that blends healthcare and law, which she believes helps her offer unique insights in her role at the Allergy Centre of Excellence. Before becoming a Patient Administrator, she spent three years as a Healthcare Assistant in the Children’s Intensive Care Unit at the Portland Hospital. This experience deepened her passion for patient care and solidified her commitment to working in healthcare. Prior to that, she studied law at Swansea University and Louisiana State University. She is proud to be part of such an integral and dedicated team, working together to provide the best care for patients.

Luisa has a background in Neonatal Care and women’s health, including experience in neonatal intensive care and operating theatre settings in Melbourne, Australia. After relocating to London, she now specialises in paediatric allergy care at the Allergy Centre of Excellence in London.

Meet the Team

Professor Du Toit

Founding Director and Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Professor Fox OBE

Founding Director and Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Professor Gideon Lack

Founding Director and Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Dr Susan Chan

Medical Director

Chloe Eburn, BSc MBA

Managing Director

James Gardner

Nursing Director

Karen Pett

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Katherine Knight

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Gemma Schnitzer

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Helen Willis

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Victoria Timms

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Hannah Kramer

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Paris Bagnall

Junior Allergy Clinical Nurse Specialist

Fatmed Kamara

Junior Allergy Clinical Nurse Specialist

Nina Cottingham

Paediatric Allergy Nurse

Dr David Mass, GP

Specialist interest in Allergy

Dr Ru-Xin Foong

Consultant Paediatric Allergist

Dr Colin Bernstein

Consultant Paediatrician with specialist interest in allergy

Dr Karen Murphy

Lead Psychologist

Dr Federico Minen

Consultant Paediatric Intensive Care Specialist

Dr Ajay Desai

Deputy Head of Service, Cross-site PICU

Professor Akash Deep

Consultant Paediatric Intensive Care Specialist

Marie Kenzou

Centre & Operations Manager

Alisha Rathod

Practice Administrator

Hiba Benlahmar

Practice Administrator

Luisa Salvado

Junior Paediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist

Professor Du Toit

Founding Director and Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Professor Fox OBE

Founding Director and Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Professor Gideon Lack

Founding Director and Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Dr Susan Chan

Medical Director

Chloe Eburn, BSc MBA

Managing Director

James Gardner

Nursing Director

Karen Pett

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Katherine Knight

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Gemma Schnitzer

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Helen Willis

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Victoria Timms

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Hannah Kramer

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Paris Bagnall

Junior Allergy Clinical Nurse Specialist

Fatmed Kamara

Founding Director and
Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Founding Director and
Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Founding Director and
Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Founding Director and
Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Founding Director and
Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Founding Director and
Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Founding Director and
Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Founding Director and
Professor of Paediatric Allergy

Founding Director and
Professor of Paediatric Allergy