Immunodeficiency UK is fortunate to have the support of a panel of respected medical experts with extensive experience in the diagnosis, treatment and care of primary and secondary immunodeficiency.
The Immunodeficiency UK medical experts review the content of our patient information to make sure it is of high quality, clinically and scientifically. The panel provides updates to the charity on advances in immunodeficiency and scrutinise new projects and ensure that Immunodeficiency UK is engaged in activities that are medically sound and based on up-to-date science.
The Medical Advisory Panel are not able to review individual cases or provide medical opinion because they do not have access to the patient’s full health record and the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council specifically prohibits, doctors and nurses, respectively from providing care when they cannot assume full responsibility. The same is true for our Clinical Psychologist.
Dr Peter Arkwright, Consultant Paediatric Immunologist, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
Peter is a senior lecturer in paediatric immunology at the University of Manchester and an honorary consultant at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital in the United Kingdom. He trained at the universities of Western Australia and Oxford as well as Birmingham, Southampton, London, Newcastle and Manchester NHS hospitals. Peter has developed and helps to run the tertiary paediatric immunology and allergy service for the north-west of England. His research interests include the etiology and management of primary immunodeficiency diseases, on which he has published widely. Other clinical and research interests include paediatric vaccinology, anaphylaxis and atopic dermatitis.
Dr Tasneem Rahman
Tasneem Rahman is a Consultant Immunologist at Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust in South London and Surrey. She has been in post for over a year now, having completed her specialist Immunology training in the Pan-London programme. She completed her medical undergraduate training at Imperial College London, with an additional BSc specialising in Infection and Immunity. She took some time out from medical training to complete a year in Medical Education at Hammersmith Hospital, helping to develop the medical education curriculum and improving teaching and examinations for undergraduate medical students at Imperial College, London. She has an interest in Education and Mentoring, and is working towards developing this in her current Consultant post. This includes playing an active role in junior doctor training, teaching at St George’s University of London Medical School and has taken up a new role as Clinical Tutor for Pathology within her local Trust. She is currently working towards achieving QPIDs accreditation status for her local service.
Dr Aarn Huissoon, Consultant immunologist at University Hospitals Birmingham.
Aarn is a Consultant Immunologist at University Hospitals Birmingham. He trained in Trinity College, Dublin, and moved to the UK to undertake his PhD at the University of Birmingham. After clinical training in Immunology in Nottingham, he came back to Birmingham to join the Immunology department at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital. For the last 20 years Wednesday (Immunodeficiency Clinic) has been his favourite day of the week. In addition to building the Immunology service in Birmingham, he is an active trainer and examiner in Immunology, and he has been an assessor for the UKPIN and QPIDS Immunology service accreditation schemes. The department also collaborates widely in immunodeficiency research, helping our patients contribute to new understanding of immune disorders and the development of treatments for these conditions.
Dr Lisa Devlin, Consultant Immunologist at the Regional Immunology Service, Belfast
Lisa graduated from Queens University Belfast (QUB), and completed her general professional training in Northern Ireland and Perth, Western Australia. After completing specialist training at the Regional Immunology Service, located in Belfast, she was appointed as a Consultant Immunologist in the service in 2011. She is clinical lead for the clinical and the laboratory service and has been integral in progressing the home therapy program, developing nurse led specialist clinics, and achieving and maintaining QPIDS accreditation status of the service. Lisa has worked as a UKAS assessor for immunology laboratories, is a member of the UKPIN committee, and the QPIDS/IQAS steering groups. She is involved in the preparation and delivery of the immunology curriculum to QUB undergraduates, and the RCPath professional examinations for specialist trainees in immunology.
Emily Carne, Consultant Nurse, Immunodeficiency Centre for Wales
Emily Carne is the Consultant Nurse in Immunology & Allergy for Wales, having previously worked as the Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Lead CNS in the service. She has prior experience working in infectious disease, specialist wound healing, gastroenterology and intensive care, before discovering immunology. After joining the clinical immunology team in Cardiff in 2001, she completed an MSc in health sciences (immunology focus) in 2006 and obtained an advanced nurse practitioner qualification a year later. Emily publishes widely on different aspects of primary immunodeficiency, including quality of life, home therapy and auditing of services for those affected. She has previously held positions on the boards of INGID, BSI-CIAS, UKPIN, BSACI and chair of the Immunology and Allergy Nurses Group
Dr Mari Campbell, Clinical Psychologist, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust & Honorary Associate Professor, University College London
Mari has been involved in the study and practice of psychology for over twenty years. She completed her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at University College London, working with a variety of different patient groups, with different physical health and mental health difficulties, across the lifespan. She joined the Department of Clinical Immunology at the Royal Free London in 2011, establishing and developing psychology services for patients with immunodeficiencies. Mari is a specialist in mental health problems and clinical health psychology (distress related to physical health problems), and works with adults, and their families, within cognitive-behavioural and systemic frameworks. She also enjoys conducting psychological research and values the role it plays in enhancing an individual’s clinical experience and quality of life. She is the author of a number of research papers and book chapters, and has been invited to present at national and international conferences.
Dr Helen Chapel, Professor of Clinical Immunology, University of Oxford
Helen is professor of clinical immunology at the University of Oxford. She has been clinical immunology consultant at the Oxford Radcliffe hospitals since 1978 and has a particular interest in primary immune deficiencies (PIDs). She has published on the several types of common variable immunodeficiency disorders, as well as on patient outcomes of immunoglobulin therapies for replacement and immunomodulation. She started the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) summer school in 1999 and continues to serve on the faculty, as well as to teach at other PID schools elsewhere. She is a member of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) PID committee and medical vice-president of the International Patient Organisation for Primary Immunodeficiencies (IPOPI).
Lucy Common, Immunology and Allergy Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist, Salford Royal Hospital.
Lucy Common is an Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist in Immunology at Salford Royal Hospital, where she has been in post since 2010. She studied at Kings College London (BSc (Hons) Nursing Studies) followed by further studies at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Diploma in Tropical Nursing) Southampton University (MSc Allergy) and Salford University (Non Medical Prescribing). Lucy has wide and varied nursing experience in Oncology, Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and more recently Immunology and Allergy. Lucy leads a small, dedicated and dynamic nurse specialist team at Salford where we put quality and patient experience at the centre of our work. She was fundamental along with the Clinical Lead in driving the service to achieve QPIDS accreditation (Quality in Primary Immunodeficiency Services – Royal College of Physicians) from 2019 onwards.
Dr Tomaz Garcez, Consultant Immunologist, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Tomaz Garcez graduated from Aberdeen University in 1997 and completed postgraduate general professional training in Cardiff (adult medicine) and higher specialist training in Bristol (immunology and general internal medicine). He was appointed to Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT) as consultant immunologist in July 2011. Tomaz leads the clinical and laboratory immunology service in CMFT and is chair of the North West Adult Immunology Network Group. Tomaz has recently been elected to the UK Primary Immunodeficiency Network Steering Group and holds a senate seat on the immunology and allergy Clinical Reference Group (NHS England).
Dr Tariq El-Shanawany, Consultant Clinical Immunologist, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Tariq graduated from Cambridge University and Guy’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine and then undertook general medicine training in London, Worthing and Oxford. After specialising in immunology at the University Hospital of Wales, he was appointed, in 2010, as consultant clinical immunologist at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, which provides immunology clinics for patients across south Wales. His research interests include the use of microarray technology to improve the diagnosis of immunodeficiencies. Tariq represents immunology both at a local and national level by chairing the Immunology Specialist Advisory Group, reporting to the Welsh Assembly; being the lead writer of the clinical immunology curriculum for medical students across Wales and organising national training days for doctors specialising in immunology across the UK.
