Meet the BPAIIG committee

Meet your BPAIIG committee:

  • Chair/Convenor - Dr Jonathan Cohen, Head of Service and Consultant, Paediatric Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Evelina London Children’s Hospital
    Jonathan is Chair/Convenor of BPAIIG. He works as a consultant in Paediatric Immunology & Infectious Diseases at Evelina London where he has clinical and research interests in respiratory infection, tuberculosis, tropical and parasitic infection and antimicrobial stewardship.  Previously, he established and co-chaired the British Association for Paediatric Tuberculosis. 
     
  • Secretary - Professor Marieke Emonts, Consultant Paediatric Infectious Diseases & Immunology, The Great North's Children's Hospital & Honorary Professor Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Newcastle University
     
  • Treasuer - Dr Stefania Vergnano, Consultant Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children 
    Stefania is a paediatric infectious diseases and immunology consultant working in Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, She trained in Italy and she is interested in International Health. She worked in East Timor and in Malawi. Her special interests are antimicrobial stewardship and neonatal infections. She has been the BPAIIG treasurer for the last 2 years. 
     
  • Educational Lead -Dr Alison Kent, Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Evelina London Children’s Hospital
    Alison is a consultant in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology and Evelina Children’s Hospital London, where she leads for OPAT and Kawasaki Disease.  As well as BPAIIG education lead she is also on the CSAC committee as IMM-ID training advisor.
     
  • Immunology / Infectious Diseases Lead - Dr Paul Torpiano, Great Ormond Street Hospital
    ‘Paul graduated as a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Malta in 2012. He underwent paediatric training in the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Health at Mater Dei Hospital in Malta, subsequently subspecialising in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology. He graduated with distinction in both the Postgraduate Diploma (2018) and Master of Science (2019) in paediatric infectious diseases at Oxford University. He has worked with the European Academy of Paediatrics, International Paediatric Association, and is currently national representative for immunology with the British Paediatric Allergy, Infection and Immunology Group. During his clinical training he worked as Senior Trust Fellow in Paediatric Immunology at Great Ormond Street Hospital and as Clinical Fellow in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at St George’s University Hospital, and is now working as a consultant in Paediatric Immunology at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, UK. His main areas of interest are inborn errors of immunity and infection in the immunocompromised host.’
     
  • Allergy Lead & Research Rep - Dr Nandinee Patel, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
     
  • Allergy Rep - Dr Rosalind Capelin-Jones, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
     
  • Immunology Rep - Dr Ben Shillitoe, Consultant in Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
    Ben has been a Consultant in Sheffield since 2022 following his training in Newcastle. Alongside his clinical work, he leads the UKPID registry and chairs the Medical Advisory Panel for Immunodeficiency UK; he is excited to bring that experience to the BPAIIG to help support and represent our paediatric immunology workforce.
     
  • Immunology/ID Trainee Represntative - Dr Eiman Hamid, Paeds ID/Immunology GRID, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
    Eiman is an ST7 PIID Grid trainee in Oxford, with clinical experience across Sudan, the Middle East, and the UK. Her research interests focus on the diagnostic accuracy of biomarkers in paediatric febrile neutropenia. She is passionate about free medical education and addressing gaps in educational attainment. She has previously served as Academic Office Lead for BSAPCH, supporting IMGs and ethnic minority paediatricians, and as a Young ESPID representative for Sudan. As the BPAIIG trainee representative, she is keen to advocate for trainees and help shape educational opportunities within the group. She tries to live by the motto: “Kindness and tolerance are above all difference".
     
  • Allergy Trainee Represntative - Dr Tal Oryan, St Mary’s Hospital