Join us to celebrate a special milestone for our new professors and hear about their inspiring career journeys. Doors for this event will open at 16.45, with the lectures to commence at 17.00. A drinks reception will be held immediately after the lecture at 18:00.

Professor Atul Gupta

Breath by Breath: Reflections on Young Lung Health 

Abstract

Professor Atul Gupta will reflect on his journey to becoming a Professor of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, highlighting how his clinical and academic paths have been closely intertwined. He will share his research and enduring passion for improving care for children with complex and life-limiting respiratory conditions.

This lecture charts an unplanned journey shaped by moments of serendipity and made possible through the support and collaboration of many. Professor Gupta extends his heartfelt gratitude to the mentors, teachers, and supervisors who have guided him and to his colleagues, friends, and family for their invaluable and ongoing support.

Biography

Professor Atul Gupta is a Professor of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine at King’s College London. Professor Atul Gupta is a Consultant Respiratory Paediatrician at King’s College Hospital, where he leads the Children’s Respiratory Service and serves as the Research and Innovation Lead for Child Health. He is the Clinical Lead for the South-East London Asthma Network and serves on the Respiratory Clinical Specialty Advisory Committee at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. He is also the Audit and Quality Lead for the British Paediatric Respiratory Society and Director of the Paediatric Respiratory Academy.

His research focuses on children with complex and life-limiting respiratory conditions. He has led clinical studies investigating novel treatments and prevention strategies for severe asthma and respiratory infections and collaborates on basic science research exploring the mechanisms of steroid-resistant asthma and the role of vitamin D in prevention. In recognition of his work, he has received several distinguished awards, including the Lorber Prize (RCPCH), the James Fellowship (BMA), the VASR Memorial Gold Medal, the S.S. Manchanda Research Gold Medal, and the Dr. Somu Oration Award.

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Professor Ingrid Wolfe

Southside Chicago to South London: bell curves and child health

Abstract

Child health in the UK is not as good as it could be - or should be. Child survival is lower than comparable European countries, with stark inequalities in survival in the first year of life. Why is the UK doing so badly for children? And what can we do about it? Improving health and wellbeing for children through applied research in child public health involves co-designing complex interventions including healthcare pathways and health system strengthening, then implementing and testing them in randomised control trials and other study designs.

This work informs the development of new models of care, integrated neighbourhood health, and enhanced access to prevention and early intervention care to reduce health inequities. Health policy, informed by robust evidence, has the potential to improve child health at scale.

Biography

Ingrid Wolfe is Professor of Paediatrics and Child Population Health at King’s College London, Consultant at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, and Deputy Chief Medical Officer (Population Medicine) at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Ingrid leads the CHILDS group working to advance and apply knowledge for improving child health. She is Director of NIHR Applied Research Collaborative (ARC) South London, Director of King’s Health Partners Women’s and Children’s Health, and co-Chair of the British Association for Child and Adolescent Public Health.

 Ingrid is qualified clinically in paediatrics and public health, and as an academic leads several research programmes in applied and experimental health systems research. She publishes and speaks widely in academic, clinical, and policy settings. She was awarded an OBE for services to children’s health in 2016.