Elizabeth Whittaker

Elizabeth Whittaker is a Professor of Practice in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology at Imperial College London's Faculty of Medicine, with clinical roles as a Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at St Mary's Hospital. She leads research and clinical initiatives in high-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs), paediatric TB, and post-COVID-19 conditions. Key roles include National Clinical Lead for HCIDs in children (NHSE), Director of Research at West London Children's Healthcare (WLCH), and co-lead for HCID at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

• Affiliations: Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health (PaeCH), Vaccine Research Network, British Paediatric Allergy Infection and Immunity Group (BPAIIG), and PTBNET.
• Educations: MB BAO BCH (Trinity College Dublin, 2002), PhD in Immune responses to mycobacteria (Imperial College London, 2013), DTM&H (Gorgas Course, 2009).

Her research focuses on infant immune development, TB susceptibility, and vaccine hesitancy, with emphasis on global collaboration. She leads projects like the Teen TB cohort study and contributes to WHO guidelines on paediatric TB. Her work addresses viral co-infections, genetic predisposition to severe infections, and long-term outcomes of emerging diseases like monkeypox and MIS-C.

Publications highlight her expertise in post-COVID-19 syndrome, HCID management, and vaccination policy. Awards include the Bruno Orsi Medal for research excellence. She chairs national committees on TB, HCIDs, and vaccine hesitancy, advocating for integrated clinical-research pathways in child health.

• Grants & Funding: Wellcome Trust (PhD), multiple NHS research grants, and international collaborations through the IMPRINT and INVAR networks.
• Labs/Teams: Leads the Imperial College Paediatric Infectious Diseases Research Group and collaborates with SATVI (South Africa) on TB research.