Clinical expertise

Professor Helen Brough is certified by the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) as a European paediatric allergist, a title that only 15 other doctors hold in the UK.

Her wealth of research and achievements – particularly around paediatric peanut allergy – means she is an expert in managing allergies in children.

She uses her expertise to treat patients with a range of allergy and immunotherapy conditions such as:

•  food allergy (peanut, cow’s milk, wheat and gluten, egg, fish and shellfish, soy, tree nuts, sesame)
•  asthma and wheeze
• allergic rhinitis (hayfever)
• atopic eczema
• sinusitis
• insect sting and dust mite allergy
• latex allergy
• allergic conjunctivitis
• vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC)
• eosinophilic esophagitis
• eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease

She specialises in allergy testing and treatments including:

• food allergy management and prevention
• asthma management
• eczema management
• hayfever desensitisation
• skin prick allergy test
• immunotherapy treatment

Biography

Previously head of children’s allergy services at Evelina London Children’s Hospital between 2015 and 2023, Professor Helen Brough is a consultant in paediatric allergy and clinical immunology.

Having trained in some of the UK’s leading teaching hospitals including Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals, King’s College London, and Great Ormond Street – Professor Brough hold dual accreditation and is on the specialist register for both general paediatrics and paediatric allergy.

As a parent herself, Helen knows how distressing and concerned a parent can be when dealing with their child’s condition. Her practice is child-centred and she believes in always giving parents and their child the time needed to fully discuss all concerns, guiding and supporting you both through treatment plans.

Education

After graduating from King’s College, Cambridge University, with double honours in medicine and experimental psychology Helen went on to complete her clinic training at the Royal Free and University College London Medical School.

She trained in paediatrics at South London Paediatric rotation and was awarded one of the few recognised higher specialist training posts in paediatric allergy and immunology – the MADEL clinical lecturer.

Professor Brough completed an MSc in Allergy, gaining a distinction at the University of Southampton. She was awarded a PhD in determining routes of developing peanut allergy at King’s College London University.

Research

Professor Helen Brough is actively involved in research to prevent, diagnose and treat food allergy. A professor at King’s College London and a Medical Advisor for the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (NARF) she regularly lectures at national and international seminars and conventions.

Having co-authored several landmark studies on the prevention of food allergy, including the LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut) study, Helen was the lead investigator for the Pronuts study (assessing peanut, sesame and tree nut allergy), the Stopping Eczema and Allergy (SEAL) study, and an investigator for the oral and patch peanut desensitisation trials at Evelina London.

Professor Brough set up community children’s allergy services, and an allergy transition service for teenagers, to empower them to better manage their allergies.
She was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Clinician Award by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the Barry Kay award for excellence in Paediatric Allergy research from the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 2013, and was awarded ‘Health Professional of the Year’ runner-up in 2010 by Coeliac UK.

Helen has published multiple research articles, including the European Eczema guidelines, as well as publishing a textbook on Paediatrics. A full list of published guidelines and articles by Professor Brough can be found here.