Biography

Dr Ajay Desai is a consultant in paediatric cardio-respiratory intensive care medicine at Royal Brompton Hospital, part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. 

He completed his postgraduate paediatric training in Mumbai, India. He gained further experience in paediatric intensive care and retrieval medicine in London at St Mary's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the Children's Acute Transport Service (CATS). He supplemented his training with fellowship in paediatric cardiology at Royal Brompton Hospital prior to his appointment as a consultant in 2010. 

Dr Desai is the Director of paediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) programme at Royal Brompton Hospital. He is the Training Programme Director (TPD) for London School of Paediatrics, and elected co-chair of Science and Education Committee, Paediatric Critical Care Society (PCCS), UK. 

Research interests

• Paediatric ECPR – factors affecting morbidity and mortality
• Rational use of blood products in ECMO
• Impact of simulation training on team members involved in actual resuscitation events

Teaching

Dr Desai is unit training director, and lead for paediatric junior doctors’ education and training programme at the Trust. He is a faculty of the award-winning SPRinT (simulated interprofessional team training) programme. As the organiser and a faculty member, Dr Desai has been a part of London PICU/CICU core curriculum program for the last 12 years.