Biography
Professor Sejal Saglani studied and qualified in medicine at the University of Leicester before completing clinical specialist training in respiratory paediatrics.
Funded by Asthma UK, Professor Saglani her postgraduate degree at the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI), focusing on the pathology of severe infant and pre-school wheeze. For this, she received the NHLI’s best thesis prize.
After completing clinical specialist training in paediatric respiratory medicine, Professor Saglani received a British Lung Foundation research fellowship to develop an experimental model of allergic asthma. She also received a Wellcome Intermediate Clinical Fellowship to investigate the mechanisms mediating the onset of pre-school wheeze and asthma in early life.
Areas of expertise
- Preschool wheeze
- Difficult asthma
- Severe childhood asthma
- Advanced therapies for severe childhood asthma
- Asthma diagnosis
- Chronic cough
- Chronic lung disease of prematurity
Research interests
Professor Saglani is currently leading a national clinical trial in school-age children with severe asthma which aims to determine which children will respond best to 2 new biological treatments for severe asthma. Her research interests also include:
- Management of preschool children with severe recurrent wheezing and school-age children with severe asthma
- Novel breathing tests and easy to use blood tests and nose and throat swabs
- Remote monitoring devices for asthma symptoms
Awards
- 2015: European Respiratory Society Romain Pauwels Award for Translational Asthma Research (the first paediatrician to have received this)
- 2009: European Respiratory Society Young Investigator’s award for Paediatric Respiratory Research
- 2007: Imperial College London NHLI MD Thesis Prize
- 2005: International Klosterfrau Award for childhood asthma research
- 2005: RCPCH Lorber Prize for best Paediatric Publication
- 2005: British Paediatric Respiratory Society Young Investigator’s Award
Research Fellowships:
- Jan 2015 to Dec 2018: NIHR Career Development Fellowship
- Jul 2012 to June 2013: MRC New Investigator Grant
- Feb 2012 to Jun 2012: Wellcome Trust Value In People Award
- Feb 2008 to Jan 2012: Wellcome Intermediate Clinical Fellowship
- Feb 2007 to Jan 2008: British Lung Foundation Research Fellowship
- Jun 2004 to May 2005: British Medical Association James Trust Fellowship