Currently a doctoral fellow with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Louise is investigating the link between antibiotic allergy and outcomes from surgery and developing ways to improve diagnosis for patients who suffer life-threatening anaphylaxis during their operation. Working closely with the national bodies representing anaesthetists, allergists and immunologists, Louise set up and now chairs the UK Perioperative Allergy Network.
This is a collaborative, cross-specialty group that aims to improve care for all surgical patients with drug allergy, through education, research, and quality improvement. Louise’s work focuses on the ‘de-labelling’ of patients who have a label of penicillin allergy. Conducting the first study of de-labelling in surgical patients in the UK, Louise has written national and international consensus guidelines on this topic and is currently researching how to implement these into routine NHS practice.