Deirdre Kelly (academic) facts for kids

Deirdre Anne Kelly is a famous Irish doctor, professor, and author. She is an expert in children's liver diseases, a field of medicine called hepatology. For many years, she has worked at the University of Birmingham as a Professor of Paediatric Hepatology.

Dr. Kelly is known for her important research on liver problems in babies and children. She has helped improve treatments for serious conditions and has studied how liver transplants can give sick children a better future. She has also written books to share her knowledge with other doctors. For her amazing work, she was named a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), which is a very high honor in the United Kingdom.

Education and Training

Deirdre Kelly's journey to becoming a top doctor began at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. She earned her first degrees to become a doctor in the early 1970s. She continued her studies and earned a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1979.

Over the next several years, she trained to become a specialist in gastroenterology, which is the study of the digestive system, including the liver. She earned fellowships from the Royal College of Physicians in both Ireland and London, as well as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. These fellowships are special honors that show she is a leading expert in her field.

A Career Helping Children

Dr. Kelly began her career in the 1970s, working in hospitals in Ireland. She soon moved to London to focus on research and pediatrics, which is the area of medicine for babies and children. She worked at famous hospitals like the Hospital for Sick Children Great Ormond Street.

In 1989, she took on a major role as the Director of the Liver Unit at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust. This is where she has done some of her most important work, helping thousands of children with liver disease. Since 2001, she has also been a Professor at the University of Birmingham, where she teaches and continues her research.

Dr. Kelly has also held important leadership roles in medical organizations around the world. She was president of groups like the International Pediatric Transplant Association and the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. In these roles, she helped set standards for how to best care for children with liver and digestive problems.

Important Medical Research

Dr. Kelly's research has changed how doctors treat children with serious liver conditions. She has focused on finding the best ways to help them live longer, healthier lives.

Biliary Atresia in Babies

One of Dr. Kelly's main areas of research is a rare disease called biliary atresia. This condition affects newborn babies and stops bile, a digestive fluid, from flowing out of the liver.

She proved that a special surgery for this condition, called the Kasai procedure, was much more successful when done at a few expert hospitals. When care was centralized at these special centers, more babies got better and fewer needed a liver transplant right away. Her work helped change how this disease is treated in England and Wales, improving the survival rate for babies.

Autoimmune Liver Disease

Dr. Kelly has also studied autoimmune liver diseases. This is when the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks the liver. She found that these diseases are more common in girls.

Her research showed that starting treatment quickly with medicines is very important. She also studied what happens after a liver transplant for these diseases. While a transplant can be a life-saving option, she found that the disease can sometimes come back, making long-term care very important.

Liver Failure and Transplants

Dr. Kelly has done a lot of research on what causes liver failure in children. She warned that some common medicines can be harmful to the liver if not used correctly.

Her team in Birmingham was one of the first in the world to perform liver transplants on infants. She has studied the long-term success of these transplants. Her work has shown that children who receive a new liver can grow up to live full and healthy lives. She also helped figure out the best medicines to give children after a transplant to keep their new liver healthy.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Kelly has received many awards for her dedication to medicine and her life-saving research.

• 1996 – Midlands Woman of Achievement, Women's Awards
• 2011 – Alumni Award, Trinity College Dublin
• 2012 – The Lunar Medal, The Lunar Society
• 2016 – Distinguished Service Award, European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• 2016 – Commander of the British Empire, Government of the United Kingdom
• 2019 – Recognition Award, European Association of Liver Disease
• 2021 – Pioneer in Liver Transplantation, IPTA
• 2022 – Distinguished Service Award, British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• 2023 – Appointed to the Board of Directors of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

Personal Life

Deirdre Kelly married Ian Byatt in 1997. She has two sons.