Meet the team

Dr Jonathan Cusack is our Clinical Director for Women's and Children's and consultant neonatologist. He is one of seven clinical directors responsible for clinical leadership for University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust.

He has expertise in neonatal education, resuscitation and neonatal simulation based training. He is the co-founder of the Advanced Resuscitation of the Newborn course and a core member of the Resuscitation Council UK newborn subcommittee. He is an invited course director for international newborn life support courses. He has extensive medico-legal experience, leads our neonatologist performed echocardiography programme, and actively contributes towards research  and development. He is honorary senior lecturer at the University of Leicester, College of Life sciences.

Prof Tilly Pillay is our Clinical Lead for Neonatal Services. She is Professor of Neonatology with the University of Wolverhampton, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Honorary Senior Lecturer at University of Leicester, College of Life Sciences, and Honorary Lecturer at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Research and Development Division.

A consultant neonatologist since 1996, she trained in South Africa at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine and College of Medicine SA, and University of Oxford. Her research interests include neonatal immunology and infections, health service delivery, quality improvement, health inequalities and neonatal public health engagement. She has experience in clinical management, and of working with NICE, BAPM, and CHIVA. She co-leads on Family Integrated Care, leads Neonatal Fetal Medicine Liaison and Neonatal Health Equality, and directs a regional parent education programme (STORK) aimed at reducing risks for infant mortality.

Professor Elaine Boyle is our lead academic. She is a consultant neonatologist and a Professor with the University of Leicester.

Her research interests include neonatal pain, early respiratory disease and the management of late and moderate preterm infants.

Dr Andrew Currie is Head of Service for CenTre, The East Midlands Regional Neonatal Transport Service. A consultant neonatologist since 1998, he trained in Southampton and has worked in several Trusts in the UK, and in Sydney, Australia. His research interests include pro-inflammatory cytokines in Chronic Lung Disease of Prematurity. He has several research publications and presentations at international scientific meetings, and has contributed to textbooks in Neonatal Medicine, Obstetrics, a medical dictionary and the development of national Department of Health documents. His current main interests are neonatal transport medicine and neonatal echocardiography. 

Dr Currie has experience in clinical management as Royal College Tutor, Head of Neonatal services, and Clinical Director of Musculoskeletal and Specialised Surgical Services. He is a member of the National Neonatal Transport Group (affiliated to the British Association of Perinatal Medicine) and is an assessor for the RCPCH.

Dr Deepa Panjwani is a consultant neonatologist and our medical lead for neonatal nutrition. She is Training Programme Director for ST4-ST8 East Midlands Deanery (South) and the south-based (Leicester) lead for the CenTre transport service.

She is also a Newborn Life Support Course Director, an advanced life support instructor and a member of the recruitment board for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Dr Jane Gill is a consultant neonatologist.

She is in charge of the East Midlands Neonatal Operational Delivery Network (EMNODN) and has a role in coordinating the care delivered to babies from around our region.

Dr Sumit Mittal is our lead for Chronic Lung disease.

He manages our babies with the most complex lung problems, including those discharged home in oxygen.

He is our lead for clinical guidelines.

Dr Venkatesh Kairamkonda is our lead for clinical audit and IT.

He is responsible for running our databases and producing data for national bodies about the quality of care that we deliver.

Dr Joe Fawke is involved in medical staff education. He is a Head of School for Paediatrics for Health Education East Midlands. He is the UK national lead for neonatal Resuscitation courses run by the Resuscitation Council UK.

He has an interest in simulation based education and has had a role in the development of national NICE guidelines.

Dr Kamini Yadav is a consultant neonatologist with an interest in the management of babies born to mothers with diabetes. She is the consultant lead for Clinical Governance.

Dr Robin Miralles is our lead for Neurodevelopment follow up.

He has expertise in neonatal neurology particularly in managing babies who are receiving cooling treatment. He runs our neonatal follow up program for our highest risk babies.

Dr Jo Behrsin is a consultant neonatologist and the current Head of Service for the neonatal service in Leicester.

Dr Fiona Wood is a consultant neonatologist. She has a research interest in Neonatal Resuscitation and is the consultant lead for our junior doctor rotas.

Dr Muhammad Ali is a consultant neonatologist. He is the lead for departmental induction, education and teaching programmes. He has an interest in neonatal cardiology and simulation.

A consultant neonatologist since 2006, Dr Joanna Preece joined the UHL Neonatal team in February 2022 from Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She was Clinical lead in her previous Trust from 2016 to 2022, Neonatal Network Locality lead for the Humber, Coast & Vale area of Yorkshire and was also the lead for the Yorkshire and Humber Neonatal ODN Mortality Review Group. 

Special interests in Leicester have continued her work in Perinatal Mortality Review, development of Transitional Care and perinatal optimisation of the preterm infants. She has always had a passion for the role of the Neonatal Networks and took up the role of Guidelines Lead for the East Midlands Neonatal ODN in 2023. https://www.emnodn.nhs.uk/

Davina Bhardwaj is our Unit Manager for the neonatal unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

After leading Cot Side Teaching on the Neonatal Unit, she remains passionate that education for staff is of the utmost importance for the delivery of the highest standards of nursing care.

Margaret Pratt is our Unit Manger for Special Care babies both at the Leicester Royal Infirmary and the Leicester General Hospital.

Natalie Dalgetty is our General Manager. She is the lead manager responsible for the day to day running of the unit.

Pauline Coser is our matron in charge of the Leicester Neonatal service.