Member profile

Dr Isabel Skypala

Last updated: 23 February 2024

 

Isabel Skypala BSc PhD is a consultant dietitian who runs the adult food allergy service at the Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital.

 Isabel commenced her career at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, specialising in food allergy, asthma and cystic fibrosis. After 5 years, she became the manager of the Dietetic service, and in 2002 was appointed as Director of Rehabilitation and Therapies, responsible for managing therapy and  psycho-social services across the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust (RBHT). In 2008, Isabel established the adult food allergy service at RBHT, and in 2014 she became the UKs first consultant allergy dietitian, with responsibility for the food allergy service, including food challenge, outpatient clinics and management of the allergy nurses. In 2009, Isabel was awarded a PhD from Kings College London for her research into the prevalence and diagnosis of Pollen Food Syndrome (PFS). Her research continues to be focussed on plant food allergy, and she has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers and books. Isabel also lectures on Allergy MSc programmes at Imperial College, Southampton University and Cork University, as well as nationally and internationally. Together with others, Isabel has spent the last 20 years developing the dietitian’s role in food allergy through the establishment of allergy specialist groups in the UK, Europe and world-wide. She was a member of the executive Committee of the European Academy of Allergy & Clinical Immunology for 7 years, and currently sits on the council of the British Society of Allergy & Clinical Immunology (BSACI) and co-chairs the Standards of Care Committee. Isabel received the BSACI William Frankland award for services to clinical allergy in 2014, and the Allied Health Professional Recognition Award from the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology in 2022.

Register of interests

In line with FSA policy and established good practice for accessing external expertise, Scientific Advisory Committee members are required to declare any personal or non-personal interests which represent a real or potential conflict in respect of general or specific aspects of work undertaken. Interests will be managed in accordance with the FSA’s policy and guidance. 

If members have interests not specified in these notes, but which they believe could be regarded as influencing their advice or other work for FSA, they should declare them. However, members are not under any obligation to search out interests of which they might reasonably not be aware. For example, either through being unaware of all the interests of family members, or of not being aware of links between one company and another. 

Current

Personal Interests

Category of Interest

Organisation / Body and Nature of Interest 

Direct employment

Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals, part of Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust

Clubs and other organisations

British Dietetic Association

British Society of Allergy & Clinical Immunology

European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology