Name: Professor Andrew J Cant, BSc, MD, FRCP, FRCPCH
Tell us about how you learned about JMF and World PI Week! The Royal Victoria Infirmary is one of 3 Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Centre for Primary Immunodeficiencies, here in the UK so our frequent contacts meant we were well aware of this important opportunity.
Profession and Location: Consultant in Paediatric Immunology & Infectious Diseases / Director of the Children's Bone Marrow Transplant Unit / Professor of Paediatric Immunology - University of Newcastle / Clinical Senate Chair – NHS Northern England
What inspires you? Understanding the biology of PIDs is fascinating and working with children is very rewarding, but when you put these two aspects of medical care together I am completely captivated! It is simply such an amazing privilege to use our rapidly growing knowledge of these diseases to enable children to have normal exciting fulfilled and happy lives when previously they could only expect worsening debility, ill health and for many an early death.
What does World PI Week mean to you? Our daily work with PID patients, their families and our network of specialists, is rewarding but challenging. WPIW encourages us to focus on the goals of our centre and there is a strength in sharing this week promoting PIDs with a global network, knowing collectively we are all championing the same cause. Through WPIW activities we have been able to raise interest in PID across the north of Britain and Ireland amongst Paediatricians and Physicians. We feel being part of this unique network ensures 30 million people have closer access to diagnosis and bespoke care for PID.
What’s your favorite World PI Week memory? Here in Newcastle we held a networking event as part of World PI Week in 2014. This event brought together doctors and nurses from 6 medical institutions across the north of the UK. The new concept of bringing together our peers in this way was very exciting as we could discuss puzzling cases in depth and draw in cases and hospitals who had not been involved before. This has enhanced our network of outreach PIC clinics in Scotland, Ireland, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield so that have a much more mature and robust way to disseminate knowledge and expertise.
Favorite Quote: “Together we can do the impossible!”
To Sum Up! I have been a doctor for over 35 years and after working in the field of internal medicine and infectious diseases, I “crossed the floor” to paediatrics and immunology some 30 years ago. It has been wonderful to work with a group of patients where you can make such a difference, helping on the “upward slope” to healthy well being. I have always wanted to know the answer to “why”, “what if”, “what would happen if” and “why couldn’t we try this” so I love the mix of looking after patients and trying to find out more about the conditions they suffer from, and better ways of curing them. This is such an exciting time with so many new research findings that make a real difference to patients, so I remain the excited curious little boy at heart! I live in the far north of England amidst beautiful countryside and close to some spectacular coastline, so it isn’t surprising that I love the outdoors, hiking, walking biking and running. I also greatly enjoy music and history, and am very fond of Scotland where most of my family live.