Dear Old Millhillian,

Please join us at the Medical Professions Meeting of 2025 in the Garden Room of The Athenaeum for another evening of a ‘state of the art’ lecture followed by a two course buffet supper in the company of fellow Old Millhillians and pupils from the Foundation accompanied by members of the teaching staff. I am pleased to confirm that, following my negotiations with The Athenaeum, ticket prices are the same as in 2024 while still entertaining our medical students and the 1st and 2nd year doctors free of charge.

I am delighted to welcome Dr Sebastian Lighvani, our speaker who is an Old Millhillian (School 1985-90) and an expert in the field of allergy. After graduating in medicine from King’s College, London, he obtained a residency at The Mayo Clinic and then a Fellowship in allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. As a member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the New York Allergy Society, Sebastian has been providing allergy treatment and care in the city of New York since 2003.

I suspect most of us have noted what appears to be an increase in both the incidence and awareness of allergy and, in particular, food allergy, in the general population. The number of people with food allergies has more than doubled in the last decade and new research has shown that up to one in 25 pre-school children are now affected. In a study from Imperial College London, the highest rate is in the under-fives, of whom 4% are allergic to foods such as milk, peanuts or eggs. Food allergies are now more common across the world and it is not clear why.

We cannot fail to be aware that severe allergic reactions are serious and can be fatal. I am expecting that in his talk, Dr Lighvani will shed a good deal of light on this subject, explaining why it is more common in modern western society while perhaps showing that the surge in cases we have all noticed may be tailing off. I am expecting his talk will stimulate much discussion and many questions relevant to all, whether you are medical or non-medical. I hope you will join us on 12th March.

Dr Russell Cowan