Carina Venter Postgraduate Diploma in Allergy, 2003; PhD in Allergy and Immunology, 2007

Assistant Professor at University of Colorado, USA

Carina Venter is an Assistant Professor of Paediatric, Section of Allergy and Immunology at the University of Colorado. She is the first dietitian with a faculty position in Allergy and Immunology in the USA.

She tells us about her time at the University of Southampton and it helped her become who she is today.

It is thanks to my training at Southampton that I am a world-leading dietitian in the field of allergic diseases.

“I lived on the Isle of Wight, working as a dietitian in the ITU and gastroenterology wards as well as in the allergy clinics, but I wanted to learn more about allergic diseases. I wanted to become a specialist allergy dietitian and the MSc in Allergy at the University of Southampton offered all the information and training I needed. I enrolled and I was not disappointed.

“My postgraduate course and then my PhD, which I also obtained from Southampton, provided me with a unique mix of clinical, scientific, research and academic knowledge that has set me up for a very unique career in food allergy. These aspects, coupled with working with inspirational and like-minded academics such as Dr Judith Holloway and Professor Hasan Arshad, which was a particular highlight, has helped me become one of the world-leading dietitians in the field of allergic diseases.

“Following on from my time at Southampton, I became a Senior Lecturer in Portsmouth and was then recruited to the US, where I am currently the only dietitian with a faculty position in allergy and Immunology in the USA.

“I have supervised twelve MSc students at the universities of Southampton, Portsmouth and Imperial College London, and I was also awarded a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, one of the first dietitians in the UK to achieve such an honour.

“It is thanks to my training at Southampton that I am a world-leading dietitian in the field of allergic diseases, with over 100 publications to my name, and presentations on UK, US and European food allergy guidelines.

“If I could describe my time at the University of Southampton it would be incredible - my training at Southampton, both the postgraduate diploma and PhD, turned me into the person I am today – both academically and personally. I would recommend the University of Southampton to any medical professional who wants to enhance their career in allergy and increase their knowledge.”