Dr Surendran Thavagnanam

Dr Surendran Thavagnanam is a Consultant in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine at the Royal London Children's Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London. He specialises in the assessment and management of children with complex respiratory disorders, sleep-disordered breathing and chronic respiratory failure, with particular expertise in paediatric sleep medicine and long-term ventilation.

After graduating in Medicine from Queen's University Belfast in 2000, Dr Thavagnanam completed specialist training in paediatrics and paediatric respiratory medicine. His advanced training included paediatric respiratory medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, and a fellowship in paediatric sleep medicine at Sydney Children's Hospital, Australia, where he developed expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders in children.

From 2012 to 2018, he served as Associate Professor at the University of Malaya, combining clinical practice with academic and educational leadership. He joined the Royal London Children's Hospital as a Consultant in 2018 and now leads the Paediatric Sleep and Long-Term Ventilation Services.

Dr Thavagnanam's clinical interests include obstructive sleep apnoea, sleep-related hypoventilation, neuromuscular respiratory disorders, chronic respiratory failure, and the use of non-invasive and invasive long-term ventilation, including CPAP, BiPAP and tracheostomy ventilation. He works within a multidisciplinary team to deliver comprehensive, family-centred care for children with complex respiratory needs.

Alongside his clinical work, he has a strong interest in service development, education and research, particularly in improving access to paediatric sleep services, optimising home ventilation pathways and supporting the transition of young people with complex respiratory conditions into adult care. His international experience across the UK, Canada, Australia and Malaysia informs his collaborative and patient-centred approach to respiratory and sleep medicine.