Deirdre Anne Kelly CBE DL was born in Calcutta India where she spent her formative years. By the time she arrived at the Holy Child Killiney aged twelve she had already decided she wanted to be a Doctor.  She has great memories of her time in Killiney and fondly remembers the nuns who taught her especially Mother Trinita, Mother Julian, Delia and Eileen.

Professor Kelly is a pioneering liver specialist and Founding Director of the Liver Unit, Birmingham Children's Hospital. She set up the Paediatric Liver Unit at the hospital in 1989. She wanted to set up “the best Liver Unit in the world” but also wanted to ensure that these young patients and their families “felt welcomed and cared for”. At that time many paediatricians didn't believe these operations would be successful. She started the Unit with one nurse, one doctor and two beds.  Within two years of opening the Unit the survival rate of infants who had these life-saving transplants had increased from 40% to 90%. This is especially astounding when you consider that some of these patients were only a few weeks old at the time of their transplants.  Previously when early corrective surgery was unsuccessful the patients would die within the first year. Other patients suffered liver and intestinal failure – side effects of medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis. The Unit's work helped improve techniques to manage these diseases and in some cases with careful management delay and avoid the need for transplants. Many of these children are now adults and have their own careers and families. Today the Liver Unit at Birmingham Hospital is highly regarded not just in Great Britain but worldwide. Their highly skilled team of over 50 medical professionals look after hundreds of national and international patients every year. 

 Where it all began 

After Holy Child Killiney, Deirdre went to Trinity College in 1967 and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971. She also earned an MB BChBAO degree in 1973 where she specialised in gastroenterology and hepatology with Professor Donald Weir. In 1979, she completed her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Dublin. She worked in Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital as a Research Registrar from 1976 until 1978. She then spent the next two years as a Medical Registrar at St Vincent's Hospital.

In 1980 Deirdre joined Trinity College Dublin as a Lecturer of Clinical Medicine. In 1982, she began work with Dame Sheila Sherlock at the Royal Free Hospital as a Wellcome Research Fellow until 1984.  Deirdre then decided to train in paediatrics and worked as a Paediatric Registrar at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hackney followed by three years at the Hospital for Sick Children Great Ormonde Street until 1987. She then lectured in Child Health at St Bartholomew's Hospital and also worked as an assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska in Paediatrics until 1988 – here she gained crucial experience in transplantation, caring for children undergoing liver transplants. During her time there she noted that 70 children received transplants compared to Britain at that time where only Cambridge University Hospital performed liver transplants and very rarely on children.  In 1989 Deirdre she was appointed as the Director of the Liver Unit and Consultant Paediatric Hepatologist at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust. She then became a Professor of Paediatric Hepatology at the University of Birmingham in 2001.

Deirdre was awarded a fellowship at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in 1990 and a fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians, London in 1997 as well as a fellowship at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the same year. 

Deirdre was one of the founding members of the International Paediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) and was Vice President from 1998 to 2002 and President from 2002 to 2005. She was also the President of the British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology from 2004 until 2007 and the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology from 2007 until 2010. Deirdre has also worked as the Chairperson of the Public Affairs Committee at the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology Nutrition since 2017. Since 2021 she is the Clinical Lead for the National Paediatric Hepatitis C Operational Delivery Network at NHSE.

 Deirdre spent two years on the Boards of the Healthcare Commission from 2007 until 2009, the Care Quality Commission from 2008 until 2013, the Health Research Authority from 2015 to 2018 and the General Medical Council from 2013 to 2020. She was a non-executive Director at NHS Blood & Transplant since 2020-23. She was the Chair of the Board of Pension Trustees at the General Medical Council and is now a non-executive director at Guys and St Thomas NHS Hospital.

Deirdre has also found time to write many articles and books including “Atlas of Paediatric Hepatology” and “Diseases of the Liver and Biliary System in Children”. 

She has also researched the genetics of neonatal liver disease and has also carried out research on the long-term outcome of carrying out liver transplants in children. 

Professor Kelly takes a very human approach to her career and remembers every single one of her patients. She believes that to provide her patients with the highest possible quality of care everything must be centred on the child and their family. As she says “we treat our patients exactly how we'd like to be treated ourselves.”  

 Deirdre retired from clinical duties in 2021 but is always on hand to share her vast knowledge and experience to help children with liver disease.  She has won many awards during her career including most recently the James Spence Medal which was presented to her by The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in March 2025.

Outside of Medicine Professor Kelly enjoys gardening, cooking and entertaining friends.  She is married to Sir Ian Byatt and is the mother of two sons and four grandchildren who keep her busy!.

Awards and honours

1996 – Midlands Woman of Achievement, Women's Awards

2011 – Alumni Award, Trinity College Dublin

2012 – The Lunar Medal, The Lunar Society

2016 – Distinguished Service Award, (ESPGHAN) European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition

2016 – Commander of the British Empire, Government of the United Kingdom

2019 – Recognition Award, (EASL) European Association of Liver Disease

2021 – Pioneer in Liver Transplantation, IPTA

2022 – Distinguished Service Award, (BSPGHAN) British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition

2023 – Appointed to join the Board of Directors of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

2025 – The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) James Spence Medal

By Sinead Farrell