Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Dr Tom Connell graduated from University College Dublin in 1996. He received membership of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in 1999 in the Faculty of Paediatrics and completed his certificate of satisfactory completion of specialist training (CSCST) in 2005. Following a fellowship in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, he completed his PhD on 'Immune-based blood tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in children' in 2011. He received Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of Physicians in 2010. Dr Connell was appointed to his current role in February 2008 and became Director of General Medicine at RCH in January 2014. In 2013, he was awarded a career development award through the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute to further develop his research career and became co-leader of the Clinical Paediatrics group in June 2014.

tuberculosis diagnostics, infections in individuals with compromised immune systems, such as children with HIV, and improving the management of common paediatric conditions