Clinical Prof. Michaela Lucas
President, ASCIA
Co-Chair, ASI Clinical Immunology Special Interest Group
Clinical Immunologist, Allergist, Pathologist and Head of Drug Allergy Services,
Dept. of Clinical Immunology, University of WA
Online profile

Our Moderator is Clinical Professor Michaela Lucas, who is the current President of ASCIA and Co-Chair of the ASI Clinical Immunology Special Interest Group. 

Professor Lucas is a clinician-scientist making a twofold contribution to medical research. As a clinical immunologist, her research into drug allergy is directly improving patient outcomes. In her role as a transplant immunologist, she sees the opportunity to advance basic science by improving our understanding of the factors influencing transplant tolerance and longevity of grafted organs.
Following the completion of her medical training in Essen, Germany, Professor Lucas received a Marie Curie Research Fellowship and spent four years in a postdoctoral position at the University of Oxford in the research laboratory of Professor Paul Klenerman. Here, she developed a background in T-cell immunology, specifically the pathogenesis of T-cell mediated drug allergies, anti-viral T-cell responses, and vaccine development.

This early work underpins Professor Lucas’s basic scientific research focusing on the role of inflammation in the development of adaptive immunity within the context of organ transplantation. She now leads the transplantation lab (Immunology and Microsurgery) in the School of Medicine at UWA and works closely with transplant clinicians to relate relevant findings for human transplant recipients. She is addressing the clinical problem of drug allergy through her activities in clinical research (antibiotic allergy) and policy.
Professor Lucas is the current ASCIA President and works closely with allied consumer organisations on the National Allergy Strategy.