Simon Drysdale
BSc (Hons), MBBS, PgDip PID (Oxford), PhD, FRCPCH, FHEA
Senior Vaccine Clinical Trials Paediatrician
- Associate Professor and Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology
Vaccines and preventing infections throughout life
Biography
Simon is an associate professor and consultant in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology at the University of Oxford and Children’s Hospital, Oxford. He acts as chief and principal investigator on multiple clinical trials investigating novel diagnostics, treatments, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for a variety of infectious conditions. Simon is a member of several large European collaborative research studies. His main research interests are maternal and infant vaccinology, management, prevention and host susceptibility to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other respiratory viral infections, and perinatal infections. He is the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) paediatric immunology and infectious diseases college specialty advisory committee (CSAC) co-chair. He also sits on multiple local, national, and international committees related to paediatrics including the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) RSV subcommittee, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Paediatric Medicine Expert Advisory Group (PMEAG), and he is a board member of the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID).
Recent publications
The Epidemiology and Clinical Burden of Human Adenovirus Respiratory Infections Among Hospitalized Children Under 5 Years in Jordan.
Journal article
Abu-Helalah M. et al, (2026), Pediatr Infect Dis J, 45, 229 - 235
Maternal perspectives on the RSV vaccine (Abrysvo): a thematic analysis of survey findings from the first season of implementation in England and Scotland.
Journal article
O'Hagan S. et al, (2026), Arch Dis Child
Maternal views on RSV vaccination in the UK's second season.
Journal article
O'Hagan S. et al, (2026), Lancet Infect Dis
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Positivity Rate and Clinical Characteristics Amongst Children Under 5 Years of Age at the Emergency and Outpatient Settings in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Journal article
Abu-Helalah M. et al, (2026), Viruses, 18
Prognostic Factors of Late-onset Hearing Loss in Infants With Congenital Cytomegalovirus and Normal Audiologic Assessment at Birth.
Journal article
Buonsenso D. et al, (2026), Pediatr Infect Dis J, 45, 1 - 10

