Dr Ben Killingley

Profile

Dr Ben Killingley is a British infectious diseases specialist and clinical researcher with expertise in emerging viral threats, respiratory infections, and pandemic preparedness. He is a Senior Consultant Physician at University College London Hospital, where he practises infectious diseases alongside acute general medicine, with responsibility for assessing patients presenting as medical emergencies and making key management decisions at the point of hospital admission.

He has held academic and research roles at leading UK institutions, including the University of Nottingham, contributing to studies on viral transmission and host response. His work integrates laboratory science with frontline clinical care, informing the practical management of infectious diseases.

Dr Killingley played a prominent role in the UK's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including involvement in human challenge studies exposing healthy volunteers to SARS-CoV-2 under controlled conditions. This work provided important insights into viral transmission, infectious dose, and immune response, and informed public health strategy. His broader research includes influenza and infection control, with a focus on rapid detection and evidence-based responses to emerging pathogens.

In acute medicine, Dr Killingley has extensive experience managing emergency presentations including severe infections (chest, urinary, sepsis, cellulitis), cardiovascular conditions (chest pain, atrial fibrillation, heart failure), respiratory emergencies (acute asthma, COPD exacerbations, pulmonary embolism), gastrointestinal conditions (diarrhoea, alcohol withdrawal, gastrointestinal bleeding), and geriatric syndromes (falls, delirium, syncope). He also manages acute conditions including electrolyte disturbances, acute kidney injury, and deep vein thrombosis.

Dr Killingley has over six years' experience as a Medical Examiner and is trained in the legal and clinical aspects of death certification, identifying and investigating cases which require further review to improve learning and patient care at provider level. He has completed medicolegal training with Inspire MediLaw, has written over twenty medicolegal reports to date, and has courtroom experience.

Areas of Expertise

• Acute medicine
• Medical emergencies
• Bacterial infection
• Viral infection
• Healthcare-associated infection
• Sepsis
• Toxicity
• Tuberculosis
• HIV
• MRSA
• Lyme disease
• COVID