Dr Srinivas (Sri) Gada has had a distinguished service in the NHS for 25 years. He has worked as a Consultant Neurodisability Paediatrician at Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT for nearly 14 years. Sri is the Editor of Oxford Handbook of Community Paediatrics, published by the Oxford University Press. This handbook, with an emphasis on Neurodevelopment and Neurodisability, is widely used by doctors in the UK, Europe and is sold worldwide.
Sri has been awarded Clinical Excellence Awards for delivering innovative services in the field of Child Disability and Child Development at Oxford. Sri served as a Senior Hon Clinical Lecturer in Paediatrics at University of Oxford from 2007 until 2022. Sri has been a Senior Hon Clinical Lecturer in Paediatrics at University of Oxford since 2007. Sri served in the NHS in various roles such as Lead for Clinical Governance (10+ years), Lead for Oxford Down Syndrome Service (7+ years), Lead for West Oxfordshire Child Development Team (10+ years), Director for Child Development Course (5+ years), Educational Supervisor (11+ years), Clinical Supervisor (13+ years), Consultant Appraiser (14+ years) and more. He has been a Course Director for Child Developmental Courses in Oxford, London and abroad.
Sri has delivered care to over 20,000 children with complex needs, working closely with the multi-disciplinary team. Sri specialises in assessment and management of children with Autism/ASD, ADHD, Dyspraxia/DCD, Developmental Delay, Speech and Language Delay, Learning Disabilities, Emotional & Behavioural Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, children with educational difficulties (SEN) and syndromic disorders such as Down Syndrome. His work has been covered by Oxford Mail, ITV, and BBC Radio.
Dr Sri graduated in India in 1992, coming First in his 2nd Year and Final Year of Medicine, at his University. He moved to the UK to gain postgraduate experience in paediatrics. While working at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (1996-99), he gained DCH (Diploma in Child Health) and MRCP (Member of Royal College of Physicians London) qualifications. Sri was successful in achieving Higher Specialist Training (HST) in Paediatrics in North London Deanery. As part of his HST paediatric training, he worked at Queen’s Hospital and the Royal London Hospital, in East London, training to be a Paediatric Intensivist (1999-2001).
During this specialist training in ICU, his daughter was diagnosed with a profound disability. This was a set back to his professional goal of becoming a Paediatric Intensivist and returning to India. Having his daughter diagnosed with a disability was a painful and life-changing experience. This personal experience stimulated his interest in learning more about developmental delays and disabilities in children. Consequently, he decided to change track from continuing his HST training in Intensive Care to pursuing Child Neurodisability as a career. He then went on to receive training in Child Neuro-Developmental Disorders at the Royal Free Hospital in London (2001-05). He undertook Diploma Studies in Paediatric Neurodisability from Sheffield (2004-05).
Sri travelled from London to Oxford every week with his daughter, to help his daughter receive private therapy in Oxfordshire. He fell in love with Oxford during these visits and wished he worked there. Subsequently, Sri was successful in gaining a consultant post in Oxford in Oct 2005.
After 25 years of excellent service in the NHS, Sri decided to set up an independent practice in 2019 to give more time to the things he is passionate about. He continues to work as a Consultant Appraiser in Oxford and provides his services to paediatrics at the University of Oxford. He acts as a Reviewer for the Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology Journal. He has had more time to undertake speaking engagements and has delivered lectures in Pune, India and Los Angeles, USA. He is presently working on the 2nd edition of Oxford Handbook of Community Paediatrics, closely liaising with contributors from the UK, the USA, India, Canada, Australia.