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Paediatric Immunology, Allergy and Infectious Diseases (PIAID)

Clinical Team - 

Clinical Services

Provide in-patient consultation on complex immunology, allergy and infectious diseases cases


This subspecialty also accepts territory-wide referral for infants, children and adolescents with recurrent or unusual infections or who are otherwise suspected to have immune deficiency or dysregulation. Our clinic sessions as follows:

  • Allergy Immunology Clinics 2-3 times per week

  • Immunology & Infectious Diseases Clinics 1 time per month


Day ward services 2-3 times per week including:

  • Oral food challenges

  • Drug challenges & desensitization

  • Administration of allergen-specific immunotherapy

  • Administration of intravenous immunoglobulin for patients with humoral immunodefiency


Double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges (DBPCFC), the gold standard in food allergy diagnosis, requires meticulous planning, manpower support and dietician input as this procedure could potentially lead to life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. It has been a routine clinical procedure in the West, however this service is limited in our region. The allergy team of CUHK Paediatrics has established protocols for conducting DBPCFC for patients with suspected food allergy, and has been running DBPCFC regularly at the Prince of Wales Hospital. Our centre continues to evolve into a clinical hub to provide timely and specialist allergy services to allergic patients in Hong Kong.

Educational activities

The PIAID is an accredited Subspecialty under the Hong Kong College of Paediatricians. The PIAID subspecialty training programme offers a 3-year training programme in Hong Kong. It is formed by a network of hospitals to optimize the training opportunities. Candidates must have completed 3 years basic training in general paediatrics and have passed the Joint MRCPCH (UK) / Hong Kong College of Paediatricians Intermediate Examination. One overlapping year with higher training in general paediatrics is allowed when they are deemed eligible for commencing the subspecialty training with the approval of the Subspecialty Board of PIAID.


All trainees would undergo mandatory core training of 12 months of Immunology module (of which 6 months would be rotated to an accredited Immunology training centre with bone marrow transplantation) AND 12 months of Infectious Diseases module (of which 6 months would be spent in the Infectious Disease Centre of PMH).


All trainees have the opportunity to receive 6 months of overseas training in infectious disease / immunology at tertiary referral centres, and another 6 months of elective training in related disciplines.


The PIAID subspecialty board meetings are currently held every 2 monthly in conjunction with an educational meeting. Trainees from training centres are encouraged to present complex cases relating to the PIAID discipline in this clinical meeting.

Research opportunities

Our research team has a long track record in childhood asthma and allergy research. We reported that one-third of local schoolchildren suffer from some form of allergies such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema and food allergy. About 20-30% of patients in general paediatric clinics of the Prince of Wales Hospital are followed up for allergies.


Our research focuses on:

  • Epidemiology of childhood asthma and allergy

  • Genetics, genomics and gene-environment interaction of asthma and allergy

  • Novel diagnosis and treatment for food allergy

  • Host-microbe interaction as determinant of wheezing illnesses and eczema in children

  • Environmental determinants and gene environmental interaction of asthma

  • Non-invasive asthma monitoring and assessment

  • Lung function assessment in young children


Research team website: https://www.allergycuhk.org/

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