Dr. Upton D. Allen is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto. He holds the positions of Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Senior Associate Scientist in the Research Institute, both at the Hospital for Sick Children. He is also a Professor with the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto.
Born in Jamaica, Dr. Allen received his medical degree from the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica, and acquired his Pediatric training as well as training in his subspecialty in Infectious Diseases at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Further research training led to an MSc degree in Clinical Epidemiology from McMaster University. Prior to the start of his Pediatric training in Canada, he worked on the Infectious Diseases service at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Nassau, Bahamas.
Dr. Allen is a director of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and Fellow of the Society. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC); and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (UK). He is a past chair of the Infectious Diseases Specialty Training Committee, RCPSC; is a member of the Specialty Standards Review Committee, RCPSC, and is a council member of the International Pediatric Transplant Association.
He is actively involved in clinical and research activities relating to immunocompromised patients, including children with cancers and those who have undergone organ transplantation. He is co-chair of the Caribbean-SickKids Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Project. This is a collaborative initiative between The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and 6 Caribbean countries, aimed at improving outcomes from childhood cancers in these countries (Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, the Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Lucia).
Dr. Allen has had numerous other academic and professional accomplishments. Among these, he is a past recipient of the Harry Jerome Award and the African Achievement Award of Excellence in the Health Sciences, and in 2013 was awarded a Vice-Chancellor awards by the University of the West Indies.