Meet Desa Lilic, Expert Witness in Clinical Immunology

Desa is a Consultant Clinical Immunologist and Associate Clinical Lecturer at the Institute for Clinical & Translational Research at Newcastle University. She is an Expert Witness in Clinical Immunology and qualified as a Certified Expert Witness this year. Here, she explains why she got into expert work and why she thrives on the challenges it brings.

When I was six years old, I knew I wanted my future career to involve research.

Just before I started school, I was on a beach holiday with my family. A local manufacturer of plastic bottles dispersed plastic beads on the sand for the kids to find, to keep us entertained. There was a purple bead that was really difficult to find. I found it fascinating roaming the sand, hunting for that bead. I loved the investigation and the excitement of finding it. It was the first inkling I had that I wanted to do research. I call it my purple bead philosophy!

I travelled a lot growing up.

My father was a diplomat, so we moved countries every few years. The lifestyle broadened my horizons and helped me be able to understand different versions of the same issue.

I was born in Lebanon, then lived in Chile. I started school in New York and spent my high school years in Denmark. I came to the UK 30 years ago from former Yugoslavia (now Serbia), and I’ve been in Newcastle ever since.

I chose medical studies then a career in immunology while I was still in former Yugoslavia. I started off doing research, then I moved on to clinical work looking after patients. It was a very difficult field back then, but never boring. It was my purple bead!

I’ve always been part of an exciting research community.

In the UK, I integrated into a very vibrant clinical and academic immunology group in Newcastle. We were the forefront of new and challenging things, which fuelled my enthusiasm and led me to set up my own research group at Newcastle University. My clinical research was successful in identifying new diseases, with patients diagnosed after years of not knowing what was happening. Diagnostic tests for these diseases were then made available on the NHS.

When I retired from clinical work a few years ago, I knew I still needed to be challenged.

I want the work I do to be important – not just in an academic sense, but relevant to someone’s life. Expert work ticks a lot of boxes for me: it’s investigative, challenging, involves research, and needs to be put together in a fact-based manner.

Clinical immunology issues are not well recognised.

There are less than 100 clinical immunologists in the whole of the UK and I believe I’m one of only few who also practices as an Expert Witness. So, when I first started doing expert work, I wasn’t sure how to get my name out there.

Initially, I relied on medico-legal companies who acted as an intermediary between experts and solicitors. An important milestone at the beginning was becoming an EWI member and having someone to turn to for crucial advice. Guidance from CEO Simon Berney-Edwards and Manager Wiebke Morgan was invaluable!

I have now become better known amongst solicitors and word of mouth recommendations are my main referral.

I always need to look at medical records, as well as witness statements.

Medical records are often huge and span years. I go through them and pick out the metaphorical purple bead!

I’m often brought in when a case involves an allergic reaction to something that is difficult to identify.

I had one case that really stands out because of the duration and amount of research required. The client (a solicitor, as it happen) had experienced a dangerous allergic reaction to a very common steroid drug, which was denied by the defendants.

I had an eureka moment when I wondered if there was anything else in the drug rather than just the steroid itself. And there was – the client’s allergy was to an excipient i.e. stabiliser, commonly added to medicines and cosmetics, which explained the seeming contradictions.

It took some digging to realise and establish that the ingredient was also present seven years ago when the client’s reaction happened. It took many years for the case to be resolved but, eventually, the claimant was justifiably compensated.

I’m always aware of the fact that my duty is to the court, not to anyone else.

If you’ve prepared your case professionally and properly and are true to yourself, retaining that independence isn’t difficult.

Expert Witness work is demanding: it requires a lot of focus and time.

But that aspect is exactly what appeals to me. I love the idea of doing lots of research. I always say to those considering getting into expert work that if you’ve done research previously, you will probably like being an Expert Witness.

I’m now a Certified Expert Witness through the Expert Witness Institute.  

Throughout my career as a consultant in the NHS, we had accreditations and verifications all the time. Nothing was taken at face value – we always had to demonstrate that we were up to it. I thought that approach was good to take for Expert Witness work as well.

In my view, it’s only fair that a solicitor (and the court) should request something like that from an expert. I knew I was already doing a good job – so why not take on the challenge of certifying to confirm that? I really enjoyed the process of getting the certification – it was like I was back at school!

One of the reasons I love being an Expert Witness is because it means I’m part of a professional group.

Not just the EWI, but also The North of England Medico-Legal Society. We have lectures every month and social gatherings twice a year. It’s nice to get together and have a supportive network. It’s important not only for work, but on a personal level too.