Professor Paul Elkington

Professor Elkington is an Old Wykehamist, who has spent much of his life researching and treating patients with tuberculosis (TB), some of that time in Africa, leading him to establish a TB research group at Southampton University.

He was on shift when the first COVID-19 patient was diagnosed at University Hospital, Southampton and was asked to see the patient. His experience with airborne pathogens, safety controls and filtration systems led him to believe that the blue disposable face covering was inadequate. He therefore began designing his own prototype.

Ten days later, Professor Elkington and his team presented the PeRSo Respirator, a fabric hood with a clear face visor and a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter connected to a wearable battery powered fan.

Lightweight, reusable, and economically viable, the PeRSo respirator became standard issue at Southampton and at 16 other NHS trusts and the full design was shared on the internet for anyone to copy.

Professor Elkington was awarded an MBE in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his work.