Biography

Award-winning paediatrician with a global perspective

Dr Margarita Burmester is a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health with over 30 years of clinical experience spanning Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. She trained at Great Ormond Street, University of Toronto and Harvard University, and has held clinical posts at institutions including Boston Children's Hospital and the Royal Brompton Hospital — one of the UK's foremost specialist centres for heart and lung disease in children.

Recognised for her contribution to paediatric medicine, Dr Burmester was named Consultant Paediatric Specialist of the Year 2024 (London) at the Private Healthcare Awards — an accolade that reflects both the quality of her clinical practice and her pioneering work in medical education. She is the creator of SPRinT (Simulated interPRofessional Team Training), a simulation-based training programme designed to improve patient safety by improving human performance. SPRinT has been adopted by training programmes across the UK and internationally.

"The most important thing I can give a family is time — time to listen, time to explain, and time to make sure they leave feeling informed and supported."

In 2018, Dr Burmester co-founded Bright Futures Health alongside Dr Martin Gray, driven by a shared conviction that UK children deserved structured, comprehensive preventative healthcare beyond the age of two — the point at which the NHS's routine check programme largely ends. Bright Futures provides the continuity of evidence-based well-child care that families across North America and Europe receive as standard.

Her consultations are known for their warmth, thoroughness, and clarity. Families frequently describe the sense of reassurance they feel in her care — particularly when navigating complex or prolonged illnesses. She answers follow-up questions with the same attentiveness she brings to the consultation room, and is especially valued by parents who want a paediatrician who will genuinely know their child over time.

Dr Burmester's clinical interests span comprehensive well-child and preventative care, respiratory paediatrics, newborn and infant assessment, child development, and complex and multi-system cases. For children requiring subspecialty care, she coordinates seamlessly with Bright Futures Health's specialist referral network.