Dr Russell Keenan

Dr Russell Keenan is a consultant paediatric haematologist and medico-legal expert witness in the United Kingdom, listed through the Expert Witness Gateway. Recognised for his specialist medical negligence work in the field of paediatric haematology, he has been named the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026 “Medical Negligence Relating to Paediatric Haematology Expert Witness of the Year in the UK”.

A specialist clinician turned expert witness

Dr Russell Keenan has practised as a consultant paediatric haematologist since 2002 and is a Fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists. He served as a consultant paediatric haematologist and Haemophilia Centre Director at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool from April 2002 until February 2024, a role at the centre of specialist care for children with blood disorders in the region. That long clinical tenure at a leading children's hospital underpins the authority he brings to his medico-legal practice.

Paediatric haematology is a demanding subspecialty concerned with disorders of the blood in children, including bleeding disorders, clotting problems, anaemias and related conditions. Because these conditions can be rare, complex and easily misunderstood, expert opinion is frequently required in legal proceedings – both to establish whether care fell below the required standard and, in some cases, to explain findings that might otherwise be misattributed. A clinician with decades of hands-on experience directing a haemophilia centre is well placed to provide that opinion.

Medico-legal practice

Dr Keenan acts as an expert witness in child protection cases, clinical negligence cases and matters relating to all aspects of paediatric haematology, preparing medico-legal reports and, where required, giving evidence in court. He has over twelve years of experience providing medico-legal reports in family, civil and criminal matters, and has attended court in relation to his reports, including giving oral evidence and undergoing cross-examination. His reports have addressed cases of medical negligence relating to paediatric haematology as well as child protection questions concerning the presence or absence of a bleeding disorder – an issue that can be pivotal where injuries in a child are being investigated.

The dual application of his expertise – to clinical negligence on the one hand and to child protection on the other – illustrates why specialist haematological opinion is so important. Determining whether a child has an underlying bleeding or clotting disorder can be decisive in both contexts, and requires an expert who can interpret complex haematological evidence and communicate it clearly to courts and lawyers who do not share that specialist background.

Training as an expert witness

Beyond his clinical qualifications, Dr Keenan has undertaken formal training specifically for the expert witness role. He has completed training in medico-legal report writing and courtroom skills at the General Medical Council's Hallam Centre, and in 2025 completed Cardiff University Bond Solon courses in Excellence in Written Evidence and Courtroom Skills, holding the CUBS Expert Witness Certificate for family court work. This structured training reflects the modern expectation that medical experts should be as skilled in the discipline of giving evidence as in their underlying speciality, so that their opinions are properly reasoned, clearly written and robust under cross-examination.

The role of the expert witness

Expert witnesses occupy a distinctive position in the legal system: their overriding duty is to the court, not to the party instructing them, and their value lies in providing independent, impartial opinion within their area of expertise. In medical negligence and child protection cases involving children's blood disorders, the quality of that expert opinion can shape the outcome for families and clinicians alike. Practitioners who combine long clinical experience with formal medico-legal training, as Dr Russell Keenan does, are especially well suited to this responsibility.

The Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026 “Medical Negligence Relating to Paediatric Haematology Expert Witness of the Year in the UK” recognises Dr Russell Keenan for his specialist expertise and his experience providing independent medico-legal opinion in paediatric haematology.