Hilary Toulmin is an Assistant Professor and Specialist Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge.

During her Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship, she studied foetal brain development in the third trimester of pregnancy and the neurodevelopmental outcomes of children born preterm. This research involved implementing novel functional neuroimaging methods (fMRI) to analyse whether brain connectivity at birth is associated with outcomes in motor, language or cognitive domains at two years old. Her previous work also included supporting individuals with lived experience of serious mental illness (SMI) to set the agenda for research and deliver interventions to reduce stigma. 

Her current research focuses on reducing health inequities in underserved populations and improving the mental and physical health outcomes of children and families with neurodevelopmental differences. 

She is developing a collaboration between the North East London Foundation NHS Trust (NELFT) and the University of Cambridge. She holds an honorary clinical position in Barking and Dagenham, seeing children and families on the autism pathway.