PBC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Author
- Marketing & Communications Officer
Angelina Jolie decided to undergo a double preventative mastectomy after testing positive for the mutated BRCA1 gene. Women who have the BRCA1 gene mutation have between a 45 per cent and 90 per cent risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. The gene mutation is linked to those with a strong family history of breast cancer - as was the case with Jolie, whose mother had passed away from the disease.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Trustee
- Partner at Sheppards Chartered Accountants
Charles is a Partner at Sheppards Chartered Accountants in Altrincham. His skills as a Chartered Accountant are in advising clients in accounts, taxation, and a wide range of business matters. Charles draws on his experience in these areas in his role as Honorary Treasurer of Prevent Breast Cancer.
Charles's involvement with Prevent Breast Cancer began in the late 1990's following the death of his wife from the disease.
Christine Lee-Jones is the former Head Mistress of Manchester High School for Girls and the areas of expertise she brings to Prevent Breast Cancer are organisational leadership, the management of change, strategic planning and fundraising. She has been a trustee of Prevent Breast Cancer since 2012 and as a trustee of two other charities she also brings to the board her experience of trust governance.
Christine was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 following routine screening and is passionate about the work of the charity in funding research to prevent this disease.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Scientific Advisory Board & Expert
Colin Taverner is taking on this year's Tour de Manc and cycling 100 miles for Prevent Breast Cancer. In our latest blog, he tells us about his wife's devastating diagnosis and his hope for a breast cancer free future.
On 29 th December 2022, my wife Mandy received the news that she had breast cancer. She'd noticed a subtle visual change on one of her breasts and consulted with her GP in mid-December. The GP didn't think it was anything to be concerned about but referred her to the breast clinic at Leeds St James' Hospital, just to be on the safe side. As it turned out, both Mandy's attentiveness to her own body and the GP's decision to get a second opinion proved to be crucial. It was subsequently confirmed that there was a small, cancerous tumour. Lymph node biopsies suggested it probably hadn't spread very far; it had been spotted early.
Due to transmission to the lymph nodes, Mandy opted to go with chemotherapy, as well as the mastectomy surgery, to give her the peace of mind that she had done everything available to attack the cancer cells inside her body.
Diana Harris, mother of two lovely daughters, Maddie and Olivia, is passionate about making a difference, which is why she got involved with Prevent Breast Cancer. Diana has over 25 years Marketing and Innovation experience with well-known UK, European and Global businesses, helping their brands to grow.
Now running her own consultancy "aha innovation", Diana wants to put her skills to good use in her role as a Prevent Breast Cancer Trustee. Appointed in April 2014, Diana aims to help the team grow the charity in terms of awareness, recognition and funds. A keen cyclist, Diana has just bought a lovely new bike in Prevent Breast Cancer colours for her own fund raising efforts with her friends and family.
A founding Patron of Prevent Breast Cancer, Diane played a key role in raising awareness of the charity. In 2004 she raised over £76,000 for Prevent Breast Cancer by appearing on ITV's "I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here!
Diane is one of Britain's most successful 800m runners. She won a Gold Medal in the 1990 Commonwealth Games, and followed this up with a further Silver and Bronze Medal. She has also competed in 4 Olympic Games, 1988 in Seoul, 1992 in Barcelona, 1996 in Atlanta and 2000 in Sydney. Diane is both the former British and Commonwealth Record Holder.
Since retiring from athletics she has dedicated herself to a number of great causes, currently Lay Adviser to the Central Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group and was previously the Chief Ambassador for the National Charity - Street Games.In 2010 Diane established the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (DMSF) a registered charity. It champions undiscovered talent and brings high quality athletics coaching and mentoring opportunities to both able-bodied and disabled young people, particularly those living in some of the poorest areas across the UK.
Dr Annice Mukherjee is a leading UK hormone specialist, speaker and author with 3 decades of experience in hospital medicine. Her specialism in hormones from the early days has always focussed on optimising quality of life in relation to hormone problems. Annice's work has focussed on women's health and she has an international profile in the field of menopause.
Annice currently works full time as a Consultant Endocrinologist in the private sector and was an NHS Consultant at Salford Royal Hospital Trust until 2019, having worked in the NHS for 27 years.
Annice has held an elected national position on the Society for Endocrinology national programme committee and the Society's clinical committee. She contributes to the Society's patient website "You and Your Hormones". She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, and member of the British Menopause Society and British Thyroid Association. Annice featured in the channel 4 menopause documentary "Sex, mind and the menopause" in 2022 with Davina McCall and has featured in menopause stories in the media including BBC Breakfast, Radio 5 live and broadsheet newspapers.
Annice is the author of "The Complete Guide to the Menopause" which was published by Penguin Random House in January 2021.
Job Titles:
- Research Fellow at the University of Manchester
Dr Hannah Harrison is a research fellow at the University of Manchester and a member of The Manchester Breast Centre, with over 20 years' experience in cancer research. She focuses on developing better ways to study breast cancer. Her current work, fully funded by Prevent Breast Cancer, introduces a new method to create models of human breast tissue to be used to test drugs to prevent breast cancer.
Dr Michelle Harvie is an award-winning research dietitian funded by Prevent Breast Cancer. She's been a leader in her field for well over 20 years and has had her findings published in many major scientific journals.
Dr Soujanya Gadde, Consultant Breast Radiologist at The Nightingale Centre, is an expert in breast imaging with a keen interest in education and training. She is currently the lead for the National Breast Imaging Academy fellowship programme. As a woman from the UK Asian community, she has a specific interest in improving breast awareness and early diagnosis among that community.
Dr Trupti Kulkarni is an expert in breast radiology and cancer diagnosis. Along with her medical work, she is heavily invested in teaching and training of medical students, doctors and other health professionals in the field of breast diseases both in the UK and internationally. She is passionate about patient interactions and in particular promoting awareness of breast health within communities both in the UK and globally.
Eamonn has a long association with the charity sector in various roles including Chair of Trustees, CEO, and Director of Strategy. He was appointed Trustee of Prevent Breast Cancer in February 2022 and remains a trustee of a number of charities.
He has been a governor at The Manchester Metropolitan University, Sale Grammar School and St Joseph's RC Primary School, Sale.
Eamonn was formerly the managing editor of The Manchester Evening News and associated regional publications and websites. He is also an established broadcaster, having worked in television and radio for around forty years. During his time in television, he was head of regional programmes for ITV Granada, executive producer of This Morning and was honoured with the Royal Television Society's Best Regional Presenter award. He continues to present programmes on BBC Radio Manchester.
He received an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree by The University of Bolton in 2015, for ‘outstanding services to charity and broadcasting'.
Eamonn was commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester in 2014 and Her Majesty The Queen appointed him High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, 2020/21.
Job Titles:
- Campaigns & Marketing Manager
Job Titles:
- Author
- Trusts & Research Officer
One of the best known television faces in the North West. For 15 years Gordon presented NORTH WEST TONIGHT and won 5 Royal Television Society awards for best regional presenter and the programme picked up 6 RTS awards for best regional news programme. Gordon also won the coveted BBC Ruby Award for best regional presenter in the UK.
Gordon made his name nationally by hosting ITV's popular quiz programme THE KRYPTON FACTOR which ran at peak-time for 18 years pulling in audiences of up to 18 million people. He wrote all the scripts for the programme and devised many of the tough challenges for the contestants.He is a journalist by trade and began his career as a newspaper reporter with the Belfast Telegraph in his home city. For ten years he provided live commentary for the ITV network on the Labour, Conservative and TUC party conferences. He also produced and presented Granada Television's regional news and political programmes for 15 years.
Gordon has been a huge supporter of Prevent Breast Cancer and as a Patron he hosted the opening of The Nightingale Centre and the Prevent Breast Cancer Research Unit- Europe's first purpose built breast cancer prevention centre in 2007. Most recently, Gordon has hosted a selection of our Update hours which can be viewed on our YouTube Channel here.
Jane joined Prevent Breast Cancer's Board of Trustees in 2022. As an academic in the field of Social Sciences, and the Director of a UK registered and international research charity, Jane brings experience of charity management, research support, and the UK's research environment, to support Prevent Breast Cancer.
Jane is also a BRCA1 gene carrier, so is keen to contribute to the work of Prevent breast Cancer. Preventative research and opportunities for BRCA1 carriers have been crucial for Jane's extended family, which why she is so passionate about the work of the charity.
Job Titles:
- Head of Income Generation
Job Titles:
- Head of Operations & Database
Julia Bradbury's ITV Documentary mentions a SNP test. But what does that mean? In her emotional and very personal documentary about surgery for breast cancer, Julia Bradbury describes having a new test called a SNP test. Below you can find out more ...
Julie Grabham was diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine breast screening appointment. Since her diagnosis, she has launched a campaign to encourage the government to make changes to legislation to allow employees paid time off for their breast screening appointments.
We caught up with Julie to find out how a breast cancer diagnosis led to her award-winning campaigning.
I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in November 2022, following a routine breast screening appointment. Little did I know that that appointment would change my life. I was probably the fittest I had been in a long time. I had no symptoms, I ran every day, and I don't drink alcohol or smoke, so the diagnosis came as a complete shock.
I had a recall letter, which was quite vague, and as I couldn't feel a lump, I was sure there was nothing to worry about. When a biopsy was mentioned, I was shown the lump on the screen and to this day, it frightens me how I couldn't feel it. I then had an 18 day wait to see a consultant to confirm the diagnosis and get the ball rolling with scans etc.
At this point, I was assured treatment would start within 62 days as per government targets. The reality was very different - 100 days. Knowing I had an invasive tumour for 100 days was mentally hard. Eventually, the tumour was removed by a lumpectomy with breast surgery and this was followed by radiotherapy. I started taking hormone tablets and I'm expected to be on these for 10 years. As I was premenopausal at the stage of diagnosis, I am also having monthly hormone implants to push me into post-menopausal status and to enable me to have bone strengthening infusions over the next 3 years. It's not just a case of removing the cancer, it's the ongoing treatment that is challenging.
When I told everyone, the kindness and support I had was amazing. We had already planned for my husband Alun to retire after his 33 long years in a high-pressured retail career and my diagnosis gave us proof that life is too short and precious to continue working ridiculous hours, and you should ease up if you can afford to.
I was never afraid that I would die, I didn't consider that to be an option. My initial worry was I didn't want the girls or my parents to be upset and frightened. We had very little experience of cancer in our family and so we made sure they knew what was happening every step of the way.
My constant worry was and still is, what if I can't find another lump - that plays on my mind, but it's reassuring to be having annual mammograms. I wish I was better educated on breast cancer and that I knew more about the different types of cancer and treatments available. Like many others, my mind went straight to mastectomy and chemotherapy, but that's not the only route to treatment.
We were honoured to welcome Karen James onto our Board of Trustees in February 2022.
Karen had breast cancer in 2018 and now joins our board to support the charity with her wealth of knowledge. Having been head of all things sales, marketing and client service at a leading indie production company, an ad agency account director and client side Marketing Director, Karen has a full 360 degree view of everything. Karen believes that the best results come from a cohesive business development, PR, marketing and social media effort.
Some of Karen's successes from 2021 include 8 out of 10 pitch wins, improving SEO from 28th to 1st and directly accountable for £ 2 M of new business across England and Scotland.
Keisha Chadwick was only 28 years old when she received the devastating news that she had breast cancer. Not only did she receive this lifechanging news on her own due to Covid, but it was only seven weeks after she had given birth to her daughter, Milana.
Now, after finishing all her active treatment, she is throwing all her weight behind BooBee's Big Campaign and has signed up as a BooBee Ambassador. The BooBees are 100 women, who have been affected by breast cancer, who are joining together to spread awareness and fundraise for a future without breast cancer.
Keisha has very kindly shared her story with us and explained why she has joined this vitally important campaign in support of Prevent Breast Cancer.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Honorary President
- Author
Prevent Breast Cancer Co-Founder and Honorary President Lester Barr was Sally's consultant at the time of her diagnosis, and worked with the team at ITV as a researcher to ensure the breast cancer storyline was medically accurate.
Loretta Mooney has joined Prevent Breast Cancer's 100 Club to raise the final funds urgently required to build the National Breast Imaging Academy, which will provide more screenings, more staff and more research.
Over the next year, Loretta, a Financial Planner, has committed to raising an incredible £10,000 towards the building of this life-saving Academy, which will be an extension of The Nightingale Centre, the home of Prevent Breast Cancer.
Having been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, this is a cause incredibly close to Loretta's heart. As she embarks on her fundraising journey, she has kindly shared her reasons for joining the 100 Club.
Job Titles:
- Freelance Copywriter & Board of Trustees Secretary
Margo Cornish was appointed a Patron of Prevent Breast Cancer in January 2020 following her tremendous support with BreastFest and the BooBee campaign, of which she founded.
In a blog announcing Margo's new role, she said ‘It is a great honour to have been asked to be a patron of such a wonderful charity. By becoming a patron, it will undoubtedly give me a wider platform and a louder voice in supporting the charity in it's mission to help make breast cancer a disease of the past'. Read more about Margo's involvement and why she is so passionate about our charity here.
Here at Prevent Breast Cancer, we are extremely saddened to have lost our wonderful patron, Morag Siller, to the devastating disease that is breast cancer. Morag was a beautiful woman, inside and out, and you can read more about her life here.
Actress Morag Siller performed in films, in theatre, on TV and radio. Her work has included Mamma Mia and Les Miserables in the West End and she appeared in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Ladies of Letters, Casualty and Monarch of the Glen.
In 2011 Morag was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Her friend and fellow Patron, Sally Dynevor introduced her to the charity.
Mr Ashu Gandhi is a Consultant Surgeon in the Nightingale & Prevent Breast Cancer Prevention Centre. He sits on numerous national committees setting standards and agendas for breast cancer care in the UK. Find out more about their professional biography, recent publications, research interest and selected previous publications.
Job Titles:
- Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon
- Expert
Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon, Mr James Harvey, is a reconstructive breast surgeon in the Nightingale Centre. He specialises in research into surgical outcomes from breast surgery and in the development and assessment of new devices in breast surgery. His research background makes him an ideal person to be a member of the Prevent Breast Cancer Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) as well as being a fundraiser himself for the charity. Mr Harvey helps inform the board which research projects should be funded by the charity.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Artist and Breast Surgeon
- Expert
To view and purchase Mr Dave's artwork, please take a look on his website. All proceeds will go towards supporting both Prevent Breast Cancer, and the International Forum of the Association of Breast Surgery. Don't forget you can view three pieces, up close and personal, if you're ever in The Nightingale Centre.
Mr Rajiv V Dave is a Consultant Oncoplastic Breast and Endocrine Surgeon, based at The Nightingale Centre, and is an active supporter of Prevent Breast Cancer.
Mr Dave was born and raised in Kenya, East Africa, before completing medical training in Leeds, Melbourne and Manchester. Mr Dave continues to be involved in the development of global partnerships in breast cancer and is passionate about the artistry of breast surgery.
His passion outside his clinical work is wildlife art, inspired by his upbringing in Kenya. He has recently donated his artwork to raise funds for both Prevent Breast Cancer, and the International Forum of the Association of Breast Surgery.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Vice President
- Director of Consultantcare
Pam is the Director of Consultantcare, a Practice Management service for the maintenance and development of medical specialists at various treatment centres in the North West.
A Trustee of Prevent Breast Cancer since 1996, Pam remains incredibly committed and passionate about the charity. She played a vital role in raising £2 million towards the The Nightingale Centre, by encouraging the local community to fundraise and support our vision of Europe's first purpose built breast cancer prevention centre.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Medical Genetics and Cancer Epidemiology at the University of Manchester
- Medical & Research Patron
- Professor
- Professor of Medical Genetics
Professor Gareth Evans is a chair of medical genetics and cancer epidemiology at the University of Manchester, with a particular interest in biomarkers of risk of developing breast cancer.
In 2019, the results of research led by Professor Gareth Evans and funded by Prevent Breast Cancer, were published in the American Journal of Human Genetics proving that SNPs are a valid predictor of the risk of developing the disease. We are now in a position where we can fairly accurately predict an individual woman's risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. This has been one of Prevent Breast Cancer's most important achievements over the last decade. Professor Evans has begun trials in Greater Manchester, which will see breast screening tailored to individual risk for the first time on the NHS, a new approach that could revolutionise breast screening across the UK. Read more about Gene Fragments an Accurate Predictor of Breast Cancer Risk.
In 2015, Prof Gareth Evans coined the term the ‘Angelina Effect' which highlighted how the Hollywood actress' decision to undergo a double mastectomy to remove her breasts, and later her ovaries, had driven a surge in women coming forward for genetic testing. His paper funded by Prevent Breast Cancer on the "The Angelina Effect" had the highest data analysis score for any paper ever published by the journal.
Professor Evans and his team assessed data from 12 family history clinics - including the one at The Nightingale - and nine regional genetic centres in the UK. They found that there was a two and a half-fold increase in referrals by their GPs for June and July 2013 immediately after the actress' announcement, compared to the same two months in 2012. This rise in referrals continued from August to October with a two-fold increase over the same period the previous year. Importantly, the researchers believe that during this period of increased interest, there was no greater proportion of inappropriate referrals by GPs.
Job Titles:
- Medical & Research Patron
- Professor of Medical Oncology
Prof Tony Howell is interested, with Gareth Evans, in the prediction of breast cancer risk and the pharmacological prevention of breast cancer. With Michelle Harvie he is interested in lifestyle preventive measures. With MBC scientists, he is interested in the underlying biology of breast cancer risk and prevention and the development of new preventive agents.
Anthony Howell is Professor of Medical Oncology and, leads the Prevent Breast Cancer Research Programme at the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust. He is the former Director of the Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, and the Manchester Breast Centre. He trained at Charing Cross Hospital, London and, after a period with the Medical Research Council, moved to Birmingham and then took a post to lead Breast Medical Oncology at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester. Formerly he was Chairman of the UK Breast Trials Organisation (UKCCCR), the British Breast Group and the ATAC trial and, up until the end of 2007, was the Research & Development Director of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Research Director of the Greater Manchester & Cheshire Cancer Research Network. His interests are the endocrine therapy and biology of the breast and breast cancer with a particular interest in prevention. He has published over 750 papers mainly in these areas.
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Professor of Breast Biology
Professor Rob Clarke is a Professor of Breast Biology and Director of the Manchester Breast Centre, based at the University of Manchester, UK. In 2001, Rob was appointed as a Research Fellow and lecturer in the Division of Cancer Sciences at The University of Manchester and has led the Breast Biology Research Group for over 20 years. His major research achievements include the first use of a proliferation biomarker in neoadjuvant tamoxifen and fulvestrant studies in the early 1990s, the discovery of the importance of paracrine signalling in normal breast epithelium and roles for stem cell signalling pathways in breast cancer therapy resistance and metastasis.
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant
Sacha Howell is a senior lecturer and honorary consultant in medical oncology. He continues to care for women with early and late breast cancer diagnosis at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and research novel approaches to therapy. Sacha runs clinics at The Nightingale Centre at MFT in risk prediction and advises women on breast cancer preventive strategies. His principle research focus is to better understand the mechanism of action of established risk reducing strategies such that we can develop novel approaches and personalise prevention to the individual. Sacha is also running a clinical study looking to enhance risk prediction in young women such that we can identify those who may benefit from early breast screening and breast cancer prevention.
Actress and Coronation Street star Sally Dynevor first heard about Prevent Breast Cancer in 1999 when she attended a fundraising event. Not long after, Sally was officially invited to become a Patron. Over the years, Sally has attended and hosted our annual ball, launched various Prevent Breast Cancer projects and Million Miles events and appeared at the opening of The Nightingale Centre in 2007. In 2009, Sally was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Sally is dedicated to Prevent Breast Cancer and works tirelessly to raise awareness of our cause. This includes trekking to Everest Base Camp with us in 2019!
Sally truly believes in our mission to prevent breast cancer for the next generation and we're continuously honoured to have her support.
Sandra was delighted to join the Board of Trustees of PBC in 2020.
Having worked in acute healthcare for over 45 years, Sandra has enjoyed a varied career. A former intensive care nurse of many years, she gained a Masters degree in Management and held a number of senior management hospital positions.
Now retired and keen to use her skills and experience in other settings, she is still a Registered Nurse and an active patient champion.
Here at Prevent Breast Cancer, we're always looking for supporters to share their inspirational stories. Siobhan was only 23 when she discovered what she thought was a pimple but was in fact stage 2 triple negative breast cancer. In this blog, Siobhan tells her breast cancer story in her own words.
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Professor in Intelligent Medical Imaging at the University of Manchester
Sue Astley is Professor in Intelligent Medical Imaging at the University of Manchester where her research interests encompass both risk prediction and early detection of breast cancer. She leads a group developing and evaluating novel machine learning methods for the analysis of breast images, with a particular focus on breast density and risk. She is also interested in the interaction between clinical experts and technology designed to aid image interpretation, aiming to identify the most effective implementation strategies. Her work is team-based and interdisciplinary, depending strongly on links with clinical collaborators.
Struck by just how many women Sue personally knew who experienced breast cancer - many of them far younger than she would expect - she wanted to do more to help raise awareness of the many issues that can affect our risk of developing cancer.
You wanted to know what a breast cancer free future means to me, but it's what it means to the world. Think of all the women, the mothers, the daughters, the sisters, the aunts and the cousins worldwide impacted by this horrible, ...
Sue Murby was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 48, two years younger than the age mammograms are normally offered. In our latest blog, she tells us how she turned her breast cancer diagnosis into a positive thing, including joining a breast cancer ...
The hugely talented actress and singer, Victoria Ekanoye, became a Prevent Breast Cancer patron alongside her mum, Candy, in February 2020.