BOURN HALL LIMITED - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Patient Support Coordinator
In her role, Abbi handles patient consultations, offers guidance on treatments, and provides empathetic support. She understands that each patient's journey is unique and is committed to assisting them along their fertility journey.
Abbi and her team also support patients during challenging times, offering compassionate guidance after unsuccessful treatments and connecting them with counselling services.
Abbi says, "Each patient that comes through is wanting the same outcome, and you just can't help but be excited for them. It's such a different feeling coming home now. When I think back about my day, it's fulfilling to know that we're helping people with one of the most important things that matter to them in their lives."
Job Titles:
- Regional Lead Embryologist
Adam Burnley began his career at Bourn Hall in November 1986 at a time when the embryology laboratories were housed in temporary buildings at the front of the Main Hall. He worked at Bourn Hall when both Dr Patrick Steptoe and Professor Robert Edwards were present daily at the Clinic and before the advent of the HFEA and corresponding standards and regulation.
His first position was working in the endocrinology department processing daily blood samples in order to assess patient hormone levels. He joined the embryology team in 1990 where he has worked ever since.
Bourn Hall sponsored Adam to study for an MBA at Aston University which he completed with distinction in 2003. He is a member of the Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE), is registered with the Health Professionals Council (HPC) and is now the Regional Lead Embryologist at our Cambridge and Norwich clinics.
Adam has friends who have undergone IVF, both successful and not, and he is a father of young children which has helped him realise how important the process and outcome of IVF is to patients and how difficult it must be for those suffering from infertility.
He says: "I have had the opportunity to participate in the training of embryologists at Bourn Hall, and feel proud to work with a team of people who understand the importance of what they do and take great pride in their work. I am sure this level of care is felt by those people who choose to come to Bourn Hall for their treatment."
Becoming the Lead Embryologist at Bourn Hall Clinic at Colchester is a dream job for Anne O'Leary. She has a degree from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, and gained her early training with Martyn Blayney at Bourn Hall Clinic.
She left in 2003 to gain wider experience at Birmingham Women's Hospital and Care Northampton where she was promoted to Laboratory Manager, before rejoining Bourn Hall in 2011. In 2017 Anne was promoted to Regional Lead Embryologist for Essex overseeing our clinics at Colchester and Wickford.
The Embryology teams across the group work closely together and share working practices so that staff can move easily between clinics. Anne's specialist interest is embryo culture, which is ensuring all the conditions for the developing embryo are as close to - or better than - nature would provide.
Anne says: "I am delighted to be back with Bourn Hall - it is like coming home. We are working in one of the most highly regulated areas of medicine and it is great to be with such a caring and disciplined team of people.
Job Titles:
- Nursing Development Director
Annie Cant RGN RM joined Bourn Hall Clinic in 1998, having moved from nursing and midwifery to the speciality of IVF in 1988.
She helped in establishing IVF in Cambridge, working with Professor Peter Braude assisting his collaboration with the University of Cambridge. She has immense experience within the field of infertility, is certificated in infertility ultrasound and has more than 19 years valuable training and practical experience both within the clinical and laboratory settings.
Having helped build the link between Bourn Hall Clinic and Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, she took up a full-time post at Bourn Hall to co-ordinate IVF clinical trials. In 2001, Annie took up the position as Deputy Head of Nursing and, in 2003, was promoted to Head of Nursing. Annie's contribution to the Nursing function was further recognised by promotion to Nursing Development Director in January 2018.
Annie says: "This must be one of the most beautiful places to work, not only because the situation of the clinic is so special, but so too is the unique, collaborative team."
Job Titles:
- Senior Patient Support Coordinator
Carrie Harding has many years experience in administrative and secretarial roles working in the finance and retail sectors, for estate agents and the Essex Fire and Rescue Service.
She has worked in both the private and public sector and also set up and ran various businesses from home.
Prior to joining the Bourn Hall family in November 2012, she worked at Brentwood Fertility Centre as Unit Administrator for more than eight years. She has experience in helping patients through their first initial contact to the start of their fertility treatment and through the emotional journey towards parenthood.
Carrie has considerable experience working with Consultants, GP's, nurses, the NHS and patients from all sectors of the community.
Carrie says: "I feel it is a privilege to be working for Bourn Hall and working in our new clinic in Wickford is really special. I hope my knowledge and experience will help support patients through their journey with us."
David Briggs, with a wealth of experience in healthcare management and a passion for excellence, oversees the operational strategies driving Bourn Hall's success.
David has a first class BSC in Economics from the University of Salford and an MBA from Westminster Business School.
From his early career in business banking, David has worked with a wider range of businesses, working in the private healthcare sector for the last 20 years, running both surgical and out-patient businesses, primarily in London before joining Bourn Hall.
David says, "I find working in the healthcare sector immensely rewarding, working in a fast-moving sector, but one that cares for people and strives to always put the patient first. Bourn Hall has an outstanding heritage and the ethos of providing excellent patient service while continuing to innovate. I feel there are huge opportunities to work with the passionate team at Bourn Hall to continue to grow the service and support more and more patients."
Job Titles:
- Business Services Director
Dawn Course has more than 30 years of professional experience in the field of infertility and healthcare. She has risen through the company, working in areas ranging from customer care, IT and Core Services to being part of the management buyout team in 2005.
Following that exciting period in the company's development, she continued to expand her role becoming the Business Services Director, establishing new satellite locations and other clinic sites and building client relationships with key stakeholders and suppliers. One of these was the NHS, and through successful tender and procurement, Dawn established Bourn Hall as a chosen partner in care, offering both Level 2 Fertility investigations and Level 3 Specialised fertility services to NHS patients across the East of England.
Dawn has introduced many new technologies and client relationships to Bourn Hall Clinic. She enjoys the challenge of optimising resources to achieve the highest levels of service for her internal and external customers. She also achieved ISO accreditation for IT demonstrating her commitment to the company's success, efficiency and development.
Dr Humera Zaheen is an experienced Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who also works part time in general practice. Humera has more than 15 years' experience working in large hospital obstetrics and gynaecology departments both in Pakistan and since 2002 in the UK. She completed her advanced training in Fetal Medicine and labour ward practice from Royal Free Hospital , London . She joined the team at Bourn Hall Wickford as a Consultant Gynaecologist and IVF Specialist in March 2020 just days before the first shutdown of the pandemic.
Dr Jitendra Jadhav trained as an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the most prestigious University Hospitals in Mumbai, India. In the UK, he further completed specialist training and obtained my CCT and eligibility for GMC Specialist Register in the West Midlands region.
Whilst in the West Midlands Jitendra worked in various fertility and assisted conception units, including Birmingham, Coventry and Burton upon Trent. Subsequently, Jitendra had more than one year of intensive training as a Clinical Fellow at the UK's best performing private fertility clinic in central London. This gave him a wide range of clinical experience in both NHS and private health care units. His other interests include Ultrasound scanning for fertility profiling and endoscopy surgery (laparoscopy and hysteroscopy) to optimise chance of conception. Both these skills complement his fertility practice.
Since 2009 Jitendra has been working as a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, with a special interest in fertility, at Basildon University Hospital. He and his team run a dedicated fertility service at the hospital and for couples needing IVF treatment, refer patients to more specialised IVF clinics.
He has been associated with Bourn Hall since the inception of the Wickford satellite clinic in 2013 and continues to do so with the opening of the new full-service fertility clinic in 2018.
Dr Nausheen Mawal joined the Bourn Hall team at Norwich in 2016 and in 2023 was promoted to the role of Lead Clinician for Bourn Hall's Norfolk clinics.
She has wide experience in all aspects of assisted conception. She is passionate about patient satisfaction and believes in providing high-quality personalised, tailored care to all of her patients.
She is certified by the British Fertility Society (BFS) as a trainer for modules in assisted conception, pelvic ultrasound , management of the infertile couple, IUI & embryo transfer and fertility preservation. She has advanced skills in gynaecological and fertility ultrasound, including 3D ultrasound and early pregnancy ultrasound. She is committed to supporting every individual to have their best chance of starting or growing their family.
Nausheen was accepted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in 2020 and also has membership of the BFS.
She undertook her basic MBBS training at the Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal, India. She then completed her post graduate training and received her MD in Obstetrics and gynaecology from the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Maharashtra, India in 1998. She attained membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) in 2007 and worked in various prestigious hospitals in the gulf, before moving to the UK in 2010.
Prior to joining Bourn Hall, she worked at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn and the Queens Hospital in Burton on Trent , where she gained significant experience in the NHS providing secondary level fertility services and developed broad clinical experience in in fertility & Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Nausheen also completed Advanced Training Skills Modules (ATSMs) in management of the labour ward, medical education and is a trained BSCCP certified Colposcopist.
She works closely with the GPs, Hospitals and ICBs throughout the region and has a wide experience in the management of assisted conception treatments and believes in an individualised approach to delivering patient-centred care.
Nausheen says, "I am humbled to be able to help people in their journey towards having a family and proud to be leading a successful and multi-disciplinary team here in Norfolk. Each patient's journey is unique and I am passionate about patient satisfaction. I want to ensure we can support every individual through their journey to enable them to get the best out of their experience with us."
Doctor Paloma Perez-Clemente graduated in medicine and surgery at the University of Valencia in Spain in 1992 and moved to the UK in 1993.
She trained in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at various hospitals in East Anglia including Cambridge, Norwich, Bedford and Bury St Edmunds. In 1998 she commenced the sub-specialty of Reproductive Medicine at the Assisted Conception Unit in Dundee. She moved to the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department in the Colchester hospital in 2004,where she helped run the Fertility Clinic.
In 2008 she joined the team at Bourn Hall Clinic in Colchester and continues to work at both the Colchester and Wickford clinics.
Paloma says "I am delighted to be part of the team that helps people fulfill their dream of becoming parents"
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Medical Director
- FRCOG
Dr Papathanasiou has built a strong medical team with an ethos on patient-centred care; he has specialist interests in the treatment of women with low ovarian reserve, recurrent miscarriage, and those who respond poorly to IVF stimulation drugs.
Working closely with the NHS in Norfolk, he has pioneered a joined-up approach to fertility treatment whereby fertility specialists work closely with GPs to ensure early resolution with minimal intervention. Tailored advice on lifestyle changes and carefully monitored ovulation induction have boosted pregnancy success rates.
In 2019 he was appointed Medical Director and in October 2022 he was appointed as Chief Executive and Medical Director.
Within IVF, he has a particular interest in managing women with low ovarian reserve (low egg stores) as well as women who respond poorly to stimulation drugs. These women may find it harder to become pregnant even after repeated IVF and, as a result, are likely to require highly personalised medical input based on the latest research.
Within the area of PCOS and other female hormonal conditions, he has worked in the fertility and endocrine clinics of two large London hospitals. Before settling at Bourn Hall, he had a successful career in Greece as a recognised expert in the field and published a book on PCOS. Through his training and beyond, he has developed expertise in the delivery of a wide range of fertility services, from investigating the sub-fertile couple to the planning and execution of individualised fertility treatments. He can also provide valuable insight on how to manage recurrent miscarriage, within or outside the context of IVF.
Joanne qualified as a nurse in 2002 and gained experience working as a theatre nurse at Bedford hospital, where she also qualified as a registered midwife.
Jo joined Bourn Hall in 2006 as a Fertility Nurse at our Cambridge clinic, progressing to Advanced Fertility Nurse Specialist - when in this role, as well as her nursing responsibilities, she additionally co-ran the Fertility Health and Wellbeing service.
In 2022 she was promoted to the role of Lead Nurse, a role she shares with Leona Crookston.
"Delivering personalised treatment is very important to me, and as we have been adapting to living with Covid-19 we have continuously reviewed the way we work to ensure the safety of everyone. As we move forward, I am committed to ensuring that we constantly look for new initiatives to continue to improve our patient's journey and treatment."
John Arthur has a BSC in Mathematics from the University of Hull, a Post-graduate award in Business Leadership from the University of Warwick and is a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).
John has experience in a diverse range of organisations across different industry sectors, including transportation services, manufacturing, software development, BSL interpreting services and most recently in healthcare consultancy.
John says "I have previously enjoyed working for organisations that are people-centred - Bourn Hall has a similar ethos and makes a real difference to the lives of individuals. I think there is potential to improve efficiencies in the system and introduce new technologies that will benefit both patients and staff. I can bring expertise from other sectors to help facilitate this."
Job Titles:
- Lead Nurse, Bourn Hall Norwich
Kathryn initially trained and qualified as a nurse and then subsequently qualified as a midwife. She gained invaluable experience working mostly on labour wards for nearly 20 years at the Lister Hospital and also briefly at the Rosie Maternity unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
In 2009 she decided to change direction, moving into fertility medicine and joined Bourn Hall Cambridge as a Fertility Nurse. She was laterally promoted to the role of Senior Fertility Nurse Specialist and joined the nursing team in our Norwich clinic.
Kathryn is passionate about ensuring that patients are given all of the information that they need when they come to Bourn Hall for fertility testing (Level 2) and then being given the opportunity of coming to Bourn Hall for IVF treatment (Level 3).
She was promoted to the role of Lead Nurse for Norfolk in 2022.
Prior to joining Bourn Hall in the Summer of 2021, Lee was the Patient Advocacy Manager at Amgen and has a strong track record in the life-science and healthcare sectors. She has worked closely with patient groups and sees some of the recent changes to service delivery brought on by the pandemic - such as virtual appointments - as a distinct advantage for some patients, enabling patients to engage with their healthcare teams more flexibly.
Based at Bourn Hall Cambridge Lee has overall responsibility for the patient services teams at Cambridge, Norwich and Wickford. She and her team across the clinics ensure that every patient from their initial enquiry through to completing their treatment, receives the information and support they need and that they have the best possible experience at every stage of their journey.
"Infertility puts a huge pressure on mental wellbeing and treatment undoubtedly creates a rollercoaster of emotions. The relationship that our team has with patients is critically important to ensure the best possible outcome. The whole team is passionate about helping people achieve their dream of creating their family and I am looking forward to supporting them by bringing my experiences gained from other healthcare sectors to this role."
Leona trained in Liverpool and qualified as a nurse in 2003. She gained nursing and gynaecology experience in the gynaecological units of three London hospitals before joining St Bartholomew's Hospital where she specialised in fertility nursing for 10 years and worked her way up to the position of senior sister.
She joined Bourn Hall's Cambridge clinic in 2016 and progressed to Advanced Fertility Nurse Specialist. When in this role as well as being part of the nursing team she co-ran the Fertility Health and Wellbeing service.
In 2022 she was promoted to the role of Lead Nurse, a role she shares with Joanna Sharman.
Leona is keen to ensure that the Cambridge clinic nursing team provide the highest standards of care that they are well known for and to continually look for ways to improve working practices and procedures.
"I love the fact that Bourn Hall was the world's first IVF clinic and all the heritage which goes with that - there is such an aura around the place, it is very special."
Martyn Blayney joined Bourn Hall Clinic in January 1989 as a trainee embryologist, under the tutorship of Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Robert Edwards CBE FRS, having previously qualified as a State Registered MLSO in the microbiology department of his local teaching hospital.
His training was in-house, under the supervision of competent embryologists, and ultimately by the Scientific Director. Upon completion of the training process, he was appointed as an Embryologist and, in 1992, was promoted to senior embryologist and then to laboratory manager.
Dr Papathanasiou has built a strong medical team with an ethos on patient-centred care; he has specialist interests in the treatment of women with low ovarian reserve, recurrent miscarriage, and those who respond poorly to IVF stimulation drugs.
Working closely with the NHS in Norfolk, he has pioneered a joined-up approach to fertility treatment whereby fertility specialists work closely with GPs to ensure early resolution with minimal intervention. Tailored advice on lifestyle changes and carefully monitored ovulation induction have boosted pregnancy success rates.
In 2019 he was appointed Medical Director and in October 2022 he was appointed as Chief Executive and Medical Director.
Within IVF, he has a particular interest in managing women with low ovarian reserve (low egg stores) as well as women who respond poorly to stimulation drugs. These women may find it harder to become pregnant even after repeated IVF and, as a result, are likely to require highly personalised medical input based on the latest research.
Mike Macnamee, BSc MSc PhD, has more than 20 years scientific and management experience in the field of infertility, rising through clinical embryology/endocrinology to replace Professor Robert Edwards as Scientific Director of Bourn Hall Clinic in 1991 and to General Manager in 2000.
He has worked internationally in the research of reproductive drug development with more than 60 peer-reviewed published papers.
Mike has extensive experience of giving both technical lectures and non-technical presentations to a broad range of audiences at worldwide conferences.
By 2002, he had been promoted to vice-president and head of pre-clinical development within the Serono organisation. At the end of 2005, as Chief Executive, Mike's commitment to Bourn Hall's future was demonstrated by his leadership of the management buy-out team in achieving successful independence from its previous pharmaceutical parent. Mike continued as Chief Executive until the Autumn of 2022 when he moved into the role of Chief Advisor to the group of clinics.
Prof. Arpita Ray qualified as an obstetrician and gynaecologist in 2000. After a career in India, she joined the NHS in 2002 working exclusively in this field for a long period. Arpita has an extensive research background in polycystic ovary syndrome and unexplained infertility; she has worked with Professor Roy Homburg, one of the iconic figures in reproductive medicine and IVF. She has a special interest in problems associated with recurrent miscarriage and was awarded the MRCOG (Member of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) in 2004. Arpita has served as a consultant in the NHS since 2012 and joined Bourn Hall, Colchester, as Lead Clinician in 2015.
In 2017 Arpita was appointed Regional Lead Clinician for both of our Essex clinics in Colchester and Wickford. Most recently, in 2020 Arpita received an Honorary professorship from New Vision University in Georgia for her work in fertility and reproductive medicine.
Rebecca (Becky) heads up our nursing team in Essex, based at the clinic in Wickford.
Before joining Bourn Hall, she coordinated the delivery suite at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital. She has extensive experience in women's health and of working in both hospital and community roles. She is a qualified prescriber and ALS practitioner.
Job Titles:
- Sales & Marketing Director
Richard has been part of the Bourn Hall family since 2016 - he is responsible for directing our marketing activities and patient services teams and is focused on ensuring that our patient experience and journey is the best that it can be.
He has extensive marketing and customer service credentials built up via agency and in-house experience. As Managing Director of Mongoose Media, Ten Alps Media and Director of Commercial at CPL, Richard has worked with a variety of organisations and charities including the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the British Psychological Society, the Camping and Caravanning Club, the National Childbirth Trust, Cambridgeshire County Council, Private Eye and the Labour Party.
Richard says "Working with BH is something that I am passionate about - I have been lucky to have a family myself and I am proud to be working with people that make a genuine difference to people's lives and families."