HEALTH NETWORK NORTH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Project Support Officer - Exec Team
Andrea is originally from Sunderland and has recently relocated back to the North East from London where she has been working/living for the last ten years. Andrea's previous role was as an Executive Assistant working for an global insurance company…
Andy has 30 years' experience of working with systems and data across the private and public sectors. He has extensive project management experience for both small and large-scale projects, has been a computer auditor, data analyst, financial planner and information governance manager.
He spent several years working in local steel and motor manufacturing industries but more recently worked with Health and Local Authorities where he developed a passion for supporting the Health and Social Care economy.
As well as a degree in Electrical Engineering he has British Computer Society qualifications in data protection and information risk management. He also has extensive experience of process improvement through the introduction of ISO9000 compliant quality management systems and the application of Kaizen.
He would describe himself as a ‘realistic optimist' and can often be heard uttering the phrase "what could possibly go wrong?"…
Job Titles:
- Ageing Well Project Manager
Anne is Ageing Well Project Manager and has supported this programme of work for 4 years. Her role includes overseeing/managing the work plan; supporting various working groups; overseeing the Frailty iCARE Website CMS and is responsible for drafting grant and service level agreements to support the work. As part of her role, she also supports the Enhanced Care for Older People (EnCOP) Strategic Leads who oversee workforce development for our ageing population using the EnCOP Competency Framework. She supports EnCOP Operational Group meetings and manages the monthly series of online webinars. Anne also provides support to the Tees Valley Inhaler Project which aims to significantly reduce the disease burden of patients with asthma and COPD and to improve Patient Care. Previously she worked in a finance role in the private sector (17 years); worked at Newcastle City Council as a senior administrator (2 years), and worked in the voluntary sector (17 years) providing project management support to a registered charity that works in partnership with other organisations in Newcastle to meet the city's ambition to become an age-friendly city.
Job Titles:
- AHSN NENC As a Project Co - Ordinator
- Project Support Officer, National FH and Lipids Team
Avneet joined AHSN NENC as a Project Co-ordinator shortly after completing her BSc in Psychology and Biology from Newcastle University to offer support in a variety of areas in the National Lipids and FH team. She works very closely on the Child-Parent Screening Service (CPSS) for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia to ensure effective implementation of this service occurs at a national level. She is, now, a Project Support Officer for the team and continues to develop her project management skills with work that she is undertaking with the CPSS.
Job Titles:
- Programme Manager ( NHS Innovations )
- Programme Manager ( NHS Innovations ) NHS Trust
Becky would describe innovation as creative problem-solving. At the AHSN NENC, she supports NHS Trusts across north-east England to capture innovative ideas from their staff and turn them into novel products and services for the healthcare sector. This is done in collaboration with a brilliant group of Innovation Managers who each cover an NHS Trust in our region. Collectively they meet alongside AHSN NENC team members as an Innovation Forum - one group with a shared purpose.
Becky joined us in January 2022 and has a background in translational research with industry and clinical partners. She studied and worked in fields such as neuroscience, arthritis, and childhood leukaemia, before completing a PhD in dermatology with GSK Consumer Healthcare (UK/USA). She then joined Newcastle University's Arrow programme, supporting local SMEs to scope their ideas/innovations with expert academics. She has helped the NHS validate new COVID-19 diagnostic tests/equipment, and worked in community healthcare. She is excited to see Innovation grow in the region, motivated by the real-world impact it can have on economic growth and healthcare improvement.
Job Titles:
- Deputy National Programme Manager ( Lipid Management )
Catherine is the Deputy National Programme Manager for the National AAC AHSN FH and Lipids Programme. She leads on the Child Parent Screening Service (CPSS) which is currently being implemented across 7 AHSNs and for which the AHSN NENC lead nationally. The service, in line with the entire lipids programme, will run until October 2023. Catherine works closely with Julia Newton, Joe Chidanyika and Avneet Sandhu to support the integration of the CPSS into the national lipids programme with the aim to improve the detection of FH in line with the NHS long term plan. Catherine joins the AHSN NENC following a secondment from a pharmaceutical company where she worked to support the regional CVD team. She has a wide range of experience in the pharmaceutical industry encompassing roles in market access, commercial, management and working in the therapy areas of HIV/HCV, Parkinsons Disease, mental health and CVD.
Christine has recently joined the AHSN NENC as the Health Network North manager responsible for developing and expanding the Health Network North initiative. Christine has significant experience of working at a senior management level in public health both in the…
Claire Adams is an experienced nurse with a real passion for improving the care of people with respiratory disease. Over the 25 years of her nursing career, she has worked in the NHS, in the private sector and as a guest lecturer in respiratory disease within a university setting. She has also worked independently to provide respiratory education to primary care teams on a local, regional and national basis. She is delighted to be welcomed into the AHSN team, as she has a real interest in bringing innovation into the NHS for the good of patients. She is married with 2 adult daughters.
Job Titles:
- Digital Transformation Director
Dave is a psychiatric nurse by trade and spent a large proportion of his career working in mental health community settings and teams. For the last 20 years or so Dave has worked in a variety of service improvement roles at regional and national level, specialising in complex programme management, leadership and strategy. For around ten years he was the CEO of a medium sized social enterprise (NEMHDU) specialising in research, evaluation and implementation of projects and programmes within mental health systems. More recently Dave joined the AHSN, initially in a consulting capacity overseeing a variety of projects such as Well Connected Care Homes, then onto an interim Operational Directors role and latterly his current role. Dave is passionate about the impact digital and tech can play as an enabler to improving patient and staff care and experience, promoting digital inclusion and supporting innovation both from within and into the NHS and Social Care. Outside of work Dave and his family love the sea and have a variety of craft to explore and have fun.
Over the last 22 months, David has planned, developed and championed the implementation of FREED (First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders) across TEWV NHS FT including establishing 2 children's eating disorder teams and adults eating disorders team. To…
Job Titles:
- Project Manager - Mental Health Programs
Divya joined the AHSN NENC in 2020 whilst getting her MSc. in Clinical Psychology at Newcastle University. Before coming to the UK, Divya worked as a STEM Programme Co-ordinator at Bard College, New York. She also has a BSc. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and BAs in Neuroscience and Psychology. Divya has worked as a research intern for in-patient facilities, hospitals, and various academic departments and is passionate about improving access and quality of mental health resources, and destigmatising mental health disorders cross-culturally. She would describe herself as a ‘third culture kid', who thoroughly enjoys travelling (when she can), and experiencing different cuisines. Divya is also an avid kick-boxer and is partial to binge-watching murder-mystery shows!
Working within the Communications team at the AHSN NENC Donna's focus is on branding and content for brochures and case studies. As one of 15 AHSNs nationally and a multitude of local member organisations it is essential the core values and brand are communicated consistently and effectively. Donna ensures the outcomes and impact of the projects ran by the AHSN NENC reaches our audience by producing content for our local portal: The Innovation Library as well as the National AHSN Atlas portal.Donna also supports the wider team with events, website updates and other comms related activity as required.She joined the AHSN NENC in 2016 after various Marketing related roles in Pharmaceutical, Business Support and Market Research.
Joe joined the AHSN NENC team in 2020 as the national AAC / AHSN Lipid Management and FH Programme Manager, a key national AHSN programme. He works alongside Professor Julia Newton to deliver this national programme, which merges novel therapies as well as the AAC's lipid Rapid Uptake Product (RUP), to contribute towards the NHS LTP CVD ambitions. Joe has a clinical background as a RGN, with specialist cardiothoracic surgical experience. Academically, he obtained his PhD in Public Health and Social Care at Teesside University in 2018. His public health expertise spans over 21 years working across primary and secondary care, as a strategic leader in commissioning, population health management, health protection and health improvement. Strategic workstreams included CVD, sexual health, suicide prevention, emotional health and wellbeing. Having worked across Primary Care Trusts, CCGs, ICSs, local authorities and Public Health England (now Office for Health Improvement and Disparities), Joe is passionate about the reduction of health inequity and tackling unwarranted variation of CVD health outcomes, through evidence informed population health management approaches. Joe is an FA Level 2 qualified football coach, passionate about football and its power to increase physical activity for many and is a Director of Health and Wellbeing at the FA.
Nicola is our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and has been involved in the organisation since 2012. She was part of the original team that successfully secured funding and accreditation for the AHSN NENC. Originally, being appointed as Innovation Director she has had a number of roles within the organisation including Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO. Nicola ensures the smooth running of the organisation on a day-to-day basis, as well as playing a national role within the AHSN Network. She is the lead Chief Officer for Economic Growth. Since gaining a PhD in Chemistry from Durham University, Nicola has worked in a variety of regional roles supporting businesses, as well as being an ambassador for innovation in the NHS. She is extremely passionate about innovation and the impact it can have, not only upon a patient but also the wider family, having witnessed this first hand with her handicapped brother, Steven.
The team say - Nicola's forte is communication, she can read people in an instant and is always thinking 10 steps ahead, she has an acute knowledge of the healthcare landscape and how the various components can support one another - really, she should be running the country!
Job Titles:
- Programme Lead for Healthy Happy Places / ICS NENC Mental Health Evidence & Evaluation Lead
Rachel works in healthcare innovation leading regional projects in the North East of England. Originally qualified as a clinician with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Rachel has developed more than 12 years' experience in project management and service improvement roles…
Dr Sean Gill is a Programme Manager in the Innovation and Economic Growth team where he supports innovators in the NHS and industry. He manages a portfolio of programmes and innovations, and supports innovators to successfully move along the AHSN's Innovation Pathway, brokering access to a range of expert support and services across the health and care sectors, to realise the commercial and economic potential of ideas. He assists innovators to develop and test their value proposition, so they can understand the added value of their innovation. Sean joined the AHSN NENC from Newcastle University where he was a Clinical Trials Database Manager. He project managed the data for Phase III and IV pharmaceutical trials, device trials and surgical trials, as well as those of service organisation and delivery and of complex interventions aimed at behaviour change amongst professionals, patients and members of the public. Day to day he managed patient information, attended monthly Trial Management Group meetings producing and presenting Data Quality and Progress reports, reporting on trial progress and issues, and internally met with each trial team weekly to discuss milestones. He worked with clinicians to understand their research, site research teams locally and nationally, and industry partners across a diverse portfolio. Outside of work Sean enjoys coastal walks and trips up to Northumberland. He is a member of an outdoor bootcamp and keen runner.
Job Titles:
- Project Support Officer - Patient Safety Collaborative
Emma is an experienced Administrator with a eye for detail which comes from a background of proofreading, minute taking and all things "secretarial". She joined the AHSN NENC from Newcastle University where she worked for 22 years. As Project Manager with AHSN NENC her main responsibilities are the development of our bespoke OMNIA online system, and helping innovators navigate the Innovation Pathway. Outside of work her time is taken up with caring for a very large American Akita, quilt making, crochet, and tending a garden oasis in the middle of suburbia.
Emma joined the AHSN NENC as a Programme Manager in the Economic Growth team in January 2022. Emma's background is in Children and Young People with a strong interest in Health research. Emma has worked in various roles within education and she was the Deputy Manager at a large out of school provision in Gateshead before completing her degree in Children and Young People. Emma started her career in healthcare as a Breastfeeding Support worker, supporting the midwifery and health visiting team in Northumberland to deliver antenatal and postnatal care to families. Emma moved to NuTH on the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Unit where she data managed and co-ordinated a large portfolio of Phase I/II Oncology Clinical Trials including coordinating two Advanced Therapy trials (ATIMP's). Emma is well versed in the set-up of clinical trials and is confident in liaising with contacts across a multitude of organisations. Outside of work, Emma enjoys going to the gym, favouring lifting weights over cardio! The rest of her spare time is spent either walking the dog, taking her daughter horse riding or enjoying good food and red wine.
Talk to me about... PSC programme metrics, support for PSC and regional quality improvement network delivery.
Gemma joined in December 2018 as a Project Support Officer to the Patient Safety Collaborative (PSC).Her remit is to provide professional support to the delivery of the PSC Programme and regional quality improvement network, working closely with Programme Leads, and the Medical Director, and providing accurate metric data for the PSC programme. Gemma previously spent 10 years working within the Newcastle University Medical School. Her main focus whilst there was the delivery of postgraduate "eLearning" and "blended learning" programmes to students, supporting clinical and academic course leaders. Her experience also includes time spent working as a PA and working within the University's Human Resources department.
Georgia has a background in comms and marketing and has worked in this area for the last 7 years. Georgia joined the AHSN NENC from Sunderland City Council in December 2021 as a Comms Officer. She helps with a lot of comms work including the running of our social media channels, website updates, video editing and even writes the staff quiz. She brings a lot of knowledge of digital comms and how to use new ways to engage our audiences online.
Job Titles:
- Health and Wellbeing Lead
As part of the Growing Occupational Health programme, Hannah's role involves working alongside the Health and Wellbeing Leads across the four acute trusts to support the design, planning, and implementation of the evolved health and wellbeing framework (2021), and to facilitate a culture change of staff proactively accessing health and wellbeing resources. Hannah will work closely with the team on the pilot project which brings together four NHS Trusts in the region (South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) with a single, integrated OH and Wellbeing service - designed to improve the OH support offered to NHS staff across the regional.
Job Titles:
- Medicines Optimisation Workstream Lead
Helen has spent all of her career in the NHS. She is a registered pharmacist with extensive experience in both secondary and primary care pharmacy, as well as medicines information services.
She started her career in a variety of posts in hospitals in Nottingham before moving to the North East in 1996 where she initially worked at the Regional Drug and Therapeutics Centre before moving to primary care pharmacy in 2005.
Helen also works for NECS Medicines Optimisation team providing pharmaceutical advice and consultancy services to a range of commissioning organisations and medicines support services within GP practices. In her role as AHSN Medicines Optimisation Workstream Lead, Helen heads a small team with oversight of a range of innovative projects aimed at improving patient outcomes by optimising the ways that medicines are used within the NHS.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Programmer Manager ( Consultant )
Iain is a consultant programme manager within the Economic Growth team. Iain holds a degree in Applied Chemistry with a Pharmaceutical Chemistry specialism. Prior to working with the AHSN, he has held senior roles within business management and development, project management and customer services for a range of national and global companies. Iain joined the AHSN NENC in January 2022 to provide project management services for the Lynch Syndrome programme and other projects.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- AHSN NENC As a Project Support Officer
Jill joined the AHSN NENC as a Project Support Officer (Executive) January 2020, after five years employed in a number of roles for North of England Commissioning Support Unit, most recently as Research Project Support Officer. She has a wealth of experience in Programme/Project management, PA/Administration/Office Management, Finance, HR and theatrical/media production. and has worked in multi-national corporations, central and local government, national charities, family businesses, and within the NHS. Jill herself as methodical, straightforward and good humoured. Outside work she enjoys creative pursuits; art, music, theatre, upcycling and socialising.
Joanne is responsible for HR at the AHSN NENC on a day-to-day basis. Since gaining an MA in Human Resource Management and Development at Northumbria University she has worked in HR generalist roles across the North East in various sectors, including education and healthcare. Joanne is commercially focussed and adopts a business partnering approach to her work. She has been the HR Manager at AHSN since joining the organisation in September 2019.
Job Titles:
- AHSN NENC As an Associate Director for Health
- Associate Director - Health
Jody works for the AHSN NENC as an Associate Director for Health and leads, develops and supports health based national and local innovation programmes into the NHS. In addition to this Jody has developed a Regional Eco System to support the Innovation Pathway, as well Jody leads nationally on a health innovation, Clinical Digital Resource Collaborative (CDRC) an exciting Primary Care innovation. Within her career Jody has worked for several organisations from the NHS, private sector, third sector and academia but always within the field of health improvement.
After attaining an HND in Business Studies with Languages (French and Spanish) Karen spent 2 years working in various roles in family-run hotels and small businesses in France and Switzerland to perfect her use and knowledge of the French language.
In 1979 she relocated to the mining town of Grande Cache, Alberta to embark on a career in finance, as the Accounting Clerk for the Smoky River Coal Ltd.'s Housing Office. Soon after she was appointed to the position of Housing Manager, responsible for the administration of House Sales, Rentals, Purchases and Upkeep for the circa 1200 homes provided by the company for its employees.
Five years later saw her return to ‘civilisation' when she moved to within 50 miles of Edmonton to take up the roll of Finance Clerk at the 30 bed Tofield Community Acute Care Hospital. As the facility grew in size so did Karen's duties and responsibilities culminating in her being appointed to Director of Finance when the newly built 98 bed multi-facility Tofield Health Centre opened its doors in 1986.
In the early nineties Karen returned to the UK and shortly after began working in the Management Accounts department of the University of Newcastle. In 1996 she was appointed to the post of Team Leader for the Faculty of Medical Sciences within Research Finance where she remained for the following twenty years.
After a short sabbatical working in the Research Finance office of the University of Surrey she returned to the north of England where she now works as the Finance Assistant for the AHSN NENC.
Karen currently works on the Managing Deterioration programme is to reduce deterioration associated harm by improving the prevention, identification, escalation and response to physical deterioration. This involves working with key partners and stakeholders to promote better system co-ordination and develop safe and reliable pathways of care. She also leads on a new programme - Blood Pressure Optimisation. Working in the NHS for the last 7 years as a midwife, she has worked in both hospital and community settings. She developed an interest in research and innovation and then moved into clinical research. This included working on a number of COVID-19 clinical trials and considers this to be the highlight of her research career. Spending some time working in the Newcastle Joint Research Office, she worked in research governance and was also the project manager for a number of quality improvement initiatives. Prior to joining the NHS, she had a long career working in regional government where she was involved in several roles aimed at tackling deprivation and addressing health and social inequalities. She managed several successful projects involving the community and voluntary sector and has a Masters in Public Policy and Regeneration.
Kate Mackay has extensive experience of service improvement within the public sector, particularly the NHS, working with both clinicians and managers, at national and local level. Her background prior to service improvement work is research and clinical audit, and her special interests are project management, stakeholder engagement, coaching, patient involvement, and statistical process control. She is a Visiting Honorary Senior Lecturer at Bradford University teaching Applied Methodologies at master's level. She currently works with The Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria as their CVD Programme Lead. By working collaboratively, the aims of the Programme are to reduce cardiovascular disease for patients, minimising inequalities within our population. Kate is also a certified professional and performance coach. She has written a book (Take It All On Board), and outside work, she cycles, snowboards and hikes.
Job Titles:
- Communications Manager
- Communications Manager / Communications
Talk to me about... Communications, digital transformation, north east and north cumbria digital stakeholders
Kathryn has worked in a range of national and regional digital transformation programmes providing specialised communications support. Nationally this has included NHSmail, HSCN and NHS Spine transitions. Regionally she worked on the Great North Care Record, Health Call and now supports a range of regional digital programmes for both the Integrated Care System and the Academic Health Science Network.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications and Engagement
Talk to me about... Communications and engagement strategic planning, commercial communications management, programme communications delivery
Having spent over 30 years working in regional, national and international marketing, communications and engagement roles, Kirstie has enjoyed putting these skills to practice at the AHSN NENC since 2013. Working with the incredible Communication Team members, Kirstie's time at work is spent capitalising on opportunities to position the network, promote programmes of work and drive engagement with key stakeholders and partners across the Health and life sciences sector. In her ‘spare time', Kirstie enjoys spending time with family and friends and travelling to far flung destinations.
Job Titles:
- Project Support Officer - Digital Transformation Team
Leanne joins us as a Project Support Officer for the Digital Transformation Team. She is Sunderland born and bred and has 16 years of NHS experience working at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.She has had various roles from Waiting List Management to Personal Medical Secretary. A career highlight was assisting the set up of the Innovation arm of the Research and Innovation Department. With a particular interest in innovation and digital transformation, Leanne is keen to see the impact of new technologies on the front line of the NHS in the primary care field. She also very passionate about the FH and Lipids programme, having the FH mutation herself and a son who also has what is known as homozygous FH, she is very supportive of children being tested for this at a young age. Leanne describes herself as very well organised, meticulous, enthusiastic and customer focussed.
Liz joined the AHSN NENC in November 2018 and has led on several Health Improvement Programmes across different areas, including Medicines Optimisation, Adoption and Spread and Patient Safety across the region, to address specific health and service improvement issues. One of her current programmes is Workforce, supporting the delivery of the national and regional Workforce strategy. After 15 years in senior management roles in the entertainment industry, and 3 children later, Liz joined the NHS in 2000 and has been a senior manager in healthcare for the last 22 years. For 11 years Liz worked for the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) in various roles including East of England Regional Manager responsible for implementing the national change management programme in the region, Quality Assurance Manager, implementing a Quality Management System for RES, and Special Projects Manager, overseeing the development and implementation of several national projects, including proportionate review and transparency of research applications, which are still part of the RES today. Since 2012, Liz has worked across Health Commissioning, Research Governance and Management, and Business Development within various Trusts and NHS organisations.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Clinical Pharmacist
Talk to me about... Talk to me about the AHSN strategy, operations, NHSE/I national programmes
Maria is a clinical pharmacist and prescriber by training and has subsequently held a range of senior executive roles, regionally, nationally and internationally, spanning medical and regulatory affairs, quality management, strategic marketing, operations and general management, across the public and private sector. To date she has worked for several organisations including Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UDG Healthcare, Abbott , and the Mater Private Healthcare Group. In May 2019 Maria joined the AHSN NENC as a Programme Director, and became designated National Programme Lead for PCSK9 inhibitors, one of NHSE/NHSI's Accelerated Access Collaborative's (AAC) rapid uptake products (RUP).In February 2020 she was appointed as interim Chief Operating Officer (mat leave cover) of the AHSN and continued to co-lead the national AHSN/AAC lipid management and FH programme. In October 2020 she was appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer. In this role she has ownership and oversight of the resourcing and operational delivery of the AHSN strategic plan.
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Officer
Mark has worked in media and communications for more than 20 years, with a background in TV and Radio production, and a variety of creative and charitable sectors. As a Broadcast Journalist, he has produced news and current affairs stories that include healthcare innovation and advancements in medical research. Since joining the AHSN NENC, Mark has continued to use his knowledge in writing and story development to create resources and strategies that showcase our programmes across healthcare, academia and industry. In his spare time, Mark enjoys writing, walking and landscape photography. He is also a qualified Mental Health First Aider and volunteers as a Community Ambassador to raise funds and awareness for men's cancer and mental health.
Job Titles:
- Trusted Research and Evaluation Environment ( TREE ) Portfolio Manager
Mark is currently Portfolio Manager for the NENC ICS ‘Trusted Research and Evaluation Environment' (TREE.) Previously he was Programme Manager for the Great North Care Record (GNCR), helping develop the initial concept and blueprint for delivery. Mark was Director of…
Nick specialises in market research, patent and product research, statistics and statistical analysis, literature reviews and other information services, to inform individuals and organisations and help them bring their innovative products and services to life. Nick joined the AHSN in December 2018 after nearly five years as a researcher at RTC North, where he had supported a variety of projects including NHS Innovations North, Design Network North, Pathways to Innovation and Scale Up. Nick studied business and economics at the University of Manchester and started his working life supporting start-ups at the NETPark Incubator in Sedgefield.
Job Titles:
- Project Lead, Regional Coordinator
- Regional Co - Ordinator for NENC
As part of the CVD Programme team, Nikki is the regional co-ordinator for NENC trusts involved in the Pathway Transformation Funding (PTF) High Intensity Statin (HIS) and PCSK9 inhibitors programme.
Nikki joined the AHSN in July 2016 as project lead for AF detection on the national AF programme for NENC. She has presented the multi award-winning work regionally and nationally at events such as Heart Rhythm Conference, NHS Expo, etc. and has provided expert commentary on the NICE Medtech Innovation Briefing for the mobile ECG device, AliveCor.
As well as AF detection, Nikki also worked alongside the Digital Health Lead and primary and secondary care staff within the NuTH Trust to deliver the Newcastle AF Pathway Project which included implementing a genetic Warfarin Sensitivity Test as well as patients self-testing their INR's at home.
Previously qualified in Hospitality Management, Nikki decided to take her career in a new direction and re-trained and practised as a clinician in primary and secondary care across 3 trusts within the North East region. This led to an opportunity to establish, develop, and deliver a national Health Professional Education Programme for Mayborn International and represented the organisation at national conferences and events.
In 2017 Julia filled the large shoes of Professor Oliver James who previously occupied this position in the AHSN NENC. Julia graduated from Newcastle University Medical School in 1990. Since then she has worked in a range of roles in…
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Contracts Manager
Petar completed his undergraduate law degree in London. He then moved to the North East to continue his studies. During the majority of his time at university, he worked pro bono, providing legal advice to people who could not afford…
I Joined the AHSN in the June of 2019 having previously spent 5 years in the private sector gaining key transactional knowledge and broadening my finance skills. I have played parts in implementing new systems both financial and operational to…
Phil joined the AHSN in November 2018 as Project Support with responsibility for Q Community reinvigoration and growth, Supporting MSK, Medicines Optimisation programmes across NENC.Phil has 17 years Military service including active service, 18 years at North East Ambulance Service…
Job Titles:
- Digital Transformation Programme Manager
Rachael has over 15 years of experience in the public sector including a number of years leading digital change in the NHS. She has a great deal of experience around telehealth, assistive technology, digital in primary care and the human…
Talk to me about... Regulation, telehealth, assistive technology, digital primary care
Job Titles:
- Economic Growth Operations Manager
Rachel is our Economic Growth Operations Manager and is responsible for supporting companies and the economic growth workstream. Prior to working at the AHSN NENC Rachel was a Research Operations Manager for the National Institute of Health Research Clinical Research…
Russ Watkins - Chief Commercial Officer
Russ is our Commercial Director who oversees the Economic Growth activity for the Organisation and is enthusiastic about how the North East North Cumbria is recognised for all the fab things it does. The infrastructure in the region to support…
Ruth works with the AHSN NENC Communications team to deliver social media campaigns promoting a wide range of programmes, projects and events. She also provides public relations advice and support to the team. Ruth has worked in the media industry…
Job Titles:
- Communications and Events Manager
Working within the Communications team at AHSN NENC Sarah's focus is on event management. Sarah manages the whole process from the planning stage, right through to running the actual day itself and ensures our events run smoothly and professionally. Sarah…
Job Titles:
- Digital Transformation Programme Manager
Sarah joined the AHSN NENC in 2016 and worked in the Communications Team with a focus on digital comms before making the move into the AHSN NENC's Digital Transformation Team in 2021.Throughout her career Sarah has worked in the private,…
After 20 years working on regional newspapers Sean was set free to embark on a freelance illustration and design adventure, during this time he created work for a range of clients including GAP, Hasbro and Dorling Kindersley. Then the pandemic…
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator
- AHSN As a Project Coordinator
Sima has joined the AHSN as a project coordinator to the growing occupational health & wellbeing programme. She works closely with the project manager to provide professional support to the delivery of the workstreams. Sima has worked as a health…
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Business Manager at the AHSN NENC
Stephen is a Business Manager at the AHSN NENC and is responsible for supporting companies wanting to access the NHS. Stephen has a PhD in molecular biology and physiology from Newcastle University and went on to be a Post-Doctoral Fellow…
Job Titles:
- Senior Communications Officer
Stuart joined the AHSN in May 2019 as a Communications Officer to assist with both internal and external communications. Having graduated with an MSc in Marketing and Business Management in 2017, Stuart has worked across marketing and communications in a…
Tony has a measurement background, particularly relating to the safety and quality of clinical care. He works out South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the North East Quality Observatory Service (NEQOS) as well his role in the AHSN. He…
Job Titles:
- National Programme Manager
- Registered Pharmacy Technician
Tracy is a registered Pharmacy Technician, and was working as a secondee on the Medicines Safety Improvement Programme (MedSIP) - Reducing medication errors in Care Homes, for the AHSN NENC. She has subsequently been successful in obtaining a permanent role…
Job Titles:
- Intellectual Property and Contracts Manager
After attaining an MPhil in Applied Physics, Victoria spent a number of years working as a patent attorney in the North West, London and the North East. Primary responsibilities included drafting patent applications for the UK and abroad, and prosecuting…
Job Titles:
- Clinical Academic Physiotherapist
Victoria Strassheim is a Clinical Academic physiotherapist, with over 25 years wide ranging clinical experience and a master's in clinical research. She also works in a multi-disciplinary fatigue clinic for patients with long term health conditions. Victoria has worked in…
Talk to me about... Administration support; Meeting & Event coordination; Promotional materials design
To date, I have nearly 10 years of training and program coordination experience in health promotion, child development, and real estate sectors. With a broad range of experiences in serving different target groups, I have a passion for planting seeds…