Jacob Brisley

Information Governance Compliance Manager, NHS North Central London ICB

Dr Rachna Chowla

Joint Director of Clinical Strategy, King’s Health Partners

Dr Rachna Chowla is a GP in Southwark and a Joint Director for Clinical Strategy at King’s Health Partners (KHP). She supports KHP’s work within Primary Care and Population Health. She has been seconded since 2024 to the South East London (SEL) ICB to work to support the research strategy in wider care settings, and has been involved in SEL’s REN programme since 2025.

Sophie Clark

Research Nurse, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Sophie Clark is a Research Nurse with over 5 years’ experience in clinical research across South London, with experience in early- and late-phase studies across commercial and academic portfolios. Sophie is the Lead Research Nurse for Rheumatology Research at St George’s, with prior experience engaging underrepresented communities within this clinical population through focus groups and community engagement.

Reverend Pauline Dawkins

Chaplain, Peer Researcher and Community Connector, St George’s Hospital

Reverend Pauline Dawkins is the chaplain for St George’s Hospital, a peer researcher and community connector.  10 years in the Health service, over 40 years of experience working within the community, and over 20 years supporting Positive Network to achieve their goals.  Pauline has excellent communication skills and a strong reputation for developing meaningful relationships across diverse communities and fostering collaboration with local partners and voluntary organisations.  Together with Pauline and members of the Positive Network, we co-designed our Dementia and Arthritis Café, which is now running for its second year.

Sam van Elk

Lecturer in Management and Organisation in the Department of Public Service, Management and Organisation, King’s College London

Sam van Elk is a Lecturer in Management and Organisation in the Department of Public Service, Management and Organisation at King’s College, London. His research draws on practice- and process-oriented approaches to organisations to explain challenges faced by public bodies, particularly those associated with moral controversies, fiscal crises and complex collaborations. He has published his work in journals including Human Relations, Public Management Review and Policy and Politics. Sam focuses his research in the healthcare sector, and increasingly on the challenges of collaboration between health and social care.

Rachel Faulkner-Gurstein

Head of Strategy, Research Engagement and Inclusion, NIHR South London RRDN

Rachel Faulkner-Gurstein has worked across the research system in various roles, including currently as the Head of Strategy, Research Engagement and Inclusion for the South London NIHR RDN. Previous roles include leading the development of a national outcomes framework at NIHR, developing a research function at North Central London ICB, and researching the integration of research into the health system at the School of Population Health, King’s College London. She holds a PhD in policy from the City University of New York.

Nadine Fontaine-Palmer, PhD

Chief Executive Officer, Mabadiliko CIC

Nadine is an accomplished leader in culturally sensitive research and community engagement, particularly in amplifying the voices of underrepresented and seldom-heard communities. She is also the creator of the Mabadiliko Academy: Cultural Humility 365 (to prepare institutional actors to hear and work through difference) and Community-powered Health Research (to empower communities to influence health research) training programmes. Nadine is passionate about helping organisations navigate complex change while honouring the humanity of their people. Her work focuses on ensuring inclusive decision-making in health and social care delivery, and capacity-building within marginalised communities.

Ana Guerra

Research Engagement & Inclusion Senior Manager, South London NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network

Ana Guerra is the Research Engagement & Inclusion Senior Manager for the South London NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network. With nearly 20 years’ experience in clinical research, primarily in primary care and community settings, she leads regional work on research inclusion, public engagement, and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement. She is committed to embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion in research and improving access and participation for underserved communities.

Catherine Heffernan

Director of Health Improvement, NHS South West London Integrated Care Board

Catherine Heffernan is a Director of Health Improvement at NHS South West London Integrated Care Board, leading on population health, prevention, inequalities, research, evidence-based interventions and healthcare public health.  She is also a Visiting Senior Lecturer at King’s College London.   A Consultant in Public Health since 2009, she is also an educational supervisor and a Faculty Advisor for the Faculty of Public Health.

Thomas Herweijer

Programme Transformation Manager, NHS South West London Integrated Care Board

Thomas works as a programme transformation manager in the health improvement team at South West London ICB with a focus on prevention and health inequalities. Inspired by his dad working as a GP in Rotterdam and an internship at Amnesty International in Belgium, he is passionate about working with underrepresented communities and making a difference together with partners. He has led on several innovative projects, most recently the Community Health and Wellbeing Workers (CHWW) project, which is inspired by the Brazilian Family Health Strategy. Thomas has presented on his work at both national and European conferences.

Katherine Jeays-Ward

Research Lead, NHS England

In her role as Research Lead at NHS England, Katherine is focused on increasing the impact of research through consideration of whole health pathways and system infrastructure, including through the involvement of all users of those pathways and systems. She has 15 years of experience of leading programmes to improve research and life sciences practises in the NHS at national and local level, and in guiding and overseeing impact. She has established programmes of strategic significance to England’s health research sector, including the wide-reaching national Research Engagement Network (REN) programme, and guidance and assurance development programmes to embed research practices within health and care settings.

Katherine has broad experience within the research and innovation sectors nationally and internationally, including a decade working across NIHR-funded research infrastructure. She holds a PhD in developmental genetics from the Institute of Cancer Research and is a Senior Leader MBA Apprentice at Keele University.

Hilarious (Harry) De Jesus

Senior Nurse Research Leader and Systems Manager, North East London Integrated Care Board

For Harry, healthcare is deeply personal. Starting his journey as a bedside nurse working with very sick babies, he learned early on that true care goes beyond clinical tasks—it is about holding space for families on their hardest days. Today, as a Senior Nurse Research Leader and systems manager in North East London, his “true north” remains the same – the patient and population he serves.

As a migrant and an internationally educated nurse, Harry knows what it means to navigate complex systems. This lived experience drives his passion for building genuine trust. He manages the North East London REN, a network partnering with local charities, faith groups, and community enterprises to bring health research directly to hesitant, underserved neighbourhoods. He believes that true continuity in healthcare only happens when power is shared and every voice is respected.

Whether he is redesigning regional services or connecting with community groups, Harry blends his frontline compassion with a drive for improvement, ensuring that healthcare innovations are not just temporary projects, but lasting changes that truly serve the people.

Adam Kamenetzky

Associate Director for Research Strategy and Evaluation, Mabadiliko CIC

Adam is a highly experienced researcher with expertise in a range of social science and applied health research methodologies, policy analysis, co-design, and equitable engagement and evaluation practices. Adam holds an MSc in Science Communication (Imperial College London, 2008) and a BSc in Biological Sciences (The University of Edinburgh, 2003).

Before joining Mabadiliko, Adam was a Senior Research Fellow and Researcher-in-Residence at the National Institute of Health Research (2016-2023), a Research Fellow at the Policy Institute at King’s College London (2015-2019), as well as senior research evaluation, communication and management roles at Médecins Sans Frontières (2013-2014) and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (2008-2012).

Adam is passionate about advancing social justice in health research and applying his knowledge of research systems and management practices to address the structural barriers that exclude marginalised and minoritised voices, through his work overseeing Mabadiliko’s expanding portfolio of community-oriented research.

Jeremy Opoku

Clinical Research Coordinator, NIHR St George’s University Hospital Clinical Research Facility

Jeremy Opoku is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the NIHR St George’s University Hospital Clinical Research Facility, with experience delivering research engagement initiatives with underserved communities. He contributes to ethics governance through membership of local Research and Clinical Ethics Committees across St George’s and City St George’s, University of London. Jeremy has a strong interest in addressing structural barriers to equitable access to healthcare and research for marginalised and underrepresented communities.

Michelle Oritsejafor

Study Participation and Inclusion Senior Manager, NIHR Research Delivery Network

Valentina Raspa

Senior Clinical Research Nurse, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Valentina Raspa is a Senior Clinical Research Nurse overseeing research across  Gastroenterology, Endoscopy, Dermatology, and Rheumatology, with experience in the setup and delivery of clinical trials across diverse patient populations. At St George’s, she improves patient experience in research through facilitating communication across clinical teams networks to support multidisciplinary care and study delivery. As an active PPIE member, drawing on her own experience as a patient, she supports meaningful involvement in research, ensuring patient perspectives inform study design and delivery.

Tal Rosenzweig

Director of Voluntary Sector Collaboration and Partnerships, South East London Integrated Care System (SEL ICS)

Tal Rosenzweig is the Director of Voluntary Sector Collaboration and Partnerships at South East London Integrated Care System (SEL ICS). She leads the strategic partnership between the VCSE sector and the South East London health and care system, oversees the South East London VCSE Strategic Alliance, and provides regional and national leadership to strengthen strategic partnerships between national public bodies and the VCSE sector. With decades of experience in the VCSE sector, Tal has a particular focus on strengthening the leadership of By and For and grassroots organisations within health and care partnerships, advancing community-generated health and tackling health inequalities.

Grace Salmon

Manager, Positive Network

Grace Salmon is the Positive Network Manager and has worked with us as a peer researcher and community connector. With over 20 years of experience working within the community, she brings deep insight, trusted relationships, and a strong commitment to inclusive engagement. Together with Grace and members of the Positive Network, we co-designed our Dementia and Arthritis Café, which is now running for its second year.

Jessica Sheringham

Principal Research Fellow, NIHR Population Health Career Scientist Fellow, University College London & Honorary Consultant in Public Health

Jessica Sheringham is a public health researcher and the Head of the Public Health Determinants and Inequalities Research Group at University College London. Her research has centred on evaluations of public health interventions that cross different sectors and that seek to improve the health of children and young people. She currently leads a programme of research called DASHH – Data Sharing between Housing and Health – to support data sharing between housing and health services to reduce health inequalities. In all her work, Jessica seeks to work closely with local communities to ensure her research is grounded by lived experiences.

Jessica is also committed to building capacity in public health research. She is an academic partner of Evidence Islington, Islington’s NIHR-funded Health Determinants Research Collaboration. She currently acts as the research lead for the Local Authority Public Health Research Network (London and Essex), is on the advisory board for the NIHR Research Support Service Specialist Centre for Public Health and is an examiner for the Faculty of Public Heath examinations.

Monique Taratula-Lyons

Local Authority Research Practitioner, NHS South West London Integrated Care Board

Monique Taratula-Lyons is a Local Authority Research Practitioner at Richmond and Wandsworth Councils and the Research Network Support Manager for NHS South West London Integrated Care Board. She has worked in local government research roles for several years, supporting the use of research, evidence, and evaluation.

Thanh Uong

Co-Founder & Director, Two Mindful Bees Ltd

Thanh is a community wellbeing practitioner, social value lead, and co-founder of Two Mindful Bees, a Lewisham-based social enterprise supporting wellbeing through mindfulness, nature, and creative practice. He works alongside the NHS, public health teams, schools, and community partners to co-produce gentle, inclusive spaces that support mental health, reduce isolation, and help people reconnect with themselves and each other.

Thanh holds an MA in Design Studies from Central Saint Martins. His background in design continues to shape his approach, bringing care to how things are communicated and how mindfulness can be made simple and accessible in everyday life.

Through his involvement in the Research Engagement Network, he is interested in how trust, lived experience, and community voice can more meaningfully shape health research.

Erin Walker

Public Involvement Lead, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London

Erin has a background in health psychology and patient and public involvement in research, innovation, and health services. Before coming to the IGHI, she was at Evelina London, UCL Partners, the NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital BRC. She has been a co-investigator on 7 NIHR studies as lead for patient and public involvement. She has a keen interest in involving patients, service users, families and end recipients of research and innovation in that work which is meant to serve them. Erin is providing maternity cover for Anna Lawrence-Jones.

Xi Ye

Head of Strategy, Research Engagement and Inclusion, NIHR North London Research Delivery Network

Xi joined the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) in 2025 and leads the strategy development to improve health and care research delivery in North London. Prior to joining the RRDN, Xi led the management of NIHR research centres across England and the development of a programme to accelerate the adoption of effective medical technologies and innovations into routine clinical practice.