Meet the Presenters - Patient Involvement in Research Day 2023

Dr Jackie Craissati MBE is a long-time member of Crohn's & Colitis UK and was appointed Chair of the Board in May 2022. Her professional background is in clinical and forensic psychology, having worked in public sector roles in the NHS and criminal justice system. She is currently the Chair of Kent and Medway NHS Trust and Chair of Dartford & Gravesham Trust. As someone who has cared for a loved one with Colitis, Jackie has real insight into the small things that make a difference to people living with Crohn's and Colitis.

Charlie Lees is a consultant gastroenterologist at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. He trained at University College London and subsequently in Edinburgh, with doctoral studies in the GI Unit at the Western General Hospital. He has been centrally involved with the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO; committee member of SciCom 2015 – 2018; EduCom 2009 – 2013), is CSO Scottish Specialty Lead for Gastroenterology and sits on the British Society of Gastroenterology IBD Research Committee.

Rebecca Hall is a Gastroenterology trainee, currently working as a Clinical Research Fellow in Edinburgh, contributing to the MUSIC and MARVEL research studies.

Molly Halligan is a voluntary Patient Representative with the MUSIC and IBD research team at Edinburgh University. She is currently working as a Senior Social Researcher with the Scottish Government and also volunteers her time to the publishing team at Medical Herstory.

Professor Amanda C de C Williams is a clinical and academic psychologist working in chronic pain.

James Guerin is a trainee clinical psychologist living with IBD, whose research is exploring the links between physical symptoms of IBD and psychosocial outcomes.

Elena Sheldon is the AWARE-IBD Project Manager and works closely with Crohn's & Colitis UK, people living with IBD and the IBD team in Sheffield to implement and evaluate service improvements.

As the AWARE-IBD Patient Coach, Sam leads the IBD team in Sheffield to implement service changes that reflect patient priorities and values. AWARE-IBD is a patient-led project that aims to re-design the Sheffield IBD service based on what matters most to patients.

Cassie Screti is a final year PhD student at Aston University and in this presentation, will be showcasing “A Self-led Self-management Intervention Supporting Teens with IBD (ASSIST-IBD)”, a new intervention to support treatment adherence in young people with IBD. They will also discuss their current research project to assess the feasibility of ASSIST-IBD.

Christine Norton is a Professor of Clinical Research Nursing at King’s College London and her presentation will summarise the findings from the IBD-BOOST programme of research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Sara Ma is a lecturer in Adult Nursing at York St. John University, formerly employed as an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Specialist Nurse in the NHS. Sara has a specialist interest in researching sexual health and well-being in IBD

Dr Ebad Ul Huq is a research fellow working at Queen Mary University of London and is part of the team trying to understand chronic pain in IBD patients.

Suzy MacDonagh is a PhD student at the University of Gloucestershire researching the impact and management of fatigue in young people with Crohn’s and Colitis.

Ruth Wakeman is Director of Services, Advocacy & Evidence at Crohn's & Colitis UK