Dr Alexandra Abel GP Registrar in East Yorkshire, and Honorary Clinical Lecturer, Hull York Medical School, Hull

Alexandra Abel is a GP Registrar in East Yorkshire, Honorary Clinical Lecturer, Hull York Medical School, and occasional Research Fellow with the Department of Cardiorespiratory Medicine. Her clinical and research interest is in the management of patients with chronic heart failure. Her other interests include medical education, population health, and creative health. She is the immediate past president of Hull Medical Society, where she chaired an educational programme on health equity and led a social programme focused on occupational creative health.

Ms Carys Barton Heart Failure Nurse Consultant, Imperial NHS Foundation Trust, London

Carys Barton is current Chair elect of the British Society for Heart failure (BSH) and the first nurse in this position. Prior to this, she was deputy Chair of BSH, Chair BSH Nurse Forum 2019–21 and a board observer from 2017–2019. Other positions currently held are Junior Secretary and council member of the British Association for Nurses in Cardiac Care (BANCC), Committee Member of the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) Cardiovascular Special Interest Group, the Heart Failure Policy Network steering committee, Pumping Marvellous clinical committee, and the Cardiorenal Forum scientific committee. She is committed to supporting the education and development of heart failure specialist nurses and allied health professionals, through the BSH and the nurse forum but also as an honorary lecturer of heart failure masters modules at Glasgow Caledonian University and Keele University.

Dr Sarah Birkhoelzer Cardiology Registrar and Clinical Research Fellow, University of Oxford

Sarah Birkhoelzer has a subspecialty interest in heart failure and cardiovascular imaging. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Oxford. At the heart of her research is a Phase II clinical trial focused on the treatment of patients with obesity, diabetes, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction conducted at the Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research. Her research focuses on utilising phosphorus, proton and carbon spectroscopy to assess cardiac and skeletal muscle in participants with cardiometabolic diseases. Sarah advocates for diversity and inclusion and is a member of the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Women in Cardiology committee. She has founded the Women in Cardiology mentorship programme to improve the personal and professional wellbeing of women in cardiology.

Professor Julian Gillmore Professor of Medicine, UCL, London; Clinical Lead for ATTR Amyloidosis, UK National Amyloidosis Centre, London

Julian Gillmore undertook MD and PhD degrees in the field of amyloidosis. His research interests include the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of amyloidosis. He was appointed Centre Head at UCL’s Centre for Amyloidosis in 2019 and is research lead at the UK National Amyloidosis Centre.

Professor Paul Kalra Consultant Cardiologist, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Portsmouth

Paul Kalra is one of the founders of the Cardiorenal Forum and past Chair of the British Society for Heart Failure. His research interests include the role of iron deficiency and its correction in patients with heart failure, cardiorenal disease and the impact of hyperkalaemia on RAAS inhibition use.

Professor Philip Kalra Consultant Nephrologist, Salford Royal Hospital, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust; Professor of Renal Medicine, University of Manchester

Philip Kalra graduated from Cambridge University and St Thomas’s Hospital Medical School. He is Professor of Renal Medicine at Manchester University and Director of Research and Innovation in the Northern Care Alliance, the trust encompassing Salford Royal where he has been Consultant Nephrologist since 1995. He was Academic Vice-President of the UK Renal Association from 2016–19, Chair of the UK Kidney Research Consortium during this time and was Chair of the National Institute for Health Research CRN Renal Disorders group from 2010 until 2018. He is the lead of the Donal O’Donoghue Renal Research Centre, the local research centre named in honour of our late esteemed colleague. He has major research interests in CKD progression, intravenous iron in CKD, renovascular disease and renal epidemiology and he has been involved in the development of several large UK clinical trials in nephrology and cardiology, including the ASTRAL, PIVOTAL and IRONMAN trials and the NURTuRE cohort. He has played a role in improving collaboration between nephrology and cardiology in both scientific and educational endeavours.

Dr Pierina Kapur GP Partner, Chapel Group Medical Centre; Clinical Director, Eccles and Irlam Primary Care Network, Salford

Pierina Kapur graduated in medicine from St Mary’s Hospital Medical school in 1991. She initially trained as a surgeon but switched career path to General Practice in 2012. She has been a GP Partner in Salford since 2016. Her clinical interests are diabetes and CKD, and especially the high-risk patients in the cardiorenal metabolic axis. She was instrumental in the design and implementation of an integrated care project targeting these high-risk patients, on a PCN footprint, to optimise their care. She is also a member of Salford locality Diabetes/CVD steering group. Her other interest is women’s health, especially menopause.

Dr David Lappin Consultant Nephrologist, Galway University Hospitals; Honorary Personal Professor of Medicine, University of Galway

David Lappin graduated in Dublin in 1991. He trained in nephrology in Dublin and Manchester and obtained a PhD in Medicine in 2002. He is a Consultant Nephrologist/Honorary Personal Professor of Nephrology at Galway University Hospitals/National University of Ireland, Galway. His areas of interest are clinical nephrology, diabetic nephropathy and resistant hypertension. He is the Treasurer and incoming President of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) Section of Nephrology, the current UEMS lead for the European Specialty Examination in Nephrology, and former member of the European Renal Association CME subcommittee.

Dr Kaitlin Mayne Nephrology Registrar, Glasgow Renal and Transplant Unit, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow; Clinical Lecturer, University of Glasgow

Kaitlin Mayne is a Nephrology Registrar and Clinical Lecturer in Glasgow. She has recently completed a three-year period of out-of-programme research working as a Clinical Research Fellow on the EMPA-KIDNEY trial at the University of Oxford. Her PhD thesis focuses on the effects of empagliflozin on fluid overload, weight and blood pressure in CKD in the EMPA-KIDNEY trial. Kaitlin is interested in cardiovascular disease (and specifically heart failure) in CKD; and clinical trials. She holds trainee representative positions including to the UK Renal Trials Network and Kidney Research UK Cardiorenal Clinical Study Group and is founding President of British Transplant Physician Trainees.

Dr Tina Mazaheri Registrar in Pathology/Metabolic Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolism, Imperial College London; Lipids and Cardiovascular Risk Service, Department of Cardiology, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London

Tina Mazaheri is in her last year of training. Her specialist interest is in lipids and obesity, and her current research project is looking at the lipid profile and lipoprotein(a) in patients with obesity undergoing, Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery.

Professor Gerry McCann NIHR Research Professor, (Experimental Medicine) and Professor of Cardiac Imaging, University of Leicester

Gerry McCann is the cardiovascular theme lead for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre. Gerry was a full-time NHS Consultant Cardiologist before undertaking successive NIHR research fellowships since 2011. He directs a very active clinical imaging research programme with funding from the British Heart Foundation, the Medical Research Council and his NIHR Research Professorship is focused on the prevalence of heart failure in a multi-ethnic population with type 2 diabetes and how best to diagnose and prevent symptom onset, working closely with researchers from the Leicester Diabetes Centre.

Dr Kieran McCafferty Consultant Nephrologist, Barts Health and Honorary Reader in Nephrology at QMUL

Kieran McCafferty is the NIHR Health and Care Research Director for North London and is the Clinical Director of the Barts Health NIHR Clinical Research Facility. He has a research interest in diabetic kidney disease and cardiorenal disease.

Professor Christopher Miller Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, NIHR Advanced Fellow and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Manchester

Chris Miller is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, NIHR Senior Advanced Fellow and a Cardiologist in Manchester. He leads the UK HFpEF programme, the overall objectives of which are to accelerate the development of new treatments for HFpEF and in doing so, improve patient quality of life and outcomes. He runs a busy HFpEF clinical service.

Dr Julianne Mogford Palliative Care Physician, Royal Trinity Hospice, London

Julianne Mogford started out as an Endocrine Registrar doing clinical work and research before transitioning to general practice and education working at St George’s University, London, as a Chief Examiner. Inspired by personal experience, she now works in palliative care at the Royal Trinity Hospice in London. Jules predominantly works in the community team supporting a large team of clinical nurse specialists and doing complex medical visits.

Dr Geraint Morton Consultant Cardiologist, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

Geraint Morton trained in cardiology in Wessex and also completed a clinical research PhD in cardiac MRI at King’s College London. He was appointed Consultant Cardiologist in Portsmouth in 2014. His subspecialty interests are heart failure and complex devices. He is Clinical Lead for the Heart Failure and Implantable Devices Services at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. He has published widely in his fields of interest, most recently focusing on multidisciplinary working and pathways of care in heart failure.

Dr David Mulcahy Consultant Cardiologist, Blackrock Health, Hermitage Clinic, Dublin

David Mulcahy qualified from the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, and trained in London and Bethesda before returning to Ireland as Consultant Cardiologist in the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin. He then moved to Tallaght Hospital in 2000, and founded the clinical CRY Unit in conjuction with the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young in 2007.

Dr David New Consultant Nephrologist, Salford Royal Foundation Trust

David New graduated from Oxford University and Guy’s Hospital, then trained in renal medicine and hypertension at Barts NHS Trust and St George’s Blood Pressure Unit, London. He completed a basic science PhD in renal hypertension before his appointment at Salford, where he is clinical lead for the hypertension service and principal investigator of trials into the management of resistant hypertension.

Ms Kathrine Parker Highly Specialist Renal Pharmacist, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust; Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Manchester; UK Kidney Association Academic Vice-President

Kathrine Parker has worked as a specialist renal pharmacist at Manchester University NHS Foundation trust since 2010. In 2016, she completed her Masters degree in clinical pharmacy. In 2019, she received a personal funding award from the National Institute for Health Research to investigate anticoagulant use in CKD as part of a clinical academic doctoral fellowship. Her other interests include drug dosing in dialysis, symptom management in advanced kidney disease, kidney transplantation immunosuppression in the elderly, and PD peritonitis. Kathrine prescribes for patients on the dialysis unit and kidney transplant clinic. Kathrine was recently appointed as the UK Kidney Association Academic Vice-President representing the multi-professional team.

Dr Noémi Roy Associate Professor of Molecular Haematology; Consultant Haematologist, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford

Noémi Roy’s interests are in haemoglobinopathies, rare inherited anaemias, and pre-operative anaemias. She is the lead for rare anaemia on the National Haemoglobinopathy Panel. Her interest in anaemias also extends to the more common problem of iron deficiency. In collaboration with other researchers, she is studying how levels of hepcidin, the hormone which controls iron absorption, could help guide iron replacement therapy in large groups of patients such as pregnant women, intensive care patients, and pre-operative patients. Noémi is committed to greater collaboration across Europe for the care of patients with rare inherited anaemias and she works closely on the EuroBloodNet project. She leads quality of life studies in sickle cell disease as well as novel ways of improving compliance, patient understanding and patient pathways for high quality care.

Professor Smeeta Sinha Consultant Nephrologist, Salford Royal Hospital, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust; Professor of Renal Medicine, University of Manchester

Smeeta Sinha is currently the NHS England National Clinical Director for Renal Medicine and the NHS England Clinical Lead for the Renal Services Transformation Programme. Her clinical interests are in chronic kidney disease, multimorbidity including diabetic kidney disease and cardiorenal syndrome. She also leads the complex glomerulonephritis service at Salford Royal. Smeeta’s research interests include vascular calcification, multi-morbidity and glomerulonephritis.

Dr Stuart Stewart GP and Research Fellow, Donal O’Donoghue Renal Research Centre (Northern Care Alliance), and Centre for Primary Care & Health Services Research and the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Manchester

Stuart Stewart’s interests are in CKD and how the epidemiology of CKD is evolving over time. He is also interested in how CKD is managed not only at the individual patient level but at a population level using big data to understand population level patterns. His research focuses on using routinely collected electronic health record data to identify barriers to optimal diagnosis and management. His other research interests also involve women's health, digital health, and evolving areas of research related to iron overload and its consequences on cardiometabolic disease.

Dr Renata Walewska Consultant Haematologist, Royal Bournemouth Hospital; Chair UK CLL Forum

Renata Walewska qualified in Sheffield and completed her specialist haematology training in Leicester where also she completed a PhD in identifying and characterising novel markers in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). She moved to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital in 2010. She is an active member of the UK CLL Forum and is part of the writing committee that recently updated the national BSH CLL guidelines; since March 2019 she has been chairing the UK CLL Forum. She is an invited clinical advisor to the Evidence Review Group for NICE appraisals. In addition to CLL, she has developed an interest in splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL). She is a member of the NCRI CLL low grade non-Hodgkins lymphoma subgroup and also collaborates internationally with colleagues developing trials in SMZL. She remains active in scientific research and holds an honorary contract with Southampton University.

Professor Derek Yellon Director, Hatter Cardiovascular Research Institute, UCL, London

Derek Yellon is also an Honorary Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and holds Honorary Chairs at the University of South Alabama in the USA, and the North China Coal Medical University in China. He has published in excess of 600 full papers and edited 23 books and has an H factor of 115. He runs a translational research institute whose interest relates to the pathophysiology of acute myocardian infarction and cardioprotection in the setting of diabetes, ischaemia/reperfusion injury including molecular aspects of ischaemic injury in both the basic and clinical arena.