Gavin Giovannoni is an Academic Neurologist based at the Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. His current research and clinical interests are focused on MS. Gavin is also an avid reader, blogger, runner and lover of technology. He has been involved in the development and validation of several innovations to communicate complex information to people with MS and their families (see ClinicSpeak.com). Gavin has a vision of the future where patients and healthcare professionals will meet in a hybrid world that is transformed by technology (see MS-connect).
Rachel Morrison is an experienced MS Specialist Nurse based in the NHS Western Isles. Rachel has worked in a GP practice, as part of the community and as a Marie Curie nurse in palliative care. Since specialising in MS, Rachel won the 2017 Judge’s Special Award at the National QuDoS MS Awards, for innovation and excellence in MS care management and service delivery for valuable contributions to improving the quality of life for people with MS. Rachel was also involved in the development of digital services for people with MS including a video conferencing facility that allows those who cannot leave their home to link into the MS service.
Rob Sloan is a multidisciplinary designer and Head of Service for the charity and social network for people living with MS, Shift.ms. Rob has spent six years working in, and then leading the charity's design team in the development of multiple programmes. On top of the continual growth and development of the social network, Rob has led on the development of the 'MS Reporters' format; a form of citizen journalism in health, where people living with MS can get answers to the questions that matter to them most from leading experts. More recently, Rob has produced the online course 'PPE for The Mind' with the objective of building mental resilience in response to the Covid-19 pandemic; a series of videos and live events that combine principles of 'Acceptance and Commitment Therapy', and collaborative learning.
Helene Viatge is a Healthcare Entrepreneur with over 10 years’ experience in the medtech and digital health field. Through her experiences in France and the UK, she has developed an extensive knowledge of clinical trials, quality and regulatory requirements, reimbursement strategies and market adoptions of healthcare innovations. She is passionate about supporting innovations that reach patients and clinicians and improving the healthcare system. She is currently Managing Director of Cibiltech, an artificial intelligence company that aims to improve the life of kidney transplant patients.
Samin Saeed is currently serving as the Ad interim Chief Scientific Officer for Novartis UK, as well as wearing her other hat as the UK Medical Director for Research and Life Sciences at Novartis UK. Samin qualified as a doctor from Kings College London in 2002 and has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for 13 years, in a variety of roles which have spanned clinical development, health outcomes and medical affairs. Samin has worked in MS therapeutics, and therapeutics in other neurological conditions, and is passionate about supporting the expert community to explore and harness the power of digital interventions and data to better serve people with MS.
MUL20-E062c October 2020