IBMS Congress 2025

Professor Peter Brennan

Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth

No bio provided

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Andrea Wilson

Scientific Training Officer, Synnovis

Andrea has been working in healthcare for over 20 years, she is a HCPC registered BMS with a background in Virology and training. Her current role involves oversight & co-ordination of scientific training and introducing initiatives to support development in her organisation. She is enthusiastic about training and a strong advocate for developing the pathology workforce.

Starting as an MLA in a local hospital, Andrea became a trainee BMS in Virology, University College London Hospital. After completing her training and a MSc, Andrea moved to a Senior BMS role at St Thomas’ Hospital.  Her move into training was inspired by great trainers in previous roles and an opportunity to become the departmental Training Lead. 

In 2018 Andrea used her training skills and to take on a newly created role of Scientific Training Officer, within the corporate L&D/Talent Teams.  This role has oversight of scientific training for whole organisation and in her time in this role, she has helped create a graduate training scheme, introduced scientific apprenticeships and provided a better understanding of the how the laboratories function to the corporate team.  The Covid pandemic saw a return to the front line, where Andrea was part of the team to set-up additional testing capacity and lead the new June Almeida Laboratory at Guy’s Hospital.

In 2021, Andrea took on the Pathology Practice Educator (PE) role for her network.  Having been through many changes in her career (MLSO to BMS, agenda for change, old-style logbook to portfolios, first Joint Venture between NHS and private partner) and loving a new challenge, she jumped at the chance to work with the wider pathology workforce across England. The Pathology PEs have formed a strong network across the whole country and also in their London region.  They have introduced initiatives to support Registration and Specialist Portfolio training, engaged with HEIs to improve the students’ employability skills and been involved in several outreach events to promote healthcare as the career of choice. The pathology PEs are leaders bringing about change to pathology to support, develop and champion our workforce.

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Dr Mairiead MacLennan

MLabconsulting

Dr Mairiead is a multidisciplinary Biomedical Scientist qualifying originally in histopathology and cytology now specialising in Microbiology. She has over 40 years’ experience in laboratory medicine, with 23 years of that spent working in veterinary medicine. Her specialisms are education/training and quality management.

Mairiead is Chair of the IBMS Scotland Training Forum and also Vice Chair of the IBMS Scottish Quality Management Discussion Group. She is also a Technical Assessor for UKAS. Her passion is people development and has incorporated resilience training as part of her departmental approach to people management.

In her first role in veterinary medicine she was one of a team of 8 staff manning the veterinary laboratory in what is described on Highland Vet on the TV as the far northern outpost town of Thurso. Truly a department with a limited scope.

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Andrew Platt

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

No bio provided

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Stephen Lee

Director, Diagnostics Regulation, Association of British HealthTech Industries

After completing his degree in Biochemistry and Biology at Aston University, Steve trained as a Biomedical Scientist, working in hospital microbiology before moving to industry to work as company microbiologist. Steve joined MHRA in 1996 when it was still the Medical Devices Agency and when the IVD Directive had yet to be implemented.

While at MHRA, Steve worked with manufacturers, Notified Bodies, other Competent Authorities, Trade Associations, standards bodies and government departments. Steve was Chair of the European Commission’s IVD working group when the IVD regulations where being developed.

Steve joined ABHI as Director of Diagnostics Regulation in 2020.

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Alyson Bryant

Healthcare Accreditation Specialist, UKAS

Alyson spent 15 years in NHS cellular pathology laboratories prior to moving to UKAS 7 years ago. She started at UKAS as an assessment manager for ISO 15189:2012 laboratories, during the CPA transition project.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, Alyson was heavily involved in UKAS's response to the Covid pandemic, with particular focus on the private providers of Covid-19 testing since December 2020. She is now working as the Healthcare Accreditation Specialist, providing technical oversight for the whole Healthcare section of UKAS, to ensure they remain up-to-date and responsive to their customer's needs.

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Alyson Bryant

Healthcare Accreditation Specialist, UKAS

Alyson spent 15 years in NHS cellular pathology laboratories prior to moving to UKAS 7 years ago. She started at UKAS as an assessment manager for ISO 15189:2012 laboratories, during the CPA transition project.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, Alyson was heavily involved in UKAS's response to the Covid pandemic, with particular focus on the private providers of Covid-19 testing since December 2020. She is now working as the Healthcare Accreditation Specialist, providing technical oversight for the whole Healthcare section of UKAS, to ensure they remain up-to-date and responsive to their customer's needs.

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Jonathan Boxshall

Pathology Quality Manager, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

No bio provided

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Alyson Bryant

Healthcare Accreditation Specialist, UKAS

Alyson spent 15 years in NHS cellular pathology laboratories prior to moving to UKAS 7 years ago. She started at UKAS as an assessment manager for ISO 15189:2012 laboratories, during the CPA transition project.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, Alyson was heavily involved in UKAS's response to the Covid pandemic, with particular focus on the private providers of Covid-19 testing since December 2020. She is now working as the Healthcare Accreditation Specialist, providing technical oversight for the whole Healthcare section of UKAS, to ensure they remain up-to-date and responsive to their customer's needs.

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Helen Hobson

UKAS Technical Assessor

No bio provided

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Dr Mairiead MacLennan

MLabconsulting

Dr Mairiead is a multidisciplinary Biomedical Scientist qualifying originally in histopathology and cytology now specialising in Microbiology. She has over 40 years’ experience in laboratory medicine, with 23 years of that spent working in veterinary medicine. Her specialisms are education/training and quality management.

Mairiead is Chair of the IBMS Scotland Training Forum and also Vice Chair of the IBMS Scottish Quality Management Discussion Group. She is also a Technical Assessor for UKAS. Her passion is people development and has incorporated resilience training as part of her departmental approach to people management.

In her first role in veterinary medicine she was one of a team of 8 staff manning the veterinary laboratory in what is described on Highland Vet on the TV as the far northern outpost town of Thurso. Truly a department with a limited scope.

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Nathan Bourne

Pathology Governance & Quality Manager, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Nathan currently works for University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust as the Pathology Governance and Quality Manager since  2018. Previous to this role he was a Biomedical Scientist working in a Microbiology Laboratory. Nathan has been a HCPC registered Biomedical Scientist and Member/ Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences since 2009. Before his time as a BMS he worked at the University of Sheffield researching Alzheimer’s Disease.

Recently his interests have been on merging Quality Management Systems while maintaining accreditation

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Michele Armour

NHS Ayrshire & Arran/Armed Forces

No bio provided

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Stephen Stephenson

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

No bio provided

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Shane Mongor

Human Tissue Authority

No bio provided

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Emma Doran

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

No bio provided

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Adrian Donoghue

UKAS

No bio provided

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Martin McFadden

Diagnostic Programme Manager, South Tyneside and Sunderalnd NHS Foundation Trust

No bio provided

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Nigel Coles

Treasurer, IBMS

Nigel is a Fellow of the IBMS and a Chartered Scientist. Since retiring in July 2022 he has been employed part-time at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust as the Quality Manager and Clinical Governance lead for Central & South Genomics Laboratory Hub. Previous to his retirement he was the Quality Manager for West Midlands Regional Genetics laboratory for 14 years.

Nigel has been a member of the IBMS since 1983. From 2013 to 2021 he was Chair of the IBMS Birmingham Branch organising committee. From 2008 to 2013 he also chaired the IBMS West Midlands Regional Committee and IBMS West Midlands Clinical Laboratory Quality Managers Association. For the last 8 years he has been the West Midlands Council member of the IBMS.

Nine years ago, Nigel became a tutor on the IBMS Certificate of Expert Practice in Quality course, an e-learning course run by Ulster University.

His main area of interest is looking to evaluate the value of pathology services to clinical services and ultimately, the patient experience, so commissioners fully understand the value of the service and not just the cost. Nigel is also involved in two groups; one which is looking to implement quality management systems across the NHS and a second group looking at Philosophy and Ethics of Quality Improvement programs.

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Dr Adrian Plunkett

Consultant Paediatric Intensivist , Birmingham Children's Hospital

Adrian is a Consultant Paediatric Intensivist at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.  He created Learning from Excellence (LfE) in 2014 after reflecting on his own experiences as a patient. In addition to leading LfE in his own organisation, Adrian also supports the spread and development of LfE as a social movement in the NHS, and beyond. 

Adrian regularly talks on LfE at conferences and workshops, and maintains the website and blog at www.learningfromexcellence.com

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Sarah Pointon

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

No bio provided

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Jennifer Collins

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

No bio provided

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