Patrons and Board
PROFESSOR PETER M MORTIMER
Patron/Medical Advisor
Professor Peter Mortimer trained in Dermatology in Sheffield and Oxford. He has been ‘Physician to the Skin Department’ at St George’s and consultant skin physician to the Royal Marsden Hospital since 1986 and as Professor of Dermatological Medicine to the University of London since 2000. He is a founder of both the Lymphoedema Support Network (LSN) and British Lymphology Society (BLS) and was appointed the first Clinical Training Fellow in Lymphovascular Medicine in the UK.
DR KRISTIANA GORDON
Patron/Medical Advisor
Dr Gordon is a Consultant in Dermatology & Lymphovascular Medicine. She is Clinical Lead of the Lymphoedema Service at St George’s Hospital, London where her team care for thousands of patients with primary and secondary lymphoedema from across the UK. Dr Gordon has completed her doctorate in lymphedema, but continues to pursue her research interests within the rapidly developing field of lymphovascular medicine and lipoedema. Along with Professor Peter Mortimer, also of St Georges, she is a supporter and Patron of Lipoedema UK.
PROF VAUGHAN KEELEY
Medical Advisor
Vaughan Keeley is a Consultant Physician who specialises in lymphoedema. He leads the lymphoedema service in Derby, Nottingham and Mansfield. The service sees people with all types of lymphoedema/chronic oedema and lipoedema in adults and children. In 2020, the service was designated as a “Comprehensive Centre of Excellence for Lymphatic Diseases” by LEGRN (the Lymphatic Education and Research Network). His research interests include developing quality of life assessment tools in lymphoedema and lipoedema, and he is an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham Medical School.
DR YANNAN (JESSICA) JIN
Nutritional Research
Qualifications – JIN BSc (Hons) Food Science and PhD in Human Nutrition (NUTRITION SCIENCE), SENIOR LECTURER IN NUTRITION, DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
Jessica’s research expertise lies in the areas of dietary prevention and management of cardiometabolic diseases, childhood malnutrition prevention in the UK and worldwide, and innovating functional food using sustainable food sources and technologies. Her current research activities include finding nutritional and adjunctive solutions to improving the health conditions and life qualities of patients diagnosed with lipoedema or cardiometabolic diseases, and also developing strategies to tackle food insecurity and health inequality that are emerging at regional, national and global levels. Jessica is also a Registered Nutritionist (specialising in Nutrition Science), certified by the Association for Nutrition since 2013. I am also the Fellow of High Education Academy in the UK since 2016
SHARIE FETZER
Chair
Share has been Chair of Lipoedema UK since 2014. She initiated the first patient survey in 2012 and with Amy Fetzer, co-wrote Lipoedema UK Big Survey 2014 Research Report which was instrumental in creating the Royal College of GPs learning course and an impetus for better awareness of lipoedema. Sharie, Mary Warrilow, Lipoedema UK Nurse Consultant and Dr Yannan (Jessica) Jin, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition De Montfort University, are committed to a long term study on the effects of Diet and Lifestyle on Lipoedema. Share also co-authored Women in dire need denied surgery and treatments: Compression Garments and Liposuction to Manage Lipoedema and is currently involved in Lipoedema UK’s 2021 survey Living with Lipoedema – Liposuction and other treatments and presenting the case for better treatments for lipoedema to the NICE review into non-cosmetic liposuction in managing lipoedema.
KATE FORSTER
Trustee/Treasurer
Kate was diagnosed with lipoedema in autumn 2015, following the late diagnosis of her mother with lipo-lymphedema, not just lymphoedema. As she grew up, Kate and her family experienced the impact of her mother’s undiagnosed and inappropriately treated lipoedema and lymphoedema; Kate is therefore passionate about increasing access to early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. She had lipoedema surgery in Spring 2016. Kate is currently Vice President, Global Human Resources, for a medical device manufacturer and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Kate also volunteers for several other charities and community groups.
SUZANNE EVANS
Founder/Trustee
Suzanne was diagnosed with Lipoedema in May 2011 – 35 years after her symptoms first appeared. The shock of discovering she had a genetic condition and that her long years of dieting had not just been worthless but had almost certainly made her condition worse led Suzanne to work with St George’s hospital to create Lipoedema UK.
KRIS JONES
Trustee/Nurse Consultant
Kris started working in Lymphology in 1998 and is now a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Director of LymphCare UK Community Interest Company the first stand alone Lymphoedema Service to have spun out of the NHS. She has a long established interest in the diagnosis and management of Lipoedema and has been involved in ensuring Lipoedema treatment is recognised within service specifications. She also has experience of living with Lipoedema so brings a personal and clinical perspective. Kris is a respected trainer on compression and treatments for Lymphoedema and Lipoedema.
SARA PERCIVAL
Trustee/Clinical Consultant
Sara Percival MSc. Advanced Practitioner and Service Lead. Sara started her working life as a radiographer, her interest in lymphology started in 2008 while working as a therapy co-ordinator for a local hospice and she helped to set up a lymphoedema service in North Essex. Since this time she has worked with Commissioners to get NHS funding for this service and in 2017 secured funding approval to see people with Lipoedema.
Sara has a personal interest in lipoedema and is keen to promote, and ensure, parity of care and treatment provision and is actively involved in providing education on both lymphoedema and lipoedema to health professionals, patients and the public.
MARY WARRILOW
Nurse Consultant
Mary has varied nursing experience including 23 years nursing years working in the Community setting as a District Nurse and Primary Care Matron before specialising in Lymphoedema. Mary was Joint Founder and Managing Director of LymphCare UK a nurse led Community Interest Company and Social Enterprise based in the West Midlands that provides comprehensive lipoedema and lymphoedema management. Mary has won a number of nursing awards including the title ‘Queens Nurse’ from the Queens Nursing Institute (QNI) and is passionate about raising the profile and access to services and treatments for patients with lipoedema and lymphoedema. Mary now works as an independent Nurse advisor for Lymphoedema and Lipoedema and provides specialist advice for many of Lipoedema UK’s medical enquiries.
CLARE ANVAR
Clinical Therapy Advisor
Clare has been a clinical massage and complementary therapist since 2004. She is extensively qualified in many massage techniques, neuromuscular therapy, manual lymphatic drainage, myofascial release, scar therapy, kinesiology taping and counselling.
Clare has always had a diverse private practice helping people with complex pain conditions, post-surgical recovery, cancer-related dysfunction, post-traumatic stress disorder/breathing pattern dysfunction and immune/autoimmune/lymphatic issues.
She began working with people with HIV/AIDS for 3 years, before moving to University College London Hospitals as a complementary therapist in cancer services. After leaving the NHS in 2011, she worked with an orthopaedic hospital to rehabilitate people with replacement joints. Since 2015, Clare has focused more closely to improve the lives of people with lymphoedema and lipoedema.
As a full-time complementary therapist, addressing the link between mental stress and physical symptoms is intrinsic to many cases and Clare believes in facilitating change by not only using evidence-based techniques, but by giving patients the knowledge and skills to improve their own circumstances or to manage their conditions more effectively.
LESLEY STIENITZ
Head of Research
Lesley was diagnosed with lipoedema in 2021, 40 years after first seeking medical advice for its symptoms. Diagnosis and access to treatments have transformed her quality of life, but the journey should not have been so long and challenging. She is now determined to do what she can to improve the diagnosis and treatment for people with lipoedema in the UK. She brings several decades of business experience and a decade as a historian of food, medicine and science to her role as Head of Research.
JOELLA NUT
Membership Support/Operations manager
Joella joined the lipoedema UK team in. Joella manages our membership systems and enquiries. Alongside this she is able to organizes many different aspects of Lipoedema UK Including the newsletter whilst being an integral part in the smooth running of our weekly health and wellbeing sessions.
TERESA SANDERSON
Social Media Ambassador UK
Tess is Lipoedema UK’s Social Media Ambassador. She is passionate about spreading awareness both with lipoedema patients and healthcare professionals. Tess is a founding member of the Lipoedema UK’s Health & Wellbeing Community bringing new topics, support and friendship on a weekly basis to our members. Lipoedema has shaped Tess’s life since around the age of eight, but she experienced 41 years before a diagnosis, so knows what it is like to have gone through life with lipoedema without support or treatment. Tess is now an Inclusive Wellness Coach, specialising as a Laughter Yoga Teacher and Laughter Coach, and is a Balance Procedure and Second Degree Reiki Practioner – these are all underpinned by her Level 4 NVQ in Development & Training (HRD), CIPD Associate Membership, Level 3 Mental Health First Aid and Emergency First Aid at Work qualifications.