Meet our team

Dr Clio Berry
Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Evaluation and Improvement

Clio is a Lecturer in Healthcare Evaluation and Improvement at the BSMS. She studied for her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Reading 2004-2007 and completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at University of Sussex 2010-2014, focusing on hopefulness as an individual and relational mechanism of social inclusion for young people experiencing psychosis, and the development of hope-inspiring therapeutic relationships in ‘generic’ mental healthcare.

C.Berry@bsms.ac.uk >

Dr Clio Berry's profile >

Dr Lavinia Bertini
Research Fellow

Lavinia is a medical anthropologist with interest in critical public health and applied health and social care research. She works as a Research Fellow within the Public Health theme of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for Kent, Surrey and Sussex region (ARC KSS), where she supports the development and implementation of research priorities. She works on a range of projects, with a focus on infectious control in domiciliary care, hospital discharge and community-based services.

l.bertini@bsms.ac.uk

Dr Lavinia Bertini's profile >

Prof Stephen Bremner 
Professor of Medical Statistics

Professor Stephen Bremner joined BSMS in 2015. He gained a BSc in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Strathclyde; an MSc in Medical Statistics, PhD Epidemiology and PGCert Academic Practice from the University of London. Previously a lecturer (QMUL), now senior trial statistician at the UKCRC registered BSCTU, Stephen has also published extensively in the fields of air pollution and primary care epidemiology.

S.Bremner@bsms.ac.uk >                                                                                                 

Prof Stephen Bremmner's profile >

Prof Jackie Cassell 
Researcher

Professor Jackie Cassell studied medical sciences and English literature at the University of Cambridge, before completing her medical degree at the University of Oxford. Jackie came to BSMS during its 4th year, and has undertaken a number of roles. She was a member of Council at the University of Sussex 2010-2014, and in January 2014-July 2019 she took on the role of Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange for BSMS.

J.Cassell@bsms.ac.uk >

Prof Jackie Cassell's profile > 

Dr Max Cooper 
Senior Lecturer in Primary Care

Dr Max Cooper studied medicine at Southampton University and completed an academic fellowship at the University of Glasgow. Max leads GP teaching in years 4 and 5, including community placements, simulation, and assessment.  His research/teaching also looks at healthcare access, global health and the history of medical education in Sussex.

M.Cooper@bsms.ac.uk >

Dr Max Cooper's profile >

Rusha Dawood 
Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF)

R.Dawood@bsms.ac.uk >

Rusha Dawood's profile > 

Dr Richard de Visser
Reader in Pyschology

Richard de Visser has worked in the fields of health psychology and public health for over 25 years. He is a Reader in Psychology at Brighton & Sussex Medical School and in the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex, where has received awards for his individual and group teaching. Richard’s research interests span a broad range of topics in health psychology, including: sexuality and relationships; gender and health; alcohol use; use of health services; and cross-cultural analyses.

r.o.devisser@bsms.ac.uk

dr richard de Visser's Profile > 

Robert Dickinson
Research Assistant (SPICES)

Robert Dickinson is an international relations, geography, international development, and policy professional with six years professional and six years academic experience in research, management, teaching, communication, and project management/administration. He is currently leading the African Cabinet and Political Elite Data project, assisting the SPICES project, and researching how the Trump Administration may fit into historical patterns of neoliberalism as a candidate for a PhD in International Relations.

r.dickinson@sussex.ac.uk

Robert Dickinson's Profile >

Dr Natalie Edelman
Principal Research Fellow

Natalie’s substantive role is as principal research fellow in the School of Health Sciences at University of Brighton. She has worked in applied health research since 1998, initially at the Research Council for Complementary Medicine and in health psychology at the University of Brighton working on HIV treatment adherence. Natalie combines epidemiological methods for health services research with a critical approach and qualitative methods. Her interests include the interface between sexual and reproductive health with psychosocial issues, public health, community delivery of sexual health interventions, Point of Care Testing for STIs, problematic substance use and anti-microbial resistance (AMR).

N.Edelman@brighton.ac.uk

Dr Natalie Edelman's Profile > 

Aisha El-Turki 
Visiting Researcher

Aisha El-Turki studied pharmacy at the University of Tripoli. Her role involved taking medication history and medicines reconciliation on admission, and ensuring medicine safety on the wards. She has also worked to educating patients, involving them in the optimal use of their medication. Aisha qualified as a clinical pharmacist in Libya with a doctorate from UCL, School of pharmacy exploring the Impact of Seven-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination (PCV7) on Childhood Pneumococcal Diseases in the UK.

A.El-Turki@bsms.ac.uk >

Aisha El-Turki's profile >

Dr Carl Fernandes
Senior General Practice Teaching Fellow

Dr Carl Fernandes’ journey to working at BSMS began rather close by – he grew up in Brighton. He left to train at The Royal Free and University College Medical School and qualified as a GP in London. Since returning to Brighton he has taught BSMS students across all years and in his current role he enjoys delivering General Practice teaching in Year 4 and 5.

c.fernandes@bsms.ac.uk >

Dr Carl Fernandes' profile >

Julie Fletcher
Unit Administrator

Julie started at BSMS in July 2021 as Unit Administrator for Primary Care & Public Health, sharing the role with Rosie Neville and supporting Sonia Khan, Departmental Assistant, in all organisational aspects of the department.

j.fletcher@bsms.ac.uk

Julie Fletcher's Profile > 

Dr Elizabeth Ford 
Senior Lecturer in Primary Care Research 

Dr Elizabeth Ford is a mixed-methods researcher investigating human factors that affect the quality of routinely collected health data, with a particular interest in free text.  Her key interests are in mental health and dementia. Her research using primary care data spans qualitative work on data creation, to creating machine-learning predictive models to identify unrecognised cases of chronic illnesses.

E.M.Ford@bsms.ac.uk >

Dr Liz Ford's profile >

Kat Frere-Smith
Health Coach in Health Services Research

Kat Frere-Smith brings a diverse skillset to this position, having graduated from Goldsmiths University in 2009 and going on to work for numerous charities internationally focusing on natural resource management and community engagement. Recently, Kat has set up an organisation called ‘Food Detectives’ which works with local primary schools and aims to inspire kids, support adults and encourage all to enjoy healthy foods.

K.Frere-Smith@bsms.ac.uk >

Kat Frere-Smith's profile >

Louisa Gagatsis 
PhD student

Louisa Gagatsis is a PhD student in the department of Primary Care and Public Health at BSMS. Her main interests are in chronic disease and mental health epidemiology, with a focus on geriatrics. Louisa has a background in biological sciences, which she trained for at the University of Brighton, and subsequently specialised in Epidemiology and Public Health at the French National School of Public Health (EHESP). For her PhD, Louisa will be using electronic health care records to study dementia and cancer outcomes.

L.Gagatsis@bsms.ac.uk >

Louisa Gagatsis' profile >

Dr Penny Geer
GP Senior Clinical Fellow Co-ordinator

Dr Penny Geer studied medicine in Newcastle upon Tyne and completed GP training in East Surrey. She has been a GP Partner in Crawley and Horley since 2001, becoming a GP trainer in 2006. Penny has been involved in both medical politics and NHS commissioning, but realised it was teaching that brought her joy, so joined BSMS in 2019. She is part of the Clinical and Community module academic team in Phase 1 and also teaches GP in Year 4. As a GP, Penny is interested in all areas of clinical medicine, but particularly in how organisational processes impact the patient pathway, managing change and clinical leadership.

p.geer@bsms.ac.uk

DR PENNY GEER'S PROFILE >

Katie Goddard
Project Administrator 

Katie Goddard joined the department in January 2020, assisting on PRODEMOS – a randomised controlled trial exploring how a mobile health app can reduce the incidence of dementia. Katie is responsible for leading the patient journey; communicating with and supporting participants, updating tracking systems, community engagement as well as data collection, entry and analysis. Katie is passionate about health and wellbeing and continues to work in the community conducting mixed methods research, raising awareness and promoting access to local and online services and resources. In addition to her role at BSMS Katie also works in libraries, providing a service for both public and academic communities.

K.Goddard@bsms.ac.uk >

Katie Goddard's profile >

Dr Tom Grice-Jackson 
Research Fellow in Health Services Research 

Tom Grice-Jackson is a Research Fellow in Health Services Research. After completing his PhD, Tom joined Public Health England as a behavioural Scientist where he conducted a systematic review on risk communication during public health emergencies and managed a research trial assessing UK emergency management protocols. He then moved into the central civil service as a Social researcher where he analysed, designing, and evaluated indicators of poverty in the UK. 

T.Grice-Jackson@bsms.ac.uk >

Dr Tom Grice-Jackson profile >

Dr Lauren Hardie-Bick
Lecturer in Medical Education

Lauren has a background in social science and medical education.  Whilst studying for her PhD at Durham University she started teaching social science to undergraduate medical students.  After completing her doctorate, she then continued this interest and was appointed as a Lecturer in Medical Sociology at Keele medical school, where she was involved in developing and delivering the new undergraduate curriculum.  She joined BSMS in 2017 and is Deputy Lead for Clinical and Community Practice 201 and lead for the Inequality and Inclusion in Healthcare strand in year 1 and 2. 

l.hardie-bick@bsms.ac.uk 

Lauren's full profile >

Damla Harmanci
PhD Student 

Damla is a PhD student at the Primary Care and Public Health department at BSMS. She completed both her undergraduate and postgraduate training at the University of Leeds, where she received a BA in Politics and Sociology, and a MA in Social and Political Thought. Her current work combines this sociological lens with a view towards combatting health inequalities in primary care and other healthcare services.

d.harmanci@bsms.ac.uk

Damla Harmanci's Profile > 

Dr Deborah Ikhile 
Research Fellow in Primary Care and Public Health

Deborah is a Research Fellow in Primary Care and Public Health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. She works with the Primary and Community Care theme of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for Kent, Surrey and Sussex region, where she supports the development and implementation of local research priorities. 

D.Ikhile@bsms.ac.uk

Dr Deborah Ikhile's Profile > 

Dr Menaka Jegatheesan
GP Teaching Fellow

Dr Menaka Jegatheesan did her undergraduate medical training at St George's University of London, and completed her general practice training within the Kent, Surrey and Sussex deanery. Prior to joining BSMS, she was a Clinical Teaching Fellow at Kingston Hospital and also completed her PG Cert in Medical Education. At present, she is working on CAPSULE and is involved in teaching undergraduate medical students in the older years. Her particular interest includes simulation. 

M.Jegatheesan@bsms.ac.uk >

Dr Chris Jones 
Senior Research Fellow in Medical Statistics (CTU) 

Chris Jones’s main areas of research include the statistical aspects of clinical trials and lab-based studies, RNA biology, cancer and genetics.

C.I.Jones@bsms.ac.uk >

Dr Chris Jones' profile >

Sonia Khan 
Departmental Assistant

Sonia Khan joined the department in November 2012, responsible for diary management for the Head of the Department, overseeing of the finances within PCPH and HR recruitment within the department. Line manager to the Unit Administrator.

PrimarycareDA@bsms.ac.uk >

Sonia Khan's profile >

Prof Carrie Llewellyn 
Professor of Applied Behavioural Medicine 

Professor Carrie Llewellyn is a Professor of Applied Behavioural Medicine, a behavioural scientist and a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She is currently Chair of the South East and Central (SEC) Regional Advisory Committee for the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Programme. Carrie has taught undergraduate medical students since 2002 and has twenty years’ expertise in applied, patient orientated research across a range of research designs and analysis: both quantitative (interventional RCTs, cluster RCTs, prospective cohort studies, discrete choice experiments) and qualitative methods and leads a portfolio of applied behavioural research in sexual health, related mainly to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV prevention, in addition to research furthering our understanding of patient’s preferences for health services.

C.D.Llewellyn@bsms.ac.uk >

Prof Carrie Llewellyn profile >

Prof Anjum Memon 
Chair in Epidemiology & Public Health Medicine 

Professor Anjum Memon is a medically qualified epidemiologist and public health academic. He trained in epidemiology at the University of Oxford under the supervision of Sir Richard Doll FRS – the eminent epidemiologist who discovered the main hazards of smoking. Anjum joined BSMS in 2005, having previously worked at the Universities of Oxford, Kuwait and Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and an Honorary Consultant in Public Health Medicine.

A.Memon@bsms.ac.uk >

Prof Anjum Memon's profile >

Jo Middleton 
Research Fellow

Jo Middleton is a biologist trained in medical and veterinary acarology. He collaborates with research in Life Sciences at the University of Sussex and Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at University of Brighton. Much of Jo’s research and teaching involves interrelated work at two very different scales, that of microscopic parasites (specifically acarines) and that of Planetary Health.

J.Middleton@bsms.ac.uk >

Jo Middleton's profile >

Rosie Neville
Unit Administrator

Rosie Neville started in BSMS in 2012 within the undergraduate curriculum team, providing support for clinical practice modules, timetabling and placements. She changed roles in 2016 to join the department as unit administrator for Primary Care and Public Health, supporting the Departmental Assistant in all organisational aspects of the department.

R.Neville2@bsms.ac.uk

Rosie Neville's Profile > 

Patrick Nyikavaranda
PhD Researcher

Patrick is based in the Primary Care and Public Health Department at BSMS. He completed his undergraduate Psychology (BSc Hons) degree at University of West London (UWL). Patrick continued to complete his Master’s in Health Psychology at UWL. Patrick currently works with several NHS Trusts, universities, organisations and researchers around mental health, wellbeing, improving access and challenging inequalities.

p.nyikavaranda@bsms.ac.uk

Patrick Nyikavaranda's profile > 

Dr Sarah Partridge 
Research Fellow

Dr Sarah Partridge is an experienced medical writer and research fellow in the Department of Primary Care and Public Health. She is a member of the Guidelines and Information Working Party for the British and Irish Hypertension Society who work closely with NHS England and The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). She has undertaken clinical and epidemiological studies in hypertension and HIV at Imperial College and Barts and The London Medical School. She has practical experience in primary care and the pharmaceutical industry.

S.Partridge@bsms.ac.uk 

Dr Sarah Partridge's profile >

Priya Paudyal 
Lecturer in Public Health, Course Leader MSc Public Health

Priya Paudyal is a Lecturer in Public Health. She currently leads the Masters in Public Health course at BSMS. Priya has previously worked as a researcher at Peninsula Medical School and the University of Aberdeen. Her current research interests are in the field of migration and respiratory disease. She is particularly interested in the health and wellbeing of migrant workers and their left-behind families. She has methodological expertise in evidence synthesis and has published several systematic reviews in the areas of asthma, cancer and complementary therapies.

P.Paudyal@bsms.ac.uk >

Priya Paudyal's profile >

Dr Imogen Rogers  
Research Fellow

Dr Imogen Rogers studied Biological Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, before completing an MSc in Human Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Aberdeen in 1993. In 2013 she moved to New York, and in 2016 started work for Willis Towers Watson as a data scientist. After returning to the UK Imogen joined the Department of Primary Care and Public Health in August 2017.

I.Rogers@bsms.ac.uk >

Dr Imogen Rogers' profile >

Shanu Sadhwani 
Research Fellow

Shanu Sadhwani is a Doctoral Researcher in Behavioural Medicine, after securing funding for a PhD in 2015. After graduating with a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts, Shanu began working within the performing arts sector and teaching in secondary schools, colleges and universities. Shanu has worked extensively in the volunteer sector with abuse victims and homeless populations, and this instigated a shift in career.

S.Sadhwani@bsms.ac.uk >

Shanu Sadhwani's profile >

Dr Ruth Sellers
Andrew & Virginia Rudd Senior Lecturer in Child Development & Community Mental Health

Ruth was appointed Deputy Director of the Rudd Research and Professional Practice Programme in 2020 and was appointed an Affiliate Lecturer at the University of Cambridge, within the Faculty of Education in 2021. Ruth received her PhD in 2013 from Cardiff University. She was later awarded an ESRC Future Research Leader Fellowship (2016- 2019) at the University of Sussex, examining mechanisms for the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology.

r.sellers@bsms.ac.uk

Dr Ruth Sellers' Profile > 

Linda Silver
Recruitment Co-ordinator and Project Administrator 

Linda currently works as Recruitment co-ordinator for SPICES Scaling-up Packages of Interventions for Cardiovascular disease prevention in selected sites in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa), a co-production research study working alongside several community partner organisations across Sussex. She is responsible for recruitment, creating procedures to track and manage the participant journey and finance.Linda has also supported the research team and overseen the budget on the  ARC project Supporting Care Workers during Covid.

L.Silver@bsms.ac.uk >

Linda Silver's profile >

Dr Neil Singh
Senior General Practice Teaching Fellow

Dr Neil Singh studied medicine at the University of Cambridge, where he won the Cuthbert Prize in medical humanities. After initially working in hospital medicine as an Academic Trainee, then a Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge (working on stem cell biology), he realised his interests lay not at the level of molecules, but rather in the study of the health determinants of entire populations.

N.Singh2@bsms.ac.uk 

Dr Neil Singh's profile > 

Dr Sangeetha Sornalingam
GP Clinical Teaching Fellow 

Dr Sornalingam is a General Practitioner with an interest in women’s health. She completed academic general practice training in August 2014 and is studying part time for a Masters in medical research (MRes). She has been in her current post since August 2015.  

S.Sornalingam@bsms.ac.uk > 

Dr Sangeetha Sornalingam's profile >

Kathryn Stanley
Research Assistant

Kathryn is experienced in behaviour and change management. With a background in primary education, employability, quality management and public health engagement, Kathryn graduated from the University of Liverpool with a Geography degree in 1996. With a strong track record in using innovative methods to improve practise and learning in private, public and third sector organisations, she has developed audit skills in Matrix and ISO quality certification. 

k.stanley@bsms.ac.uk

Kathryn Stanley's profile >

Jessica Stockdale
PhD student

Jessica Stockdale is a CHASE funded doctoral researcher working in the philosophy of medicine. Her interests are in the meta-theoretical and practical nature of medicine and scientific inquiry, ranging over topics in epistemology, moral philosophy and philosophy of science. She is jointly supervised in Primary Care and Public Health, and the Philosophy Department at the University of Sussex. 

J.Stockdale@bsms.ac.uk >

Jess Stockdale's profile >

Alice Tunks
PhD Researcher

Alice is a PhD researcher in the primary care and public health department at BSMS. She completed her undergraduate Psychology (BSc Hons) degree at Cardiff University, during which time she undertook a year long placement as a research intern at Mannheim University. Following this, Alice completed an MRes in Psychology at the University of Manchester where her dissertation focused on how primary schools supported pupil mental health.

a.tunks2@bsms.ac.uk

Alice Tunks' Profile > 

Prof Harm van Marwijk
Head of Department, Professor in General Practice

Prof Harm van Marwijk is Head of the Department of Primary Care and Public Health, and part-time GP, after being in similar roles in Manchester from 2015 to 2017. Before that he worked at VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam. His PhD was on depression in the elderly as seen in general practice. 

H.VanMarwijk@bsms.ac.uk >

Prof Harm van Marwijk's profile >

Oluwafunmilayo Vaughn
Research Fellow 

Oluwafunmilayo (Funmi) completed a BSc in Biological Sciences. After an MSc in Health Promotion and Public Health, she worked with the NHS and various Local Authorities. Interested in the well-being of care home staff, she went on to undertake a doctoral research at the University of East Anglia. Her research was a mixed methods multi-study of frontline care home staff, investigating self-efficacy and well-being. She has also worked in various public health capacities internationally.

o.vaughn@bsms.ac.uk

Oluwafunmilayo Vaughn's profile >