Supporting screening innovation in women's health

Julia Wilson

Evaluation Programme Coordinator

Julia is a mixed-method researcher and project manager passionate about transforming healthcare through innovation. She currently works as an Evaluation Programme Co-ordinator at Health Innovation Wessex, supporting real-world evaluations aiding the adoption of innovations across the NHS. Her expertise spans across developing and integrating digital AI products, health behavioural science and mixed-method research.

Julia brings over seven years of experience managing and supporting complex academic and clinical projects, with a strong track record at organisations like Sacher AI, Allurion Technologies, University Hospitals Plymouth and the University of Plymouth. With a background in healthcare innovation and a portfolio of published research, Julia is driven by a commitment to improving patient outcomes and empowering communities.

Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, golfing, and exploring the intersection of technology and wellbeing.

Philippa Darnton

Director of Insight

Philippa Darnton is Director of Insight at Health Innovation Wessex. She has over 30 years’ experience in the NHS and academia. From her early career as an Allied Health Professional (SLT), she has taken her passions for improving patient care and innovation into roles in strategic planning, operational, service improvement and commissioning.

She joined Health Innovation Wessex in 2015 to lead programmes in evaluation, spread and adoption, pivoting support during the pandemic to rapidly capture learning from front line clinicians and managers through an innovative Rapid Insight approach. Having led a team to deliver over 100 independent evaluations of innovations in health care including digital solutions, her work has contributed critical insights to enable decisions about what innovation benefits patients and our health and care systems and how to implement it. Her large-scale improvement work has included programmes in stroke care, cardiac services and neuro-rehabilitation.

She has a Master's qualification in management from Warwick University, which equips her to manage a house build, two teenage boys and a young cocker spaniel.

Emily Hunter

Associate Director - Insight

Emily is the Associate Director of the Insight team. She has strategic oversight of the team’s portfolio and of the high quality work we produce. Emily works closely with clients to scope our support and develop our business.

Emily has a background in evaluating global health projects and support Cancer Research UK’s early diagnosis programme, working closely with primary care and system stakeholders. She has led Insight’s evaluation offer for innovators, overseen large evaluations of complex programmes, and regularly delivers sessions to develop understanding and capabilities in evaluation.

Facilitative and calm under pressure, Emily attributes her work style to the huge benefits that come from her love of music, as a performer and a keen audience member.

Jackie Chandler

Evaluation Programme Manager (Qualitative)

Jackie joined Health Innovation Wessex in 2019 as a Programme Manager and specialises in qualitative evaluations. These cover evaluating the implementation of digital solutions, service transformation projects and systems-based evaluations in integrated care systems.

Following a career in general and mental health nursing in the NHS and voluntary sector she moved into health research, where she worked with the Royal College of Nursing and the then National Institute for Clinical Excellence developing guidelines. Jackie previously worked on multi method trials in NHS settings with an emphasis on using qualitative methods in process evaluations. Jackie worked for the international organisation Cochrane for evidence synthesis (systematic reviews of studies) and is an associate editor of their Handbook. Her PhD used complex systems theory to better understand implementation of evidence-based care in healthcare settings, a focus of interest at HIW.

Outside work, Jackie practises yoga and is learning to play the harp.

Rebecca Player

Evaluation Programme Coordinator (Qualitative)

Beck is an evaluation programme coordinator who has a passion for improving quality of life through mixed methods in health research and evaluation. Her goal is to improve health and care while helping to create positive change.

Previously, Beck worked as an analyst for a local authority, where she compiled Covid data and worked extensively with large datasets, including case rates and vaccination uptake.

Her passion for research began with her PhD, where she earned a mixed methods doctorate on multiple sclerosis and fatigue. She is also a qualified osteopath with experience in a number of multidisciplinary clinics in London.

Outside of work, Beck enjoys playing hockey, staying active through CrossFit, and spending time outdoors with her dogs.

Amanda Lees

Evaluation Programme Manager (Qualitative) - Insight

Amanda is an Evaluation Programme Manager in the Insight team at Health Innovation Wessex. Before this, she worked in academia as a qualitative and mixed methods researcher and evaluator, holding roles at the universities of Oxford (Oxford Vaccine Group), Southampton and Winchester. She has also worked in research and evaluation within the NHS, private sector, and local authorities.

Amanda's research focused on health and care, especially the experiences of those receiving and delivering services and she has published many peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and co-edited a book on mixed-methods research in wellbeing and health. Since joining Health Innovation Wessex in 2022, she has enjoyed the challenge of applying research techniques within the complex real world environment, working with multidisciplinary colleagues on a diverse range of projects.

Outside of work, she loves walking especially in the Lake District, spending time with family and friends and is trying to become a regular at Parkrun!

Claire Martin

Programme Manager - HealthTech Innovation Strategist

Claire joined the Industry and Innovation team in January 2024 from her clinical role. She is currently working as a Programme Co-ordinator within the team supporting with programme delivery and innovator support. Claire has 12 years’ experience working clinically as a physiotherapist in the NHS, across multiple different specialities, her clinical experience has included working in community, outpatient and inpatient settings in addition to experience with team management, service development and quality improvement. Over the six years she has specialised in respiratory medicine including positive pressure ventilation, tracheostomy weaning and co-ordinating complex discharge planning in addition to being in a team leader role. During her clinical career she has been involved, and assisted leading, in the development and adoption and implementation of a cancer prehabilitation service and has recently led in the design and development of a discharge bundle for complex respiratory patients.

Prior to her role at Health Innovation Wessex, Claire has completed two Msc modules in innovation in healthcare through Buckingham New University (and Oxford AHSN as it was then).

Frank Ratcliff

Director of Industry and Innovation

After a PhD in the genetics at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Frank quickly moved into commercial research, first developing, patenting and licensing a tool for functional genomics, and then moving to run a series of crop improvement projects at Syngenta. This work relied heavily on bioinformatics, and after 3 years Frank moved to the scientific computing team to support a range of projects across Europe and the US.

In 2003 Frank moved to Pfizer, and then to Boehringer-Ingelheim in 2007 where he worked on a variety of partnership projects with various NHS organisations. In this capacity he joined Health Innovation Network on secondment 2 days per week in 2013 to support their respiratory programme; a move which turned full-time in 2015 when Frank joined the commercial team of Health Innovation Network. His commercial experience spans all stages from lab research to major global products, supplemented with PRINCE2 and a CIM diploma in marketing.

Frank is married with two children and spends most of his spare time outside, either running, cycling, gardening or fishing.

Emily Jiggens

Programme Assistant – Industry and Innovation - NAS

Emily began her career with a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences from 2018 - 2021, publishing her dissertation on the role of CDK4 in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. She then went on to study the Global Master of Public Health at Imperial College London, where, alongside special interests in infectious disease modelling and health protection, she conducted a research project on the barriers to physical activity among young women and girls. Alongside her master's studies, Emily volunteered with Cherwell District Council and Oxfordshire County Council, getting involved in a range of health promotion, community engagement, and health inequalities projects. During this time, she also worked as a health advisor at NHS 111, starting off her NHS career.

After completing her Master's degree, Emily was accepted onto the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme in Health Informatics, based in the south east. This course spanned two years and consisted of three placements across Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's Data Quality Team, Torbay Council's Public Health Team, and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board's Population Health Analytics Service. During the graduate scheme, she also completed two further postgraduate qualifications in Healthcare Leadership (Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Award from the University of Birmingham) and Health Informatics (PG Dip from University College London and the University of Manchester).

Emily has joined the Industry and Innovation Team as a Programme Assistant focusing on the needs assessment (NAS) element of the NHS Innovation Service.

Ani Haughton

Industry and Innovation Support Assistant

Ani joined Health Innovation Wessex from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, where she held several administrative roles across various departments.

Ani started her NHS career working in Radiology in Royal Surrey County Hospital before moving to Southampton. Her career with University Hospital Southampton began in the Breast Imaging Unit working with teams covering routine imaging and referred testing. She then moved to Southampton Medical Examiners and assisted with the documentation and registration of the deceased from the hospital, linking her with a wide range of colleagues across numerous departments.

Ani then moved to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Saliva Testing Lab based in Chilworth, working directly with the Managing Director and Senior Leadership team to deliver Covid-19 saliva testing across organisations in the area. Here, Ani found her passion for supporting projects that advance our understanding and use of technology to better our community.

Peter Rhodes

Senior Programme Manager Industry & Innovation

Peter is Senior Programme Manager for Industry & Innovation. He joined Health Innovation Wessex in 2018 after a 30-year career as a Pharmacist in five frontline technological roles, four in the NHS and one in the pharmaceutical industry.

His professional specialism is in pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality management, but broad experience in secondary care means he can support technology across the clinical disciplines. He is well placed to quickly understand the place an innovation could have in the health system, and to draw together the support needed to bring innovations to fruition.

Peter is committed to supporting healthcare innovators to bring products and services to market that the NHS needs.

Anna Wykes

Programme Manager - Industry & Innovation (Cancer Innovation)

Anna initially joined the Wessex Patient Safety Collaborative (PSC) in August 2019 as a programme coordinator. After working on the COPD Discharge Bundle project and Medicine Safety in Care Homes Programme, she moved to work on the urgent Covid Oximetry at Home programme during the autumn of 2020. Anna then moved to a new post, hosted by Health Innovation Wessex (at that time named Wessex AHSN) and jointly funded by Wessex Cancer Alliance to facilitate the adoption and spread of proven innovations that support earlier and faster diagnosis of cancer.

Anna has worked for various NHS healthcare services as a Registered Children’s Nurse. She has worked in both tertiary and community settings, in a variety of clinical roles, and has a passion for delivering and supporting healthcare services to deliver high quality patient care.

Most recently, as a Nurse Educator, she was responsible for leading the development and implementation of the first regionally delivered Paediatric Nurse Preceptorship Programme in England. This programme harnessed the expertise of the different paediatric teams throughout Wessex to provide standardised study days and documentation that promoted the delivery of high quality training and support to any new children’s nurse employed within the region.