The Team
Dr Kate Stannard
Kate qualified from Guy’s & St Thomas’ Medical School, London in 1995. She has pursued a career in anaesthesia during which she had a research & clinical lecturer’s post at Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia. In 2005 she took up a consultant post at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, where she met Helen. They have both been involved in medical education, running a regional exam course for Primary FRCA, as College Tutors and more recently they have been appointed by the Royal College of Anaesthetists as FRCA examiners. In addition Kate is a Lead Clinical Supervisor in the new Kent & Medway Medical School. Kate is a general DGH anaesthetist with an interest in high risk orthopaedic surgery, paediatric ENT surgery & pre operative assessment clinics involving optimisation of patients embarking on surgery.
Having become disillusioned with seemingly stale, silo based conferences in uninspiring venues Kate & Helen decided to start WIMIN. Initially, due to a shared love of skiing, a winter meeting was launched. This has been highly successful with women in medicine from a wide range of specialities delivering an excellent program. The summer meeting promises to be just as diverse & exciting & Kate & Helen are delighted to welcome Louise & Rebecca onto their executive board. Kate hopes that WIMIN will continue to provide progressive meetings where women in medicine can not only share their knowledge but also by providing a safe space, allow difficult topics affecting their profession such as mental health challenges & sexual discrimination to be addressed.
Dr Helen Burdett
Helen went to Bristol Medical School and qualified in 1992. She trained initially as a paediatrician in Bristol which is where she found that anaesthesia was where her interests lay whilst working in PICU. She trained in anaesthesia in the South West of England and did one year at GOSH for advanced training in paediatric anaesthesia. She has worked as a Consultant Anaesthetist since 2003 and has a special interest in paediatric anaesthesia - mainly high risk orthopaedics and ENT. She also has sub speciality interests in adult orthopaedic surgery and bariatric surgery.
She started up and runs a high risk anaesthetic clinic for children with complex problems or complex surgery and this has allowed families to have their child's operation locally rather than having to travel to tertiary centres whenever suitable.
Helen was college tutor for 6 years and started a primary FRCA course with Kate with priority to anaesthetic trainees in the region.
Helen was an expert advisor for the MHRA for 7 years on the paediatric expert advisory group and subsequently on the opioid expert advisory group. She has been a final FRCA examiner for two years.
Dr Rebecca Lewis
Rebecca qualified from Guy’s Medical school and initially pursued a career in Anaesthetics gaining FRCA in 1996. She then changed speciality to General Practice (MRCGP 2000) having been interested in women’s health and gained DRCOG in 1998. During her time in General Practice, she became interested in the menopause and by how dramatically it could affect individuals. She found this the most rewarding area of medicine to be involved in as once a woman is correctly diagnosed and treated with the right type and dose of HRT their lives can be transformed and needless suffering stopped. As a result, she is now passionate about improving education and knowledge about the menopause, not only within medicine but in the workplace and society as a whole. Her aim is to make the menopause a positive experience not hampered by symptoms so that women can be allowed to get on and enjoy healthy, active lives for many years ahead. She now works solely within the menopause speciality and dedicates her time to seeing patients and lecturing and writing articles with the aim to empower women with evidence based knowledge so that they can make informed decisions about managing their menopause.
Dr Louise Newson
Louise is a GP, a leading UK menopause specialist and the Founder and Clinical Director of the largest menopause clinic in the world, Newson Health Ltd, based in Stratford-upon-Avon. She is also an advisor to the NHS, is on the Clinical Steering Committee for NHSEI’s Menopause Improvement Programme and is a member of the Government’s newly formed Menopause Taskforce. Louise has established a not-for-profit company, Newson Health Research and Education, and she is involved in research with colleagues in Warwick, Oxford, UCL, Bath, University of Warwick, Liverpool Universities and London School of Tropical Medicine. Her Confidence in the Menopause educational programme, www.fourteenfish.com/menopause/welcome, was launched to provide free training for anyone with an interest in menopause and menopause treatment pathways. Louise developed the free menopause app “balance”, www.balance-app.com together with www.balance-menopause.com with the mission to make menopause support inclusive and accessible to everyone, globally. The website and app provide key evidence-based information for women and healthcare professionals. Louise is also the Founder and a Trustee for The Menopause Charity, www.themenopausecharity.org, which works to improve women and healthcare professionals’ understanding of the menopause. Louise has contributed to menopause related articles across all media and is This Morning’s resident menopause expert. Louise also hosts a weekly podcast for women and has written two books, The Haynes Menopause Manual, and Preparing for the Perimenopause and Menopause which was a Sunday Times best seller.