Our Advisors

Dr. Al-Aly a physician-scientist; he directs the Clinical Epidemiology Center and serves as the Chief of Research and Development Service at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System. He is a senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in Saint Louis. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in harnessing the power of big data to answer important public health questions.He led work which provided systematic characterization of the post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (also called Long Covid) and subsequently characterization of the increased risks of cardiovascular disease, neurologic disorders, diabetes, dyslipidemia, kidney disease, and gastrointestinal disorders following SARS-CoV-2 infection. His lab was the first to produce evidence characterizing the effects of vaccines on Long Covid, the health consequences of repeated infections with SARS-CoV-2, and the effect of antivirals on the short- and long-term outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Dr. Al-Aly co-chaired the Biden-Harris Administration committee that developed the National Research Action Plan for Long Covid and serves on the US Government Interagency Long Covid Coordination Council. He advised the Chief Science Advisor of Canada (Government of Justin Trudeau). He currently serves on a consensus committee at the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine looking at the long-term health effects stemming from COVID-19 and their implications for the Social Security Administration. Profile (describing upbringing and research journey): https://outlook.wustl.edu/real-world-reflections/

Dr Nisreen Alwan MBE is Professor of Public Health at the University of Southampton and Honorary Consultant in Public Health at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. She leads research in maternal and child health towards optimising the wellbeing of families, preventing future chronic disease and reducing health inequalities. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she focused on the quantification and recognition of Long Covid. She was awarded an MBE for services to Medicine and Public Health during the pandemic in the Queen’s New Year Honours 2021, and named among women leading change from across the world in the BBC 100 Women 2020 list. Nisreen delivered a TEDx talk describing public health communication, power, objectivity and vulnerability themes around the topic of Long Covid. 

Carolyn A. Chew-Graham, GP Principal in Central Manchester, Professor of General Practice Research at Keele University. Carolyn’s main areas of interest and expertise include the primary care management of people with mental health problems, multiple health conditions and unexplained symptoms; and the mental health and wellbeing of clinicians. She has qualitative research methods expertise, drawing on theories from social sciences and psychology, but always with a focus on clinical practice – trying to answer questions that are important to patients, their families, health care professionals and the NHS. Carolyn is a member of the NHS England Long Covid Taskforce and has published articles and research on Long Covid. Her 2020 paper Finding the ‘right’ GP was the first qualitative study describing the experiences of people with Long Covid in navigating healthcare. She has co-written an e-learning module for GPs on Long Covid. Carolyn chairs the RCGP ‘Research Paper of the Year’ panel. She was Chair of the Society of Academic Primary Care 2019-2022. Carolyn was a member of the NICE Clinical Guideline Development Group Depression (update) - work which directly impacts on commissioning decisions and patient care. She is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Health Expectations. Carolyn was awarded the President’s Medal by RCPsych in 2021.

Dr Caroline Dalton is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Genetics. She leads the Living Well with Chronic Disease theme at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, and the Health and Disease group at the Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, both at Sheffield Hallam University. Dr Dalton has a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Immunology. Her research interests include the investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying responses to interventions to treat complex conditions such as schizophrenia, depression and obesity. She has been working with Long Covid Support since summer 2020 and has contributed to resources supporting people with Long Covid including a booklet on management of fatigue symptoms that is used in Long Covid clinics. She is currently carrying out studies on symptom and activity tracking in Long Covid, alongside mechanistic studies that investigate the underlying biological causes of Long Covid symptoms.

Professor Brendan Delaney is a leading exponent internationally of the “Learning Health System’ (LHS) concept. His initial training in research was in health technology assessment, real-world (pragmatic) clinical trials and clinical research in Family Medicine. Since 2003 he has worked in the area of Clinical Informatics, being appointed to a Chair in Medical Informatics at Imperial in 2015 and elected one of the first 100 founding fellows of the new UK Faculty of Clinical Informatics in 2017. Prior to moving to Imperial, he was Wolfson Professor of General Practice at King’s College London. At Imperial, Brendan works in the Institute of Global Health Innovation, with research in Artificial Intelligence, cancer diagnosis and learning systems, eSource for clinical trials and global eHealth. He is a member of the Medical Research Council Data Science Strategic Advisory Group. Brendan’s interests lie at the intersection of health services research (how to deal with patient problems equitably and efficiently), the use of data in research and service development and ‘pressing’ clinical problems.

Dr. Rae Duncan is a Consultant Cardiologist, Long Covid Physician, and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. She holds degrees in Medicine (MBChB), Medical Microbiology (BSc Hons), and Medical Research (MSc, MD), and leads a specialist NHS clinic treating patients with cardiovascular complications of Covid-19, Long Covid, POTS, and other post-viral syndromes. Nationally and internationally recognised for her work, she is part of the Long Covid Expert Advisory Team for the World Health Network (WHN) and holds a National Clinical Impact Award for her contributions to Long Covid care, research, and advocacy. Dr. Duncan is a member of the Long Covid international research collaboration (TeamClots,) and served on the Executive Committee of the Long Covid International Delphi Consensus, helping oversee 180 international experts from 28 countries develop of the first global expert guidance on assessment, management and research priorities in Long Covid. She is Co-Chief Investigator on two major research trials investigating the effects of Covid in children and has provided invited expert evidence to UK All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Long Covid. A tireless and longstanding patient advocate, Dr. Duncan is committed to advancing prevention, strengthening public health policy, and pushing for better education, clinical trials, and evidence-based treatment pathways. She continues to highlight that Covid is not over, not seasonal, and not benign—calling attention to its role in rising rates of chronic illness and disability, and the urgent need to break chains of transmission. Her work is focused on improving outcomes, protecting lives, and ensuring that those living with Long Covid receive the care and respect they deserve.

Laura is the CEO of Glass Ceilings Change Management. Driven by her passion for addressing social inequalities, Laura is a consultant, leader, and public speaker with almost two decades’ experience in Operations, Policy, Regulatory Compliance, and Human Resources in the public, private, and charity sectors. Laura's career has focused on helping to remove the barriers people face in society – in employment and education – by supporting organisations to shape inclusive cultures. She founded Glass Ceilings® in 2020 as a progressive people partner supporting organisations to thrive because their people thrive, securing a future in which no individual or group is left behind in employment. Since the start of the pandemic, Laura has advised organisations and individuals on implementing Covid safe working policy and practices, protecting vulnerable workers, and has written extensively about the long-term health and economic impacts of Covid and Long Covid on society. Laura has a Masters degree in Human Resource Management with CIPD Advanced Level Standards, and holds postgraduate qualifications in HR Directorship and OD&D. She is a Chartered Fellow with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Chartered Management Institute, and a Fellow with the Institute of Leadership in the UK, and a Fellow with the Australian HR Institute and the Institute of Managers and Leaders Australia and New Zealand. Laura also sits as an expert panel member for responsible business on the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. 

Claire graduated in Combined Studies specialising in Philosophy & the History of Science, Medicine & Technology from the University of Manchester. She has a special interest in the history of Hysteria and the female experience in medicine, and how this relates to the treatment of chronic conditions and 'medically unexplained symptoms'. Her understanding stems from the personal and academic. After receiving some of the highest academic grades in the country and competing at a national level in martial arts Claire contracted a viral infection, then suffered from ME/CFS for 8 years. After 4 decades of dealing with the medical system through periods of remission and relapse with Long EBV, Long Flu and Long Covid, she is clear that there is still a substantial knowledge gap in medicine around post-acute viral illness. Claire is building connections between the worlds of ME/CFS and Long Covid to help ensure that the mistakes made through the application of the Biopsychosocial (BPS) model, or Cognitive Behavioural Model (CBM) are not repeated. Her previous academic experience with the Philosophy of Psychiatry, Psychology and Philosophy of Mind helps bring clarity to these issues. Claire regularly blogs on these subjects as Long Covid Advocacy. She is also a member of the patient advisory group in the World Health Network.

Dr Mark Faghy is an associate professor and the Long COVID research lead at the University of Derby. His research prior to pandemic aimed to understand the slow recovery of community acquired pneumonia patients following discharge from hospital. In the early stages of the pandemic, he used learning from this research to profile the recovery pattern of patients discharged from hospital and recovering in community settings following a COVID-19 infection. The research clearly demonstrated that some patients were still experiencing persistent and debilitating symptoms that has led to further research to increase the mechanistic understanding of Long COVID. At the heart of Dr Faghy's is the lived experience and patient voice and he regularly conducts projects alongside patient representatives. He is also passionate about creating a platform for the patient voice which has also led to the development of public awareness showcases to continue to increase public knowledge of Long COVID.

Ian has lived experience of Long Covid and its after effects, and was a founding member of Long Covid Wales. He is an expert in hereditary cancer and retired from NHS Wales in 2019. He now holds an honorary appointment at St Mark’s Hospital, London, and is also the immediate past-President of the Association of Clinical Pathologists (ACP) and an Honorary Senior Clinical Research Fellow at Cardiff University. Ian has sat on many advisory committees to the Welsh and UK Governments, the Departments of Health in England and Wales and Council of the Royal College of Pathologists. He holds many other positions, including being on the WHO editorial board for the Classification of Tumours (‘Blue books’) series. Ian is an Honorary Life Member of the International Society for Gastrointestinal Hereditary Tumours (InSiGHT), and an Honorary Medical Advisor to Lynch Syndrome UK & Lynch Syndrome Ireland. He is a recipient of both the ACP’s Dyke Foundation Medal for his “eminence as a member of the pathology community” and the Pathological Society of Great Britain & Ireland’s Goudie Medal for his “seminal contribution to the science of pathology.” Ian helped establish NICE Diagnostics Guidance DG27 and later DG42, that bowel and endometrial cancers must be tested to see if they are due to Lynch syndrome., Suffering from Long Covid since April 2020 he has provided input as an informed expert patient into both NICE and WHO Long Covid guidance, as well as participating in numerous research studies.

Helen Hughes is the Chief Executive of Patient Safety Learning, a charity and independent voice for improving patient safety. The charity seeks to support safety improvement through policy, influencing and the development of ‘how to’ resources such as the hub, a free platform to share learning for patient safety. Helen’s passion to improve patient safety is informed by personal family insight into the impact of unsafe care and the ineffectiveness of organisational responses to learn from error. She has been a Director and CEO at several healthcare, social justice and equality organisations, including the National Patient Safety Agency and the WHO.

Dr Kane is a Consultant Respiratory Physician with 25 years of experience in the NHS, specialising in respiratory and acute medicine, with a special interest in Asthma, COPD, integrated care and healthcare leadership.
She earned her medical degree with honours from the University of Manchester in 2000, and subsequently completed her PhD in 2008 from the same institution. In addition to her clinical expertise, Dr Kane holds a Distinction-level MSc in Healthcare Leadership from the NHS Leadership Academy and University of Birmingham and has played a pivotal role in development of healthcare services in Manchester including; Community Respiratory Care, Acute Hospital at Home and Tertiary Severe Asthma services. She became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2020.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Kane was an active member of Independent SAGE regularly communicating science to the public on matters relating to the pandemic. In Manchester, she Led the COVID Virtual Ward programme, supporting >4,000 patients home by providing remote care between 2020 and 2022. Her experience became deeply personal when her daughter developed severe Long COVID in 2021. This catalysed her advocacy, international research collaborations, and eventually, the founding of The Long COVID Clinic in Liverpool in 2022.
Dr Kane is actively involved in collaborative research with Professor Mark Faghy (University of Derby), leading a clinic-based research programme with approved ethics for publication of real-word data. She has worked alongside clinicians and researchers internationally, and is a member of the World Health Network Long COVID Expert Advisory Group.
Her advocacy is far-reaching. She is a champion for Long Covid Kids, an advisor for the Charity Long Covid Support and an Ambassador for the #ThereForMe campaign. Dr Kane is passionate about patient education and hosts a YouTube channel in partnership with Long Covid Support called The Long Covid Clinic What You Can Do which is aimed at empowering patients with information. She has represented patients in Parliament as part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group meetings for Long COVID and ME.

Dr Graham Lloyd-Jones is a Consultant Radiologist at Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. He is an educator in the field of medical imaging and the founder/director of Radiology Masterclass, a leading UK-based online educational resource for medical students and junior doctors. During the COVID-19 pandemic Graham has worked on gaining a collaborative and interdisciplinary understanding of disease mechanisms. His work highlights the vascular nature of the acute lung disease in COVID-19 and how this differs from conventional viral pneumonias. He takes the view that similar disease processes are implicated in those with symptoms of long COVID. His work on disease mechanism also highlights the importance of poor oral health, especially gum disease, in contributing to disease severity in acute COVID-19. He is leading a local project to optimise the oral healthcare of inpatients with COVID-19 and is sharing this work widely with infection prevention and control teams across the UK. Graham is a member of the FDI World Dental Federation whole body task group which acts to highlight the connections between oral health and body health. He continues to work with multiple research teams to further understand disease mechanisms as they relate to the radiology and oral health aspects of acute COVID-19 and long COVID.

Robin McNelis, Clinical Specialist Chartered Physiotherapist, specialised in Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy since 1999 both in NHS and Private Healthcare. In 2020, life changed both personally and professionally for Robin after contracting Covid in March 2020 which resulted in a series of complications including being formally diagnosed with Long Covid in August 2020.  Around this time, Robin was instrumental in setting up The Long Covid Clinic at The Wellington Hospital – one of the first of its kind in the UK – using his professional experience as well as using his personal lived-experience of the condition. In 2022, Robin accepted a post as Clinical Lead of the Enfield Community Post Covid Service, providing therapy services to Long Covid patients who had come through the PCS Assessment Clinic at UCLH.  After 2 years leading the service and against a background of uncertain funding, Robin made the decision to leave the NHS and develop his independent business full time having been providing services alongside his fulltime job until the pandemic.

Dr Tim Nicholson is a Reader in Neuropsychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London. He is also an Honorary Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where he currently works in a Long COVID clinic focusing on neurological and psychiatric complications. He co-leads the NIHR funded Post COVID-19 Condition Core Outcome Set (PC-COS) study in collaboration with the WHO and many other national and international groups, including key input from Long COVID Support. This study aims to arrive at international consensus on how to measure Long COVID in both research studies and clinical settings which is key to optimising and accelerating understanding of Long COVID and the development of evidence based treatments.  He leads research into immune and genetic biomarkers of cognitive and pain symptoms in Long COVID as well as the physiology and role of interoception and cognition in respiratory symptoms.  He is also involved in a neuroimaging study of fatigue and leads the neuropsychiatry working group of the COVID-CNS study, a UKRI funded national study of acute neurological and psychiatric COVID complications. During the early stages of the pandemic he set up and led the neuropsychiatry complications ‘early warning’ surveillance system and an international team that published a ‘Neuropsych COVID’ blog to disseminate the rapidly emerging data which also published several key early ‘meta-analysis’ reviews that pooled together this key early data.

Helen Ward is a Clinical Professor of Public Health at Imperial College London where she co-leads the Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission (REACT) Study of the long-term health impact of the COVID-19 in 2.5 million people. Early in 2020, Helen and her team stressed the importance of community engagement in the emerging pandemic, publishing some of the first reports on public priorities and responses in April 2020. Her recent research has shown the impact of Long Covid on health, well-being, and cognition in a large community sample in England. Helen’s previous research was on the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases including HIV and STI, working closely with patients and communities. She established the Patient Experience Research Centre (PERC) at Imperial in 2011 to promote participatory approaches to improving healthcare and biomedical research. PERC now leads patient, public and community involvement across Imperial’s Faculty of Medicine.Helen co-leads research on the interaction between social, genetic and environmental determinants of health with a focus on inequality, and Chairs the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Imperial Biomedical Research Centre. She trained in Medicine at Sheffield University, has a Masters in Epidemiology and a PhD in Public Health from the University of London.