Biography

Biography

Since 2000, Salvo Leone has been an active patient advocate. He is Treasurer of the Sicilian Association, President of the National Federation and General Director of the National Association. In 2018, he was appointed Chair of EFCCA, the European Federation of National Associations dealing with chronic IBD. His work focuses on improving the well-being of patients with IBD and their partners and families, increasing public awareness of IBD, supporting patients, and liaising with associated healthcare professionals and related organisations to encourage both medical and social research.

Professor Hart is Consultant Gastroenterologist at St Mark’s National Bowel Hospital and Dean of St Mark’s Academic Institute. She has published widely in clinical, translational and basic science aspects of IBD research. She is a member of the Governing Board of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation, IBD Clinical Research Group Committee for the British Society of Gastroenterology and is a member of the International Organisation for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Lisa Younge is a Consultant Nurse for IBD at St Mark’s Hospital and has won the British Journal of Nursing national award for Gastrointestinal/IBD Nurse of the Year. Her work has led to multiple publications, shaping IBD nursing across the UK and Europe. At Crohn’s & Colitis UK, Lisa co-leads the IBD Nursing Programme, focussing on increasing the number of IBD nurses across the UK and offering support and training to nurses, including advice lines and service improvement. She has been instrumental in the recent introduction of the first Crohn’s and Colitis UK Nurse Specialists.

Charlie Lees is Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Edinburgh, a UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellow, and Consultant Gastroenterologist in the Edinburgh IBD Unit. Professor Lees is centrally involved with the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation, is the Chief Scientists Office Specialty Lead for Gastroenterology in Scotland and Chair of the British Society of Gastroenterology IBD Clinical Research Group. His team are working on predicting outcomes in IBD, using routinely collected NHS data and dedicated multi-modal prospective cohorts to build predictive models.