Frank Arnold did basic training in surgery, then clinical and experimental research in angiogenesis at the Patterson labs and Oxford Wound Healing Institute. He applied his experience of tissue repair to the assessment of evidence of torture, writing over 1000 medico-legal reports. He has worked with the Medical and Helen Bamber Foundations and initiated the Medical Justice Network, where he was first medical advisor. His current interests include medical accidents, healthcare of detainees, hunger strikes, dual loyalties and the misuse of medical authority against patients' welfare, be they asylum seekers, prisoners, Roma, disabled, or from other socially excluded groups.
Chloe Baker After completing a BA in the History and Sociology of Medicine at St John’s College, Cambridge, Chloe moved to King’s College London to complete her MB BS. During her time at King’s she was President of Medsin-GKT, the highlight of which was organising the ‘Access Denied’ conference. She gained a Master of Public Health whilst at King’s, before completing her Foundation training in North East London. Currently she works in Public Health, and volunteers for Medical Justice when possible. She has conducted research in Tanzania and Sierra Leone, and is currently running a research project amongst migrants in East London.
Frank Boulton (Treasurer) A member of Medact’s Nuclear Interest Group; co-author of “Preventing Torture” Medact Report September 2011. Founder Member of Medical Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons, Edinburgh branch 1981. Retired consultant physician, Southampton, Edinburgh, Liverpool and London (Haematology). Honorary Lecturer, Southampton University School of Medicine (Haematology and Global Health). Former Honorary Consultant Physician & Advisor to HM Armed Forces in Blood Transfusion.
Jane Cook is a Registered General Nurse and Public Health Specialist (Health Visitor) who has worked with excluded groups (asylum seekers, refugees, homeless families, single homeless people, migrants, undocumented migrants, unaccompanied minors, Travellers and gypsies) working in a variety of settings to deliver health care (hostels, bed-and-breakfast accommodation, day centres, prisons, accommodation centres and the street). Jane has been involved in developing innovative services that are accessible and appropriate with both users of the service as well as other partners. She has also been involved in developing a national service to support nurses working with excluded groups and in developing national guidance and resources. Jane provides training and clinical supervision to improve standards and sits on national advisory groups. Jane is a global nomad having been born in Zambia and educated in Zimbabwe which remains home.
Judith Cook After working as a full time GP she volunteered with Médecins du Monde in Afghanistan and Liberia and later for Médecins du Monde UK in Project: London. She currently works as a GP in London with refugees and asylum seekers. Previously a MCANW member she contributes to Medact's work on refugee health and access to health care in the UK; on the health impact of war in Iraq; as tutor to medical students on global health, and refugee health in workshops in Denmark and Pakistan.
Judith Davey is Director of Performance and Accountability at ActionAid where she is also the Senior Management Team champion for women's rights and gender equality. Judith holds a Non-Executive Directorship in a National Health Service Mental Health Trust, and is on the Board of the Society of Consumer Affairs in Europe. She is currently studying Expanding Impact: Non-Governmental Organization Legitimacy, Advocacy and Partnerships at Harvard Kennedy School. Her specialities are strategy, governance, board development, strategic leadership, performance management, HR, organisational development & transformation, change management, customer service, customer and donor experience, social marketing, and women's rights.
Gilles de Wildt is a Birmingham GP and Lecturer in International Health. He qualified and worked in the Netherlands, where he volunteered for Medact’s sister organisations, and in Southern Africa in hospitals, health care development and during conflict. He writes, presents and teaches on international health issues with current emphasis on global equity, access to medicines and commercialisation of care in the UK and globally. He is a member of the Health Inequalities Standing Group of the RCGP and has represented NGOs on health and trade issues at international forums. He has an interest in all of Medact’s activities.
Vanessa Jessop is an Academic Foundation Programme Trainee in Emergency Medicine and Public Health in North East London. She has a degree in Law and completed the International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance in 2008. Vanessa was a committed member of Medsin as an undergraduate and served on the Medact Board in 2009/10. She will commence Specialist Training in Emergency Medicine in August 2012.
Oliver Johnson (Co-Chair) is Director of Strategy at the King’s Centre for Global Health, having previously studied Medicine at King’s and International Health at UCL. He is responsible for developing a global health strategy for King’s, such as for innovative global health teaching and major research themes (e.g. conflict and health). He leads the new King’s Sierra Leone Partnership, which is strengthening the country’s health worker training capacity. Oliver is also Policy Director for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health. This involves advising parliamentarians, coordinating in-depth reviews on topical global health issues and acting as an interface with government departments and related academic and civil society groups. He previously sat on the Medact Board from 2010-2011.
Gay Lee is a semi-retired, hands-on palliative care nurse and was also a midwife for 12 years. She has been a member of Medact (with varying levels of activity) since it started and before that, a member of its predecessor, Medical Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons. Her main concerns are privatisation of health systems and nuclear weapons.
David McCoy (Co-Chair) is a public health physician. He spent his first fifteen years working in clinical medicine and health systems development, mostly in South Africa. Since then he has been based in London, working on various aspects of ‘global health’ as an academic and NHS physician. He was co-Managing Editor of the first two alternative world health reports (Global Health Watch) and is a member of the Steering Committee of the Peoples Health Movement. He has had a long relationship with Medact going back to 1992 when he helped organise an Earth Summit conference and when he served on the Board in 2004.
Elisabeth McElderry (Vice Chair) GP / Ophthalmology North Devon. Many years experience with MCANW, IPPNW & Medact. Interested in governance. Inspired by achievements of Medact and aims for the future. She hopes to continue encouraging new supporters and membership, including more Medact promotion at conferences, and increasing events for members.
Tomasz Pierscionek is a doctor with an interest in global health, psychiatry, current affairs, history and politics. He will be commencing an Academic Clinical Fellowship in Psychiatry in August 2012. Tom was involved with the Newcastle branch of Medsin whilst at university. In 2009, he travelled to Palestine as part of a delegation of Paediatricians and visited a refugee camp. This year he has undertaken a study tour to Cuba. Tom is also editor of an online current affairs journal - the London Progressive Journal. He has written a number of articles, papers and other commentaries on health related issues and current affairs. His pieces have appeared in Medicine, Conflict and Survival, the BMJ, Student Lancet, London Progressive Journal and the Morning Star.
Anenta Ratneswaren is a junior doctor with a rotation in academic Primary Care. She was involved with Medsin at Imperial College, working to establish the educational activities, including Global Health Forum and organising the Global Health Short Course, for which she has given workshops on conflict. She has been involved in campaigning on the conflict in Sri Lanka.
Ruth Stern has practical and academic experience in health promotion, health equity, social determinants, partnership working and community participation in the UK and South Africa. Her current employment is with a School of Public Health in Cape Town, South Africa, where she is responsible for the distance learning health promotion courses. In England, she is actively involved in the People's Health Movement, as part of her Medact role. This has included, with others, coordinating three International People's Health University courses, the launches of Global Health Watch 2, and 3, and currently, the planning for the UK People's Health Assembly in July 2012. She has been a Medact Trustee since 2008.
Liz Waterston retired from General Practice in 2003. She joined Medact in 1985 after some years working in Africa where she became convinced of the folly of the massive expenditure on nuclear arsenals by the USA, Russia and Europe while the majority of the population of the world lacked clean water, education and health care. She has been on the Board for 11 years. She is the coordinator of the nuclear hazards group addressing the dangers and the connection between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. In her local group of Medact Tyneside they are working closely with Medsin. As International Councillor for Medact she is involved with IPPNW delegations to dialogue with decision-makers and has recently been on dialogue meetings in Brussels with NATO and the office of Baroness Ashton and also in Turkey at the IPPNW Middle East regional affiliate meeting planning initiatives to promote a WMD free zone in Middle East.
Miri Weingarten has worked for Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-Israel) for 13 years. Her fields of expertise include protection of human rights and medical neutrality within contexts of occupation and armed conflict; promotion of social justice in the public healthcare system; and medico-ethical challenges to medics working within security systems in the context of torture prevention. Since moving to London in 2009 Miri has led the EU and UN advocacy work of PHR-Israel and a coalition of Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations. Miri reported on the fact-finding medical mission to Gaza following Israel's 2008-2009 military offensive during a Medact/Pax Christi speakers tour in the UK; she authored the Israel chapter of Medact's 2011 report Preventing Torture and has since engaged in advocacy for adoption of its conclusions with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other international players.
