Incontinence: The Engineering Challenge XII

Prof Jennifer Southgate: Director of the Jack Birch Unit of Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of York

Professor Jenny Southgate began her career at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) in London. She relocated to Leeds in 1989 and led the Biology of Normal and Malignant Epithelial Cells group based at the ICRF Cancer Medicine Research Unit at St James's University Hospital from 1992. She moved to the University of York in 1999 after she was appointed as the Chair of Molecular Carcinogenesis and Director of the Jack Birch Unit, a research unit supported in part by York Against Cancer. Her research interests encompass the cell/molecular biology of human urothelium and its diseases, including cancer. 

Dr Cathy Murphy: Senior Research Fellow, School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton

As a senior research fellow in the Continence Management research group at the University of Southampton, Cathy has worked on a range of continence and catheter-related projects, focusing on improving the quality of life of people living with long-term incontinence.  She currently has a Fellowship with the Alzheimer’s Society, aimed at understanding and improving the care of people living at home with both dementia and incontinence.  Her work also spans the clinical trials of urinary catheters and associated devices, including valves. She is an editor with the Cochrane Incontinence Group. 

Angie Rantell: Lead Nurse Gynaecology, King’s College Hospital, London

Angie gained a BSc (Hons) in Nursing Studies from King’s College London in 2003.  She started working in the field of women’s health, first as a staff nurse and then as a sister on a Gynaecology, breast care and early pregnancy ward.  

Since 2007, Angie has been working in the Urogynaecology Department at King’s College Hospital and is currently the lead nurse / nurse cystoscopist. She works as part of a multidisciplinary team of consultant urogynaecologists, doctors in training, nurses and physiotherapists.  The unit provides care for women with pelvic flor dysfunction from the local community and many tertiary referrals.  The full range of investigations, conservative, pharmaceutical and surgical therapies are provided

She is actively involved in research and has just completed a PhD investigating sexual function in women with overactive bladder.  To date she has published over 35 articles in peer reviewed journals and has written book chapters and contributed to National guidelines.  She was the first Urogynaecology Nurse Cystoscopist in the country and now runs courses and teaches ambulatory Urogynaecology procedures to both doctors and nurses.  As well as her clinical and research activities she provides advice to governmental bodies including NHS England and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) throughout the UK.

Dr Matt Carré: Reader in Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield

Matt's research interests involve applying mechanical engineering concepts to situations that involve physical interactions between humans and products, devices and surfaces. A major theme is improving the understanding of human skin tribology and health, due to factors such as moisture, topical treatments and loading, with a range of medical, sports and consumer applications. A recent EPSRC-funded project combined Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and tissue loading experiments to determine deformation behaviour and morphological changes to underlying structures. Another theme is the development of biofidelic synthetic systems that simulate aspects of physical human interaction.

Kanishka Fernando: Technology Entrepreneur, MAS Holdings

Kanishka Fernando is a Technology Entrepreneur at FemTech at MAS Holdings. MAS Holdings is one of the world’s most recognized apparel manufacturers and design-to-delivery solution providers. It is also the largest apparel and textile manufacturer in South Asia, specializing in intimate wear, active wear, and swim wear. FemTech is one of the new business verticals MAS is expanding into, which specifically focus on innovating apparel solutions to solve womens’ needs across their reproductive lifecycle- from menarche to menopause. Kanishka Fernando holds a Mechanical engineering degree (First Class Honours) from University of Liverpool and Masters in Bio materials from University of Manchester. He also won several awards for his research on Biosensors.

Gemma Wheeler: Design Researcher, Lab4Living, Sheffield Hallam University

I am currently working as a Design Researcher focusing in health, based at Lab4Living (C3RI, Sheffield Hallam University). I have recently entered the area of incontinence through the ‘Toilet Talk’ workshops led by IMPRESS, where I helped to design and deliver co-design workshop activities specifically aimed at eliciting the views and unmet needs of children living with continence issues, and their families. I feel the collaboration between academic, clinical and design-led approaches were particularly effective in the project, and that multidisciplinary teams are essential in tackling the complex challenges posed by incontinence.

Mark Miodownik: Professor of Materials & Society, University College London

Mark Miodownik is the UCL Professor of Materials & Society.  He received his Ph.D in turbine jet engine alloys from Oxford University, and has worked as a materials engineer in the USA, Ireland and the UK. For more than fifteen years he has championed materials science research that links to the arts and humanities, medicine, and society. This culminated in the establishment of the UCL Institute of Making, where he is a director and runs the research programme.  Mark is also the multi-award winning author of the book Stuff Matters and regularly presents BBC TV and radio programmes on materials science and engineering.  In 2014 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2018 he was awarded an MBE for services to materials science, engineering and broadcasting.

Francesco Clavica: Researcher, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research (University of Bern) and at the Center for Artificial Muscle (EPFL)

Francesco Clavica is researcher at the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research (University of Bern) and at the Center for Artificial Muscle (EPFL). He studied biomedical engineering at Politecnico di Milano and received the Ph.D degree in Biofluid Mechanics at Brunel University London. His research interests lie in the application of engineering methods to medicine and biology with special focus on experimental fluid dynamics applied to urinary and cardiovascular system. He is the coordinator of the UroGenital Gngineering (UGE) group of ARTORG Center and co-founder of URODEA (a spin-off company of the University of Bern).

Chara Olympiou: Postgraduate Research Student, Queen's University Belfast

Chara Olympiou graduated from the University of Brighton, UK, with an undergraduate and master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences, in 2017. Miss Olympiou is currently in the final year of her PhD degree in Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, UK. The title of her PhD degree is: “Free-flowing urinary catheters through non-blocking urinary catheters”. Her research is focussed on strategies for preventing, detecting, and combatting catheter associated urinary infections and subsequent related complications such as catheter encrustation and blockage. Her work includes the investigation of the mechanisms of urinary crystallisation and the effect of novel compounds on crystal and bacterial growth.

Rachel Morecroft: Postgraduate Research Student, University of Sheffield

I am PhD student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Sheffield. My research focuses on friction between human skin and incontinence pads. I completed a Masters (MEng) where my final year project focused on skin friction; I have continued this research in my PhD with my supervisor Matt Carré. So far I have designed and conducted experiments to look at how different topical treatments affect the friction, redness, roughness, hydration and transepidermal water loss of skin. My research has evolved to specifically focus on skin irritation and discomfort associated with incontinence pads.

Organising Committee Member: Prof Alan Cottenden: Emeritus Professor of Incontinence Technology, University College London

Alan Cottenden is Emeritus Professor of Incontinence Technology at University College London, England. Involved in continence technology R&D for over 30 years, he has engaged in diverse projects from fundamental and applied physical and life sciences research through translational research work, commercial consultancy, product design and development, and international standards work. He has published more than 250 scientific and clinical publications, refereed conference contributions and patents. He serves on the board of the IMechE’s Biomedical Engineering Association and chairs the organising committees for the Incontinence: The Engineering Challenge events, and the Simon Foundation’s Innovating for Continence sister conferences in the USA.

Organising Committee Member: Dr Peter Culmer: Associate Professor, Surgical Technologies Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds

Dr Peter Culmer is Associate Professor at the University of Leeds where he leads the multidisciplinary Surgical Technologies research group. Dr Culmer works closely with healthcare professionals and industry partners and has secured over £5M funding from sources including EPSRC, MRC, NIHR and the Leverhulme Trust. His research achieves impact clinically and he plays an active part in the medical research community as board member of the NIHR HTC in Colorectal Therapies and iMechE’s Biomedical Engineering Association. As academic lead of the EPSRC IMPRESS Network he is passionate about understanding and developing technology to help people with incontinence.

Organising Committee Member: Dr Katherine Jeays-Ward: NHS Innovation Manager, NIHR Devices for Dignity MedTech Co-operative, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Katherine Jeays-Ward is an Innovation Manager with NIHR Devices for Dignity MedTech Co-operative (D4D), a national group based within the NHS. D4D’s purpose is to catalyse the development of medical technologies, and technology-dependent health services for patient benefit, from unmet clinical need through to commercialisation. Whilst her academic background is in developmental genetics, she has spent the last decade managing complex multidisciplinary projects across a range of organisations and sectors. Current activities include technology development around urinary tract infections, antimicrobial resistance, bespoke ventilation masks, renal technologies, and working closely with users to improve engagement in device development.

Organising Committee Member: Dr Nicola Irwin: Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Materials Science, Queen's University Belfast

Dr Nicola Irwin graduated with a Master of Pharmacy degree (First Class Honours) in 2009. Following a pre-registration year in community pharmacy, she completed a PhD in the area of infection-resistant medical device development. Dr. Irwin was successfully awarded a personal Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2015 and appointed to her current position of Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Materials Science in the School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, in 2016. Dr. Irwin’s research interests are focused on the development of advanced surface technologies to combat major issues associated with employment of medical devices, namely infection and ease of use.

Organising Committee Member: Margaret Macaulay: University of Southampton, Research Nurse

Margaret Macaulay is a research nurse at the Continence & Skin Technology Group, University College London and University of Southampton. She works with Professor Cottenden and Professor Fader project managing two research programmes: The MultICath study is a major National Health Service funded research programme to investigate re-use of catheters for intermittent self-catheterisation; The Prostate Cancer UK TrueNTH continence programme aims to develop a range of interventions (website, assessment tools and new products) to assist men in managing urinary incontinence following treatment for prostate cancer. Her background is as a urology nurse and community–based continence nurse specialist.

Organising Committee Member: Lesley Orme: New Product Development Manager, CliniMed Limited

Lesley Orme is the New Product Development Manager at CliniMed Ltd, Loudwater, Buckinghamshire.  She qualified as a nurse at St Thomas’ Hospital, London and has been involved in the Medical Devices industry for over 30 years. Her new product development work has enabled her to work with clinicians, patients, industry and universities in the areas of Stoma Care, Urology & Continence and Skincare. Her responsibilities include market research, Drug Tariff submissions and the launch / early commercialisation of medical devices into the NHS and private medical sector.

Organising Committee Member: Davina Richardson: Children's Specialist Nurse, Bladder and Bowel UK

Organising Committee Member: Dudley Robinson: Consultant Urogynaecologist, King’s College Hospital, London