Join our online event discussing everything fatigue
Thursday 03 October 2024, 09:30 - 16:00
Tickets available now!
Our Speakers: fatigue - an online conference
Emma Dures: Professor in Rheumatology and Psychology at UWE
KEY NOTE SPEAKER
Emma Dures (PhD Cpsychol) is a Chartered Psychologist and Professor in Rheumatology and Psychology at the University of the West of England (UWE) and the Bristol Royal Infirmary. Emma is interested in the interaction of psychological, emotional and social factors with the physical health and well-being of people with inflammatory rheumatic conditions. One of the most prevalent and challenging symptoms that people with inflammatory rheumatic conditions have to manage is fatigue. Since 2009, Emma has worked on a number of research projects that have explored the lived experience of fatigue, fatigue assessment and measurement, the development and testing of self-management interventions and the development of recommendations for fatigue management.
Heather McLellan: Mentor & Physiotherapist, Director of HKM22 Consulting
Heather has 30 years’ experience as a Physiotherapist, specialising in return to work rehabilitation following injury and illness, having worked for large engineering companies, with small and medium-sized enterprises in multiple sectors, NHS staff, and with individuals with small independent businesses. In 2019 Heather had to turn all her professional knowledge on herself when she was diagnosed with serious illness whilst managing a national serious injury rehabilitation business. Heather has created award-winning services that demonstrated effective ways to support people to return to or remain in work. She now works with small business owners and professionals who struggle to manage their work and health as a result of illness or injury. She provides mentoring, speaking and consulting combining her professional expertise alongside personal experience of health and business, to support people seeking to improve the relationship between their health and work to create a sustainable and fulfilling future.
Beverly Knops: Managing Director & Specialist Occupational Therapist at Vitality360
Beverly is a passionate believer that everyone has the right to a full and enriched life whatever the potentially limiting circumstances of their condition. She has been qualified as an Occupational Therapist Clinician for 30 years and has vast experience in pain and fatigue management, a specialism she has dedicated her working life to. In all her experience she recognises the centrality of being able to deeply listen to her client’s experiences and is committed to supporting them in their rehabilitation within Vitality360’s collaborative approach. For her, the place that she feels most full of vitality is on a beach by the sea.
Alex Westcombe: Specialist Clinical Psychologist at Vitality360
Alex has worked clinically to support people with long term health conditions including persistent pain and fatigue for over 18 years. Throughout this time he has been interested in the role played by sleep, particularly how we understand and talk about the interactions between it and fatigue. He contributed to the editing of the book Sleep: Multi-Professional Perspectives in 2012 alongside Andrew Green. He is interested in published sleep research, what is in the media about sleep, but particularly the insights provided by his clients and patients.
Emily Cochrane: Clinical Exercise Physiologist at ExPhysEm
Emily is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist with a specialist interest in persistent pain, fatigue, hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), Fibromyalgia, Autism, and ADHD. Emily completed a degree in Exercise & Sport Science as well as a Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology at Deakin University in Australia, and has worked in both strength and conditioning and high-performance management. Her main interests, however, lie in her clinical work which she pursued due to her personal motivations after being diagnosed with PoTS, ME/CFS, Endometriosis, and Neurodivergence. Emily moved to the UK in 2021 where she noticed that her profession was able to help fill a gap in the healthcare system, and this led to the creation of her physiology clinic, ExPhysEm. She now works clinically and trains practitioners across the UK and Ireland to upskill in the area of PoTS, hEDS, and fatigue, while volunteering with related charities, and completing her doctoral studies.
Sue Luscombe: Specialist Dietitian at Vitality360
Sue is a Registered Dietitian with an extensive NHS career spanning over 44 years, mostly working in Bedfordshire. She has over 15 years’ experience in ME/CFS and has been part of the Vitality360 team for 10 years. Sue has been in demand as a speaker, workshop leader, and writer on ME/CFS and Long Covid. She has written for the British Dietetic Association “Food Facts: Diet and Long Covid”, in addition to contributing to “Food Facts: Diet and ME/CFS”. Sue is the ME Association’s Honorary Dietetic Advisor and has helped write two ME cookbooks, published in 2021 and 2022.
Hannah Ensor: Director of Stickman Communications
Hannah has a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Health. She was medically retired at 28 due to hypermobility and autonomic dysfunction. Meeting misunderstandings when communicating about her conditions, she founded Stickman Communications® (‘Trusted Information Creator’ accredited) which uses stickman cartoons and simple explanations to break down barriers and communicate positively about a wide range of conditions. Her products, blogs and talks are now used worldwide by disabled people and HCPs. Hannah is a longstanding volunteer and speaker for the HMSA, and has worked with various charities including the HMSA, MIND, Whizz Kidz, and PoTS UK, and was featured in the 2016 and 2017 ‘Power 100’ lists of Britain’s most influential disabled people.
Amanda Mason: Career & Employment Consultant at Vitality360
Amanda is a Career and Employment Consultant, with over 20 years’ experience working in the private, voluntary, and statutory sectors. She now works for Vitality360 delivering career redirection and coaching to people with chronic health conditions. Her background as a qualified Career Guidance professional enables her to help clients make realistic career choices and help them identify the practical steps to do this in a sustainable way. She has also delivered training, written blogs and contributed to articles.
Jessica Sands: Director & Specialist Physiotherapist at Vitality360
Jessica is the Founder Director of Vitality360. Her vision was to create a range of personalised therapeutic services that provide extraordinary results and unexpected vitality; delivered by a happy team of expert Clinicians committed to making a profound difference to people’s lives.
As a specialist Physiotherapist, she has been involved in several national services and research projects, committees and teaching programmes in the fatigue and pain rehabilitation field for 14 years. She has worked extensively in the NHS and in private settings. Vitality to her means a love of life, a confidence in one’s ability to manage health and the changes life brings; a hopeful future, and an alignment with what’s important to each individual.
Maxine Haylock: Deputy Managing Director & Specialist Occupational Therapist at Vitality360
Maxine has been working as an Occupational Therapist in pain and fatigue for 18 years, working in a variety of rehabilitation settings including tertiary NHS specialist services, military rehabilitation and the private sector. She is passionate about the importance of the interaction with clients and building a therapeutic alliance that can have such a positive impact on their experience.