Anita Beckwith
Clinical Lead Dietitian (Diabetes)
Dr Roberta Bowie
Clinical Psychologist
Kings College Hospital, London
Roberta Bowie is a senior clinical psychologist with a special interest in the psychological experience and perception of illness and wellness. Part of her work involves supporting people living with type 1 diabetes and their families, with particular reference to adjustment and acceptance post diagnosis, fear of hypoglycaemia, fear of developing complications, diabetes-related burnout, and diabetes-related distress in the context of identity work. She is passionate about working in a transdiagnostic model, meaning that many people identify with, for example, feelings of anxiety and low mood, but do not necessarily identify with having a psychiatric diagnosis. She is passionate about supporting people to achieve a healthy self-esteem and confident sense of self. Roberta uses an eclectic mix of cognitive-behavioural therapy, systemic family therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and compassion-focused therapy.
Alison Cox
Diabetes Matron
Kings College Hospital, London
After qualifying (too many years ago to mention!) I mainly worked on Medical wards, primarily Cardiac and CCU. I have been a Diabetes Specialist Nurse since 2004, prior to that I was a Research Nurse in the field of hypertension, a role that developed to include clinical work as well as conducting research trials. My first post as a DSN was at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital where I worked with varied patients from those on simple tablets regimes to those using CSII and the DAFNE approach to their diabetes control. Here I gained valuable rounded experience in diabetes including developing and expanding the CSII service.
Since 2009 I have been a member of the DSN team at Kings College Hospital London. There I have been involved in the Intensive Insulin Clinic working with patients using CSII and sensors as well as those who have intensified their insulin regimens following DAFNE. Many of the patients are referred to us with problematic hypoglycaemia. This is often very debilitating for them and we use many strategies to help with this. These include not only technology but psychological and emotional support techniques such as cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing techniques.
Geraldine Gallen
Type 1 Service Lead, Senior Diabetes Specialist Nurse
Kings College Hospital, London
Geraldine Gallen is a Senior Diabetes Specialist Nurse, currently working at Kings College Hospital, London. She has been in this position for over ten years and is the lead for the Type 1 diabetes service. Geraldine’s main clinical interest is in the management and education of all patients with Type 1 diabetes including those patients experiencing problematic hypoglycaemia, and along with the team at Kings offers a full range of treatments including structured education, DAFNE and DAFNE for pumpers, technology including insulin pump therapy, sensor augmented pump therapy, automated closed loop systems, continuous glucose monitoring and flash glucose monitoring. She and her team have over 800 patients on insulin pumps and over 170 patients funded on full time continuous glucose monitoring. Geraldine has also had training in Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) and is interested in developing these skills further and supporting patients in their holistic management with their diabetes.Geraldine is excited by the developments of technology within type 1 diabetes management and can often be found talking to patients and healthcare professionals nationally and internationally educating how technology can be adapted into the patient pathway.
Rebecca Martin
Paediatric Nurse Consultant
UCLH, London
Rebecca Martin is a Nurse Consultant for Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes at University College London Hospital NHS Trust, England. She has been supporting children and adolescents and their families living with diabetes since 1997 when she joined UCLH as a Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist. She started the insulin pump programme including designing the structured education programme, which was highly commended at the Health Service Journal Awards. Rebecca became a Nurse Consultant in 2011 and is the Lead Nurse for Children and Young People with diabetes, providing professional advice, leadership and direction throughout the Trust. She manages a team of 8 nurses and 3 dieticians to support over 650 children and young people with diabetes (predominantly Type 1 Diabetes), with over 70% using CSII. Rebecca has been a nursing representative at national working groups, including a member of the group writing the National Curriculum for the training of Health care professionals (caring for Children and Young People with Diabetes Mellitus). She holds an honorary appointment with City University, delivering education to post graduate nurses in the management of diabetes.
Siobhan Pender
Diabetes Specialist Nurse
Guys & St Thomas' NHS Trust, London
Siobhán Pender has worked as a diabetes specialist nurse for 22 years - spanning paediatrics, community, and working as DSN in New Zealand. For the last ten years specialising at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital in Type 1 diabetes. Her focus currently is transitional and young adult diabetes care, integrating virtual technology download diabetes clinics into standard care pathways and delivering youth empowerment skills to adolescents. Her research interests include newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes care, type 1 diabetes care in adolescents and insulin pump infusion set management. Siobhán is a member of the London Diabetes Type 1 steering group and Diabetes UK council of health care professionals.
RCN, RSCN, RHV, BA(Hons), MSc
Helen Rogers
Diabetes Nurse Consultant
Kings College Hospital, London
Helen Rogers is a Nurse Consultant in Diabetes, working at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (KCH), and has been in this position for the last 11 years, and before this a Diabetes Specialist Nurse for 10 years.
Helen was one of the key team members involved with initiating the KCH CSII service, now with approx 650 people using CSII and 200 people using continuous glucose monitoring. She has been involved in the DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) since its inception in the UK. Other areas of interest are; diabetes in pregnancy and new innovations in diabetes therapy.
She is an active researcher and currently continuing research in the area of impaired awareness of hypoglcyaemia. The HARPdoc randomised control study is in progress (Hypoglycaemia Awareness Restoration Programme for people with type 1 diabetes and problematic hypoglycaemia persisting despite optimised care) - a programme using skills of CBT and motivational interviewing to assist people regain hypo awareness.
Tim Street
Diabettech
Tim has lived with type 1 diabetes for 30 years. In that time he’s never been one to let it get in his way, and has played cricket, run half marathons, travelled the world and generally enjoyed life. He has always been a technophile and was aware of CGM systems ten years ago, however was always put off getting involved with the price. When Abbott released the Libre, he saw it as an opportunity to get better information about his diabetes at a cost that he could countenance. Following this, in 2015, when he and a friend were investigating what it might take to create an artificial pancreas, he discovered OpenAPS and the WeAreNotWaiting movement, and, excited at what he saw, joined in. He has been running the website https://www.diabettech.com in his spare time since then, looking at technology and treatments for type 1 and undertaking n+1 observational studies of the data that all the systems he uses generate, to gain better insights into himself and how the systems interact with diabetes. He shares this with the world to help them make their own decisions about the things he investigates, and has spoken at a number of events to help publicise the benefits of DIY artificial pancreas systems.
