Meet the Team

The HI NENC team is made up of an Executive, a Core Team who provide central support, and Programme Managers who lead on our Health Improvement and Patient Safety Programmes.

Find out more about the members of our team below.

Dr Becky Hanna

Programme Manager (NHS Innovations) 

Talk to me about... NHS Trust Innovations, Commercialisation of Ideas, Innovation Forum events
Email: [email protected]

Becky would describe innovation as creative problem-solving. At the AHSN NENC, she supports NHS Trusts across north-east England to capture innovative ideas from their staff and turn them into novel products and services for the healthcare sector. This is done…

Nick Harrison

Researcher 

Talk to me about... Market Research and Information
Email: [email protected]

Nick specialises in market research, patent and product research, statistics and statistical analysis, literature reviews and other information services, to inform individuals and organisations and help them bring their innovative products and services to life. Nick joined the AHSN in…

Mark Henderson

Project Manager 

Talk to me about... Occupational health, health and wellbeing and people management
Email: [email protected]

Mark Henderson is a project manager in the Growing Occupational health and wellbeing programme. His background is as an occupational health physiotherapist and has many years experience in the NHS and private practice. The programme of work links with the…

Nikki Holdsworth

Project Lead, Regional Coordinator 

Talk to me about... CVD Prevention, AAC RUP - PCSK9i, Atrial Fibrillation, AliveCor
Email: [email protected]

As part of the CVD Programme team, Nikki is the regional co-ordinator for NENC trusts involved in the Pathway Transformation Funding (PTF) High Intensity Statin (HIS) and PCSK9 inhibitors programme. Nikki joined the AHSN in July 2016 as project lead…

Christine Jordan

Health Network North Manager 

Talk to me about... Health Network North
Email: [email protected]

Christine has recently joined the AHSN NENC as the Health Network North manager responsible for developing and expanding the Health Network North initiative. Christine has significant experience of working at a senior management level in public health both in the…

Catherine Kelly

Deputy National Programme Manager (Lipid Management) 

Talk to me about... Child Parent Screening, FH and Lipids
Email: [email protected]

Child-Parent Screening, Familial Hypercholesterolaemia

Yoyo Kwan

Project Support Officer 

Talk to me about... Administration support; Meeting & Event coordination; Promotional materials design
Email: [email protected]

To date, I have nearly 10 years of training and program coordination experience in health promotion, child development, and real estate sectors. With a broad range of experiences in serving different target groups, I have a passion for planting seeds…

Stuart Kirby

Senior Marketing and Communications Officer 

Talk to me about... Communications
Email: [email protected]

Stuart joined the AHSN in May 2019 as a Communications Officer to assist with both internal and external communications. Having graduated with an MSc in Marketing and Business Management in 2017, Stuart has worked across marketing and communications in a…

Philip Kyle

Project Support Officer 

Talk to me about... Q, Meds Op, MSK
Email: [email protected]

Phil joined the AHSN in November 2018 as Project Support with responsibility for Q Community reinvigoration and growth, Supporting MSK, Medicines Optimisation programmes across NENC.Phil has 17 years Military service including active service, 18 years at North East Ambulance Service…

Stephen Lynn

Associate Director 

Talk to me about... Business Development, Company Support, Access to the NHS, Economic Growth, NHS Innovation Service
Email: [email protected]

Stephen is a Business Manager at the AHSN NENC and is responsible for supporting companies wanting to access the NHS. Stephen has a PhD in molecular biology and physiology from Newcastle University and went on to be a Post-Doctoral Fellow…

Kate Mackay

CVD Programme Lead 

Talk to me about... CVD Prevention, Lipids and Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH), Blood Pressure and Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
Email: [email protected]

Kate Mackay has extensive experience of service improvement within the public sector, particularly the NHS, working with both clinicians and managers, at national and local level. Her background prior to service improvement work is research and clinical audit, and her…

Leanne Maitland

Project Support Officer - Digital Transformation Team  

Talk to me about... Digital Innovations
Email: [email protected]

Leanne joins us as a Project Support Officer for the Digital Transformation Team. She is Sunderland born and bred and has 16 years of NHS experience working at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.She has had various roles from…

Tracy Marshall

Programme Manager 

Talk to me about... Lipid management, Inclisiran and Medicines Safety
Email: [email protected]

Tracy is a registered Pharmacy Technician, and was working as a secondee on the Medicines Safety Improvement Programme (MedSIP) – Reducing medication errors in Care Homes, for the AHSN NENC.  She has subsequently been successful in obtaining a permanent role…

Karen Matthew

Accounts Assistant 

Talk to me about... Invoicing, Finance
Email: [email protected]

After attaining an HND in Business Studies with Languages (French and Spanish) Karen spent 2 years working in various roles in family-run hotels and small businesses in France and Switzerland to perfect her use and knowledge of the French language….

Elena Matucci

Programme Manager 

Talk to me about... Commercialisation, Spread and Adoption.
Email: [email protected]

Elena joined Health Innovation NENC in November as a Programme Manager in the Economic Growth team. Elena’s academic background is in international studies, business and politics (she holds an MA in International Relations from Durham University), however she developed a…