Medical, Nurse & Scientific Advisory Panel

Hilary Baker

MSc (Merit), NMP, BSc (Hons), RN

Trustee of Fight Bladder Cancer

Macmillan Lead CNS for Uro-oncology, UCLH at Westmoreland Street On part-time secondment with North Central London Cancer Alliance as Clinical Lead – Developing Cancer Nursing

Hilary trained as a Registered General Nurse at University College Hospital in 1983, and went on to have varied surgical experience, mainly in urology as a ward sister, and also a nurse manager in both the NHS and the private sector. In 1995 she was appointed a urology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Central Middlesex Hospital when there was an increasing demand for nurses in specialist areas with knowledge and skills to support urology patients. In 2001, with funding from the NHS Plan, she was employed as uro-oncology CNS and team leader at Buckinghamshire NHS Trust. In September 2014, Hilary was appointed as lead CNS for uro-oncology. She has a BSc (Hons) in Cancer and Palliative Care and is registered as a specialist practitioner in adult nursing with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. She has recently completed her MSc in Cancer Studies at Oxford Brookes University.

Dr Simon Baker

BSc, ​PhD, FRSB

Kidney Research UK Intermediate Fellow, University of York

Simon obtained his PhD in 2007 and works on the origins of bladder cancer in the “Jack Birch Unit for Molecular Carcinogenesis” at the University of York. His work focuses on the control of the APOBEC family of anti-viral enzymes that are thought to cause the DNA damage that initiates bladder cancer. Through understanding what leads the APOBECs to damage the DNA of bladder cells, Simon seeks new approaches to preventing the disease. The APOBEC enzymes have another role in cancer evolution in response to chemotherapy, and Simon’s research is looking at how we might control APOBECs to improve treatment success, too.

"As a scientist, I am excited to bring a new perspective to Fight Bladder Cancer and to do all I can to support the charity in improving bladder cancer survival and hopefully preventing it altogether in the future."

Professor Alison Birtle

MB BS MRCP FRCR MD

Trustee of Fight Bladder Cancer

Consultant Oncologist, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals & Honorary Clinical Professor

Prof. Alison Birtle is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Rosemere Cancer Centre, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, Honorary Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health at the University of Manchester and Honorary Clinical Professor at The University of Central Lancashire, specialising in the treatment of urological cancers. She is an advisor to Macmillan on patient information for prostate, bladder and testicular tumours, Trustee and medical advisor to Fight Bladder Cancer and Secretary to the British Uro-oncology Group. She has been Chair of the NIHR Bladder/renal Research Group, a member of ESMO Educational Faculty, and in 2022 joined the EAU Guidelines Group on UTUC and NMIBC.

 She has published widely and lectures nationally and internationally. Prof. Birtle has been Clinical Research Lead for Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Research Network, Speciality Group Lead for Cancer Research for North West Coast Clinical Research Network. and Group Lead for Cancer, Surgery, Oral/Dental, and haematology for North West Coast CRN.

Prof. Birtle has been Principal Investigator and Chief Investigator on numerous urological clinical trials and a notable Chief Investigator on the practice-changing POUT trial. In 2018, she was awarded one of the national 70 Stars of the NHS award by NHS England and the NHS Confederations. She has won numerous prestigious awards, including Researcher of the Year North West Coast Health & Innovation Awards. She is a passionate advocate of clinical equipoise in studies and the mantra of "a trial for every patient". She combines work with an enthusiasm for singing and performing musical theatre and a love of rugby, cricket and the Preston North End Football team.

Jane Brocksom

BAUN Hon. Secretary and Urology and Continence Nurse Specialist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Jane has worked in urology since 1996. Initially within the operating theatres and since 2001 as a Urology Nurse Specialist, her role today is primarily nurse-led continence and benign urology clinics – including intravesical Botox, artificial slings in men and women, artificial sphincters in men, sacral nerve stimulation, female sexual function, intermittent and indwelling catheters. She has a BHSc in Healthcare Studies. Jane supports FBC with a special remit on female sexual dysfunction. 

Professor James Catto

MB ChB PhD FRCS (Urol)

Professor Urological Surgery, University of Sheffield & Honorary Senior Clinical Research Fellow, University of Oxford

Jim qualified from Leeds University in 1994 and trained in York and Sheffield, UK before a fellowship in Brisbane, Australia. He was appointed an Honorary Consultant Urological Surgeon in 2007 and specialises in Uro-Oncology. In 2014, James took over as Editor In Chief of European Urology. Jim has raised over £9.3 million in peer-reviewed funding and published more than 100 primary research manuscripts. 

Helen Chilcott

Uro-Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist, North Bristol NHS Trust.

Helen has worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) within a large Urology Centre for over 12 years. Previously, she worked in Specialist Palliative Care, including End of Life Care Education, for Primary Care and a local Higher Education provider.

Helens focus day to day is to ensure that people with new or recurrent bladder cancer have access to CNS support. However, due to the nature of the CNS service and the number of referrals, she also has contact with people with all types of urological cancers.

Helen’s focus day to day is to ensure that people with new or recurrent bladder cancer have access to CNS support. She considers it to be particularly important to explain and explore the clinical information about bladder cancer, thus enabling people and their families to understand their diagnosis. She has run a nurse results clinic over many years to discuss various treatment options for people affected by bladder cancer at each stage of their illness.

Helen was thrilled to be invited to join the NICE Bladder Cancer Guideline Development Group in 2012 and has continued her contact with NICE since. In 2018, she was asked to support the setting up of a local bladder cancer support group. This group meets every 3-4 months, and Helen attends each meeting.

"I value the range of Fight Bladder Cancer resources available, including online forums, web-based support links, onward referral to members of the wider multidisciplinary team, and community support teams. I call upon these resources to provide high-quality holistic support to people and their families with bladder cancer."

Professor Mieke Van Hemelrijck

​MSc (Biomedical Sciences) MSc (Statistical Analysis) MSc (Population and International Health) PhD​

Professor of Cancer Epidemiology, King's College London

Following an MSc in Biomedical Sciences (2001-2005), an MSc in Statistical Analysis (2005-2006) at Ghent University and an MSc in Population and International Health (2006-2008) at Harvard University, Professor Van Hemelrijck obtained a PhD in Cancer Epidemiology at King’s College London (2010). In 2012 she was appointed at KCL, where she now runs the Translational Oncology and Urology Research (TOUR) team.

The Translational Oncology and Urology Research project aims to turn science into better healthcare by translating uro-oncology (prostate, bladder, renal and testicular cancer) research into medical practice.  It brings together a team of researchers, clinicians and study co-ordinators who are active across the field of translational research.

Morna Jones

Urology Nurse Consultant, East Kent Hospitals University Foundation NHS Trust

Morna Jones is a Urology Nurse Consultant at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, specialising in bladder cancer care. She holds a Master’s in Advanced Clinical Practice and is qualified to prescribe medications independently, which enhances her ability to deliver comprehensive care to her patients.

Her role within the European Association of Urology Nurses, specifically on the Scientific Committee and the bladder cancer special interest group, allows her to contribute significantly to the advancement of urology nursing, both in practice and policy.

Fight Bladder Cancer is an amazing and invaluable charity that supports patients throughout their bladder cancer journey.  Without their support our patients would often feel isolated.  Fight Bladder Cancer provides our patients with a wonderful community from which they can draw from as needed.

Prof Rob Jones

​PhD MA MBChB FRCP

Consultant Medical Oncologist, University of Glasgow

Rob Jones is Professor of Clinical Cancer Research at the University of Glasgow and a Consultant at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. His background includes a molecular biology PhD at the CRUK Beatson Institute and time spent working in Pharmaceutical Research and Development. His clinical practice is the medical management of cancers of the prostate, bladder and kidney. His research commitments include the management of a portfolio of phase I, II and III trials as well as collaborative translational research. He is director of the CR-UK Clinical Trials Unit in Glasgow, and head of the Cancer Clinical Trials Unit for Scotland collaboration (CaCTUS). He is chair of the UK NCRI Bladder and Renal Cancer Research Group..

Kathleen MacKenzie

Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist, NHS Highland Inverness, Scotland

Kathleen has been a Urology CNS for 13 years, having worked first on the urology ward for seven years. Over the years, she developed an interest in bladder cancer, running and delivering the BCG/MMC intravesical treatment service for the Highlands and went on to learn flexible cystoscopy six years ago, initially for follow-up for patients with bladder cancer, which progressed to assessing new patients who receive their initial diagnosis at flexible cystoscopy. In December 2021, she was asked to join Glasgow Caledonian University as clinical module lead for teaching the non-medical cystoscopy course, which was established to provide a unified national pathway for non-medical cystoscopy training in Scotland, which she finds rewarding and is also opening up networking opportunities with other nurse specialists throughout Scotland. 

Kathleen was born in South Uist in the Hebrides of Scotland and has lived and worked in Inverness for 36 years. She is married with a grown-up son and daughter.

"I am passionate about ensuring we provide the best possible journey for our patients by ensuring they are signposted to information and points of support along their journey.  Charities such as Fight Bladder Cancer play a huge part in this." 

Prof Param Mariappan 

FRCS(Urol), PhD

Consultant Urological Surgeon, Edinburgh, Scotland

Param has been a Consultant Urological Surgeon in Edinburgh for over 17 years, with a practice that is almost exclusively bladder cancer. Having performed over 750 cystectomies and several thousand TURBTs, he has one of the UK's largest contemporary series. He leads the Bladder Cancer surgical service in Edinburgh, focusing on effectiveness and efficiency in patient-centred care. Mr Mariappan is passionate about quality control and plays a leading role in developing and continuing the Scottish Quality Performance Indicators programme for Bladder Cancer and the Scot BC Quality OPS clinical research project. He has published widely, featuring in some seminal work and is a member of the EAU guideline panels for bladder cancer.

"As a medical advisor for Fight Bladder Cancer, I hope this wealth of experience can support and positively influence the lives of Bladder Cancer patients and carers."

Ann Moore

Former BAUN Council Member and Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist, South Warwickshire

Ann is a Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist working in Warwick. She has worked in urology for 25 years and participates in a variety of nurse-led clinics on a rotational basis with her colleagues. Clinic sessions include both cancerous and benign topics: erectile dysfunction, LUTS, urodynamics, intravesical therapy, haematuria, prostate cancer follow-up as well as flexible cystoscopy diagnostics and follow-ups. She has an MSc in Management and is an independent nurse prescriber. Ann supports FBC with a special remit on male sexual dysfunction. 

Mr Hugh Mostafid

​MSc FRCS(Urol) FEBU​

Consultant Urologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Royal Surrey County Hospital

Hugh qualified from St Thomas's Hospital London in 1989 and trained at Guy's Hospital and the Institute of Urology in London and now leads the regional bladder cancer service at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford which covers a population of 1.8 million and is one of the few centres in the country performing robotic-assisted radical bladder cancer surgery. In 2014 he was a visiting scholar at the Department of Urology at the University of California in Los Angeles to learn robotic surgery techniques. He is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey in Guildford.

He has published over 40 papers and written book chapters on bladder cancer as well as being an invited speaker at national and international meetings on bladder cancer.

Laura Noble

Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

I completed my training in 2012, accepting my first staff nurse post on a urology word, allowing me to gain knowledge of a wide range of urological conditions. In 2016, I became a clinical nurse specialist, as part of the bladder cancer team, administering intravesical treatment. This is where my passion and dedication to bladder cancer patients originated. I am very proud to be part of a service that delivers a home intravesical service, to enhance the patient experience. 

Currently, my role is predominantly focused on non-muscle invasive bladder cancer as well as leading and developing the haematuria service.

My role has allowed me to develop and deliver training courses, to improve the post-operative administration of chemotherapy to improve the bladder cancer pathway. This course has won awards from the European School of Urology Nursing, the British Association of Urological Nurses and was shortlisted for a Nursing Times award. I am passionate about service development and education and have a BSc in Practice Development. I will shortly commence a Masters in Leadership and Development, enhancing my practice to further develop service provision.

I have recently joined the British Association of Urological Nurses'  bladder cancer specialist interest group and well as working on the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT)  bladder cancer pathway and the updated  British Association of Urological Nurses intravesical guidelines. 

‘Joining Fight Bladder Cancer as a medical advisor allows me to share my knowledge and experience to positively impact the care for patients with Bladder Cancer’.

Dr Johnstone Shaw

​MbChB FRCOG FRCGP

Retired General Practitioner & Bladder Cancer Patient

Johnstone trained and worked in gynaecology for a number of years before becoming a GP partner on the outskirts of Edinburgh for 35 years. For much of that time he worked at a senior level for NHS Education for Scotland with a special interest in doctor – patient communication and led the team that introduced appraisal for doctors. He developed bladder cancer in 2019 at the age of 64 and had a radical cystoprostatectomy.

“I hope that I can help the work of Fight Bladder Cancer from my experience both as a doctor and as a bladder cancer patient.”

Diane Walker

Bladder Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist, NHS Lothian Scotland

Diane began working as a Bladder CNS at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh in January 2023. Diane meets patients at their initial clinic appointments and works with them during the pre- and post-operative period in Hospital and also provides telephone support initially after discharge. 

Diane Qualified as a Staff Nurse in 1994 and prior to her current job she was a Charge Nurse in a Urology Ward at the Western General.

" I see every day the support that the charity gives to my patients and their families. Being able to read about people with a similar pathway provides a great source of support."

Clare Waymont

Consultant Nurse, Urology, Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals

Clare qualified as a registered nurse in 1992 and moved to the speciality of urology in 1998. She completed her MSc in Advanced Practice in 2002 and subsequently became an independent nurse prescriber. Clare has developed the clinical nurse specialist service in Wolverhampton to include nurse led clinics and diagnostic tests. She now leads a team of 18 staff delivering services over 2 hospital sites and is the lead clinical nurse specialist for the Black Country Integrated Care System (ICS). Clare is very passionate about service innovation and improvement and continually strives to develop services to respond to the needs of urology patients.

Clare was President of the British association of Urological Nurses (BAUN) from 2020 to 2022 and this experience has increased her own knowledge and self-development as well as her team. She has found working in partnership with other organisations to be very rewarding and critical to the future development of urological services.

“As a medical advisor for Fight Bladder Cancer, I hope to contribute towards raising awareness and ultimately improving the experience of patients with bladder cancer”.