Chair / Speaker

Chair: Mr Haitham Hamoda

Carolyn Harris MP

Member of Parliament for Swansea East; Co-chair, UK Menopause Taskforce

Dr Tonye Wokoma
Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Community Gynaecology, Hull Biography

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Dr Tonye Wokoma

Dr Tonye Wokoma graduated from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and works as a Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Community Gynaecology and is a BMS recognised Menopause specialist at Conifer House in Hull.

She is particularly interested in Sexual health of refugees and asylum seekers, outreach services and cultural competency in Women’s health. She has delivered several presentations and written articles on related topics.

She regularly facilitates and delivers sessions on contraception and menopause and is the FSRH menopause guardian for the special skills module. Outside of work, she loves travelling and reading.

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Professor Janice Rymer

Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, King’s College School of Medicine, London; Consultant Gynaecologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London; National Specialty Advisor for Gynaecology for NHSE/I; Member – British Menopause Society medical advisory council Biography

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Professor Janice Rymer

Professor Rymer qualified with MBCHB in 1981 from the University of Auckland and commenced her specialist training in New Zealand. She moved to the UK in 1987 and became a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in 1987 and fellow of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) in 1990. She was awarded her MD thesis from the University of Auckland in 1994 and was made fellow of the RCOG in 2005. She was made Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at KCL in 2005 and Dean of Undergraduate Medicine in 2010.

Her areas of special interest are Minimal Access Surgery, Ovarian Failure, Medical Education and Female Genital Mutilation. She is an educational supervisor for specialist trainees and a preceptor for specialist advanced training modules in minimal access surgery, menopause and education. She has published over 140 peer review papers and 15 textbooks.

Other extramural positions include: Member of the RCOG Council 1997-2003 and 2010-2016; Member of the British Menopause Society Council 1986-2002 and 2010-16; she is currently on the General Medical Council team for assessing new Medical Schools. In 2016 she became Vice President (Education) for RCOG.

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Chair: Dr Deborah Bruce

Consultant Gynaecologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London; Member – British Menopause Society medical advisory council Biography

Professor Roopen Arya

Professor of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, King’s College Hospital, London

Dr Rebecca Bowen

Consultant Medical Oncologist, Royal United Hospital, Bath Biography

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Dr Rebecca Bowen

Rebecca Bowen is a Consultant Medical Oncologist working at both the BMI Bath Clinic and the Royal United Hospital Bath, specialising in breast and gynaecological cancers.

She graduated from Nottingham University Medical School in 1998 and subsequently moved to London as a junior doctor. She was trained in oncology at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and was awarded the Cancer Research UK Gordon Hamilton Fairley Research Fellowship in 2007. This led to a PhD in the Molecular Characterisation of Breast Cancer at the Bart’s Cancer Institute in London.

To complete her specialist training she moved to the Royal Marsden Hospital to work with the Gynae Oncology team and at the Phase I Unit gaining experience in Early Phase drug trials.

Rebecca moved to Bath in April 2011 to take up the consultant post and continues her interest in clinical trials and has published a number of peer-reviewed articles and abstracts. She is a principal investigator on many trials and is an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Bath, serving as a committee member at CR@B.

She is a member of UKBCM. She is the Clinical Research Specialty Lead for Gynae Oncology for the West of England and is a member of the Gynaecological Cancer Clinical Studies Group for the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI).

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Chair: Ms Annie Hawkins

Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Salisbury Hospital; Member – British Menopause Society medical advisory council Biography

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Ms Annie Hawkins

She has worked in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for the last 20 years and with Mr Panay since 1997. She is a Londoner by birth and trained as a Chemist and then a Doctor at the University of London. Her post-graduate training was across North West Thames, based at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
She has a special interest in female reproductive hormones, including the treatment of Pre-menstrual Syndrome, Premature Ovarian Failure and Peri-menopause. She is also trained in the management of sub-fertility.
She is a member of the Institute of Psychosexual Medicine and has an interest in Psychological issues in Gynaecology and Obstetrics. She is a member of the BMS medical advisory council.
She also has training in Forensic Gynaecology, Early Pregnancy and Emergency Gynaecology care.
She speaks Nationally and Internationally on her areas of special interest and has been on the executive committee of three women’s health charities. She is passionate about improving care for women.

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Kathy Abernethy

Director of Menopause Services, Peppy Health; Trustee – British Menopause Society Biography

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Kathy Abernethy

Kathy Abernethy is Director of Menopause Services at Peppy and as former Co-Lead of a long-established NHS Menopause service has extensive clinical experience working with women at and after menopause. As Chairman of the Society until July 2019, she contributed to the British Menopause Society handbook on menopause management and is a registered BMS Specialist, current Trustee and Medical Advisory Council Member. She is a member of the Clinical Reference Group for the NHS Optimal Management Pathway group for menopause and has an education programme for nurses. Her book for women: “Menopause: The One Stop Guide” was Highly Commended in the BMA Book Awards 2019.

With Peppy, Kathy leads a team of menopause practitioners to offer one to one personalised menopause support through the support of employers.
https://peppy.health

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Dr Jenifer Sassarini

Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Glasgow Royal Infirmary; Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow; Core Teaching Week Lead Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Undergraduate Medicine Biography

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Dr Jenifer Sassarini MBChB PhD MRCOG

I have been a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Glasgow Royal Infirmary since 2017.

My clinical practice includes general and emergency gynaecology, early pregnancy, and one stop services for postmenopausal bleeding, including ultrasound and outpatient hysteroscopy. I have a particular interest in menopause and have a weekly specialist menopause clinic.

I was awarded my PhD in 2012, and my research focussed on understanding and investigating the cause of postmenopausal hot flushes. This research has been presented at the International Menopause Society (IMS) World Congress 2011 where I was awarded the Robert Greenblatt Prize in Basic Science. I was awarded this prize again in 2017 for further research examining the mechanism of hot flushes. I have written a number of peer review papers, book chapters and guidelines related to the menopause.

In addition to my clinical role, I continue to be actively involved in clinical trials related to the management of menopausal symptoms.

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Mr Vikram Talaulikar

Hon Associate Professor in Women’s Health, UCL; Associate Specialist in Reproductive Medicine, UCLH Biography

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Mr Vikram Talaulikar

Mr Talaulikar is an Associate Specialist at the Reproductive Medicine Unit in University College London Hospital NHS Trust and Hon. Associate Professor in Women’s Health at the University College London.  He graduated in medicine in India in 2003 and completed postgraduate degree in obstetrics and gynecology in 2007.  He was awarded MRCOG in 2008 and completed PhD degree at St. George’s University of London in 2016.

Mr Talaulikar’s clinical interests include reproductive endocrinology, PCOS, fertility, recurrent miscarriage, premature menopause, and menopause. He has published extensively in reproductive medicine and runs a busy menopause and premature ovarian insufficiency clinic at UCLH.

He is a member of the International Menopause Society, British Menopause Society and European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. He is actively involved in teaching about his specialty to medical students and women’s health practitioners including GPs and Gynaecologists.

He has presented widely and lectured at several national and international conferences on menopause related topics.  He is passionate about spreading awareness about menopause-related issues in the community and improving the clinical care provided to women during the menopausal transition.

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Chair: Dr Paula Briggs

Consultant in Sexual & Reproductive Health, Liverpool Women’s Hospital; Chairman Elect and Trustee – British Menopause Society Biography

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Dr Paula Briggs

Paula qualified from Glasgow University in 1987. She trained as a GP before moving to Liverpool in 1993 and worked in General Practice and Sexual Health until 2012.

She is now devoted to delivery of women’s health care, research and education. Her main interestis menopause management with a particular interest in vaginal atrophy.

She has co-edited 3 books, co-written an undergraduate textbook in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and a revision guide for MFSRH and written a patient booklet on menopause.

She is married with four children and enjoys running, golf, yoga, reading and cooking.

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Professor Susan Davis

NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, Director, Monash University Women’s Health Research Program; Consultant Endocrinologist and Head, Specialist Women’s Health Clinic, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia Biography

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Professor Susan R Davis AO, MBBS FRACP PhD FAHMS

Professor Davis is an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, Director, Monash University Women’s Health Research Program, Consultant Endocrinologist and Head, Specialist Women’s Health Clinic, Alfred Hospital Melbourne and consultant at Cabrini Medical Centre. Her research has advanced the understanding of gender-specific health needs of women. Prof Davis is a past President of the Australasian Menopause Society and immediate past President of the International Menopause Society. She has over 430 peer-reviewed publications and has received numerous national and international prestigious research awards. In 2021 Prof Davis was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia distinguished service to medicine, to women’s health as a clinical endocrinologist and researcher, and to medical education.

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Chair: Dr Pratima Gupta

Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist; Deputy Divisional Director, University Hospitals of Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; Member – British Menopause Society medical advisory council Biography

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Pratima Gupta MBBS, MD (Delhi), MD (Birmingham), FRCOG

Dr Pratima Gupta is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecology and Deputy Divisional Director at University Hospitals of Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. She is an accredited menopause specialist and trainer for menopause SSM. She also has a special interest in managing menstrual disorders and early pregnancy problems in ambulatory setting. She is currently principle Investigator for NIFR funded early pregnancy and menopause clinical trials in her Trust. Previously she has conducted basic sciences and clinical studies investigating different aspects of postmenopausal health. She has presented her work in national and international conferences and has published 2 MD theses and 12 papers in peer reviewed journals.

She is currently a member of British Menopause Society’s Medical Advisory Council.

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Mr Steve Foley

Consultant Urological Surgeon, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Reading Biography

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Mr Steve Foley

After general surgical training in the Royal Air Force, Steve Foley joined the Institute of Urology, London, to research and specialise in female urology, bladder dysfunction and spinal cord injury.
In January 2001 Steve Foley was appointed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as the lead specialist in female urology.
Urology, Steve Foley’s special interests include female urology, bladder dysfunction and spinal cord injury and paediatric urology. Over the past decade Steve Foley has developed an extensive experience in all aspects of female urology especially incontinence, and has built up a wide range of surgical and non-surgical options to manage these sometimes very difficult problems. This is also the case with interstitial cystitis.
In the past 5 years Steve Foley has been one of the pioneers of the surgical management of male incontinence (particularly the ‘Male Sling’ – following prostate cancer surgery). This is proving to be highly effective in selected men. He is now one of the most experienced Surgeons in the UK with this type of operation, and regularly trains other UK Surgeons how to perform it. He works closely with the Physiotherapy Department at The Berkshire Independent Hospital and the Berkshire Continence Service.

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Mr Philip Toozs-Hobson

Consultant Gynaecologist, Birmingham Women’s & Children’s NHS Foundation Trust Biography

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Mr Philip Toozs-Hobson, FRCOG, MD

Philip did his undergraduate studies at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School. Having completed his registrarship he spent 3 years working for Professor Cardozo in London.

His clinical interests include pelvic floor injury from childbirth, psychological aspects of incontinence and hormonal influences within Urogynaecology. He also researches into reporting outcomes in Urogynaecology.

Phil’s previous positions include both treasurer and chairing the training committee for the British Society of Urogynaecology, BSUG rep on the RCOG Subspecialty training committee and Secretary-treasurer of UKCS. His government work has included being part of the Modernising Scientific careers programme for the DoH. Despite being a fulltime NHS consultant he has run a successful research portfolio for 20 years including over £5 million in grants and awards including C STICH. He has published over 200 peer reviewed articles and written or edited several books. He is the immediate past director of meetings at the RCOG.

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Dr Katharine Edey

Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Biography

Mr Tim Hillard – Joint Chairman, Scientific advisory group

Mr Mike Savvas – Joint Chairman, Scientific advisory group