We are the people behind the movement

Helen is a consultant neurosurgeon. She trained in the north east but most of her consultant years have been at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. Helen has always been active in women in surgery issues, and chaired the Women in Surgery Group for six years. She is passionate about diversity in the medical workplace and in addressing just culture, Learn Not Blame, and doctors’ disciplinary procedures. With support from the Whistleblowers Association UK she put together a proposal for changes in disciplinary measures against doctors at Trust level. At least 20 years after her last postgraduate surgical exam, she enrolled on a law conversion course. Helen wants to make a difference and regards DAUK as the group to achieve that.

Ellen is a GP based in Cumbria. She has worked in various roles both within the NHS and around the world over the last 20 years including work as a ski field doctor in New Zealand, an expedition and repatriation medic and a Cruise ship doctor all over the world.

A prolific writer, her contributions extend to publications like The Guardian, The Times and BMJ. Author of several books, her latest “Why Can’t I See My GP” donates all royalties to DAUK. She joined DAUK in 2020 and has been both editorial lead and co-chair.

Lizzie is a GP in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She has been involved with DAUK since 2020, and has written first person pieces for the Times and the Metro, as well as featuring on Kay Burley, LBC and Times Radio. She is also the Vice-Chair of Newcastle North Tyneside LMC and finds the balance of a national role with DAUK, and a local role with her LMC means she can normally find an outlet for the majority of issues GPs face. She is also the Mum of two kids, and enjoys swimming in the sea, mexican food and travelling.

Elissa was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Her Bachelors degree was in Biology, and she worked in cancer research for a year then graduated with an MBBS from St George’s, London. Elissa is a GP with an interest in dermatology, medicolegal issues, and increasing representation of minorities in medicine. She has a lot of insight into the difficulties IMGs face in the UK and is passionate about helping in any way possible. Elissa speaks English, French, Arabic, Italian, and Greek.

Dr Pushpo Hossain is an international medical graduate from Bangladesh, who is passionate about making the NHS a comfortable and safe place for IMGs. Pushpo led the launch of DAUK's annual Overseas NHS Workers Day, and she continues to advocate for indefinite leave to remain for international health care workers who worked during the pandemic. She has worked in a number of specialities of acute medicine and critical care medicine, but is currently pursuing her interest in medical education as a clinical teaching fellow. Pushpo is the founder of the virtual teaching programme ‘Tackling the NHS Culture Shock ‘ for IMGs for which she won the highly recommended trainee award in RCP regional poster competition. She also presented her work at the National Developing Excellence in Medical Education Conference (DEMEC). She is constantly working on projects to train IMGs to help them navigate the NHS, which are inspired by her experiences.

Dr Shonnelly Novintan is a core surgical trainee based in the east of England. She studied at Imperial College, London, where she was awarded the President’s Scholarship and graduated with an MBBS and BSc in Haematology. During her F1 Year, she sat her postgraduate exams in surgery, awarding her membership of the Royal College of Surgeons. She has since taken an interest in breast surgery and workplace culture. She has been published on returning to work culture and is working on a project exploring the impact of investigations and suspensions on doctor welfare, which was presented at the ASGBI meeting in 2023. In her spare time, Shonnelly is an associate lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University and volunteers with CLEFT, where she is a trustee and runs the trainee section. She is co-chair of DAUK's Learn not Blame Committee, and enjoys taking on casework supporting doctors who have been mistreated in the workplace.

Matt is an FY3 doctor based in north Wales. He joined DAUK in 2022 on the membership team before becoming the sustainability lead. He studied at Cardiff University, joining several societies including the Wilderness and Expedition Medicine Society, and volunteered as a community first responder. He has a long-standing interest in nature and conservation, and combines these with his advocacy work on the climate crisis. Matt is studying for a Masters in Environment and Human Health. In his spare time he enjoys outdoor activities, playing squash, and playing the trombone with his local brass band.

Dr Matt Kneale is a clinical fellow in emergency medicine and a passionate advocate for doctors and patient safety. Since joining DAUK in March 2020, he has served in various leadership roles, including chair, making significant contributions to the organisation's social media presence and overall direction. Throughout his tenure, Dr Kneale has been a vocal champion for doctors' rights, addressing critical NHS issues on prominent media outlets such as LBC News, BBC Radio 4 and The Times. His commitment to maintaining high standards of patient care and professional integrity has sparked important debates within the UK medical community. Dr Kneale continues to be an influential voice in healthcare policy, tirelessly working to ensure the best possible outcomes for both medical professionals and patients alike.

Matt is a consultant anaesthetist working in East Lancashire. Past lead of DAUK’s learn not blame team he is passionate about patient safety, a just culture and human factors in healthcare.

Penny is a medical student at the University of Leeds, and joined DAUK as a co-founder of the Liveable NHS Bursary campaign. She expressed an interest in medical journalism early in her career, joining the BMJ Cleggs as a 2021 scholar. As someone from a disadvantaged background, she is passionate about diversity and widening access to medicine. She was a key contributor to the University’s student access scheme 2025, holding the university to account for their attainment gap in postgraduates. Penny successfully campaigned for the reimbursement of GMC fees and an increase to Leeds financial support for the most vulnerable medical students at her University. She was previous editorial lead with DAUK.

Steve had been a GP Partner in Manchester since 1994 before leaving his partnership in 2021 to work as a locum. He was also a GP trainer for 24 years and involved in training more than 60 GPs. He started advocating for GPs and the NHS more generally in 2021 having more time to look at the issues and potential solutions. This started with exploring the data available and sharing findings via social media, Twitter/X @drstevetaylor and Facebook, NHS Facts and Stats. In January 2023 he joined DAUK, after being approached by the GP committee, and has been a member of the GP committee since. He is keen to present the facts around the data supporting change in the NHS. He has written and spoken about the issues affecting patients, GPs, and the NHS. He is often quoted in the medical press and has spoken frequently on TV and radio interviews. He is married to Lisa, has three grown up daughters and two cats.

Dr David Nicholl has worked as a consultant neurologist in Birmingham for more than 20 years. He got involved with DAUK via the late Dr Jenny Vaughan and the campaign over Dr Hadiza Bawa Garba. He has a specific interest in patient safety and whistleblowing, and is working closely with other campaign groups such as Whistleblowers UK. He has a lengthy track record of campaigning, whether on clinical examination skills, human rights, the GMC or on physician associates. He has previously been an Royal College of Physicians (RCP) tutor and an elected member of RCP Council, and has a lot of experience working with a variety of healthcare organisations.

George has a quantitative background, completing his undergraduate in maths/computing, then studied Finance at Harvard at a postgraduate level. He worked in industry for several years, following which he returned to academia to complete a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Oxford. He is driven by a passion for healthcare innovation, which also led to co-founding Morpheus Model Platform, an AI startup and think-tank focused on advancing patient care through technology, exemplifying his commitment to interdisciplinary approaches in medicine.

Anna is an F2 doctor working in Severn and has been part of the DAUK since 2020, taking on a number of roles including medical student lead. She studied at the University of Manchester and completed a BSc in women’s health at King’s College, London. In her spare time she enjoys curling up with a good book, travelling and is a self-proclaimed foodie.

Andy has worked in press and PR for almost 25 years. Most recently he was communications manager for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and before that he managed media and communications for the Leicester Tigers, the UK’s largest rugby club. Andy has also worked in regional newspapers as a news reporter and a sports writer. In his spare time, he enjoys playing five-a-side football, as well as watching live sport, music, and theatre.

Lucy is often the first person people will have contact with when they email DAUK, and she strives to help everyone. Having worked in events and fundraising for a charity in London, and then moving to the press office of her local council for many years, she is used to multi-tasking and getting the job done. In her free time she likes nothing better than providing a taxi service for her two teenage boys.