Organisational structure

The Chain of Hope Medical Committee meets on a monthly basis to review the cases of children who require urgent treatment. They work closely with our International Child Referral Programme to try to help as many children as possible who are unable to access treatment in their countries. This committee is composed of the following renowned physicians who go on to operate themselves on many of the children they accept:

• Professor Sir Shakeel Qureshi – Chair
• Dr Rodney Franklin - Co-Chair
• Dr Alan Magee - Co-Chair
• Dr David Anderson
• Dr Aaron Bell
• Dr Gavin Wright
• Dr Kuberan Pushparajah
• Dr Mike Rigby
• Dr Piers Daubeney
• Dr Robert Yates
• Dr Zdenek Slavik
• Mr Daryl Shore
• Mr Francois Lacour-Gayet
• Mr Hideki Uemura
• Mr Olivier Ghez
• Ms Carin Van Doorn
• Professor John Deanfield
• Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub OM, FRS
• Professor Victor Tsang

Our Nursing Committee meets regularly to discuss the ongoing training of nurses in our international programmes. This Committee works with our Overseas Operations Team to develop and implement training programmes for nurses in the centres where Chain of Hope is building up the local infrastructure. The Nursing Committee recruit and screen all applications from nurses who would like to join a Chain of Hope mission or project. These inspirational nurse educators include:

• Ms Maura O’Callaghan - Chair
• Mrs Lynda Shaughnessy
• Ms Julie Plumridge
• Ms Kirsteen McCulloch

Biomedical Engineers are the team of experts who support and fix the equipment that is essential in complex heart surgery. The Biomedical Engineer Committee advise our Overseas Operations team on which machines are the most effective and efficient so that Chain of Hope can supply hospitals and cardiac centres in the developing world with the best possible equipment. The Committee then trains local biomedical engineers in strategies of preventative maintenance in order to provide better long term sustainable systems that prevent equipment being broken or unused. This ensures the centres are as sustainable as possible, and that the surgical team have the equipment necessary to carry out life-saving operations.

Our Biomedical Engineer group is led by Yoseph Mebrate, lead technician at The Royal Brompton Hospital. Our Biomedical Engineer Committee includes:

• Mr Gerald Williams
• Mr Steven Philips
• Mr Yoseph Mebrate
• Ms Sonya Sireau

Chain of Hope works with very vulnerable children and as such, we take the issues of child protection very seriously. As well as training all of our staff members in child protection, this group meets quarterly to advise on all issues relating to the children.

These dedicated advisors are:

• Mrs Mo O'Reilly

The purpose of the Host Family Panel is to make recommendations to Chain of Hope about applications to become a Host Family. The independent panel considers an assessment report completed by an experienced social worker. The report includes information on the prospective Host Family’s motivation, lifestyle, availability, and any relevant experience.

The panel members are a small, diverse group of people with a range of skills. Expertise and knowledge within the panel ranges from paediatric nursing, family placement social work, and personal experience of cardiac surgery or foster care.

• Mo O’Reilly (Chair)
• Andy Sayers (Assessing Social Worker)
• Maura O’Callaghan
• Seium Tsegai
• Lisa Yacoub

• Mrs Sherine Sawiris (Chairperson)
• Mrs Dina Roushdi (Co-Chair)
• Mrs Maria Sukkar (Vice Chair)
• Mrs Cherine Helmy (Vice Chair)
• Mrs Andrea Collins
• Ms Sara Hanna
• Mrs Mary Habib
• Dr Rita Ishak
• Mrs Widad Karaket
• Mrs Angela Kyte
• Mrs Elena Lavagni
• Mrs Jessica Lemarié-Pirès
• Mrs Lorenza de Liechtenstein Trapani
• Mrs Magda Mayr
• Countess Noemi Marone Cinzano
• Mrs Najla Nabih
• Ms Alia Nosseir
• Ms Naila Ramsay
• Ms Susan Sabet
• Mrs Louka Samy Pacha
• Mrs Sylvia Tadros
• Mrs Natacha Tannous
• Mrs Monica Thomas

Our Retrieval Panel supports our International Child Referral Programme (ICRP) by advising on how to ensure that our patient's medical transfers are as safe as possible.  We rely on their expertise to assist with our most complex and urgent cases.

Because long-distance air travel is high risk for many children with heart conditions, we often arrange for our young patients to travel with experienced medical escorts. Our Retrieval Panel supports our international network of volunteer medical escorts.

Our Retrieval Panel consists of:

• Dr Intikhab Zafurallah (Chair), Consultant Paediatric Intensivist at Birmingham Children’s Hospital
• Rachael Morrison, Paediatric ICU Nurse and Transport Specialist at Birmingham Children’s Hospital
• Dr Edgar Brincat, Paediatric Intensive Care Consultant at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde