Who Are We?
The Priorities in Global Burns Research Partnership is a collaboration between the James Lind Alliance and the University of Bristol, funded by the National Institute for Health Research. It is run by a Steering Group made up of representatives from different organisations involved in burns care and research, including patients and members of the public.
Roy M Dudley-Southern – Patient and Public Representative, UK
Roy is a retired NHS Strategic Planner and Commissioner. From his working and life experience as a wheelchair-user from childhood, he is a PPV member of health, social care, university and research steering groups, trustee of several charities and school governor. Roy has two daughters and is a grandfather.
Ian Easton – Patient, UK
Ian is a burns survivor from Hampshire. In 2018 Ian was involved in an explosion, resulting in full thickness burns to his hands and parts of his face, and partial thickness burns to his face and body. Through inhalation burns Ian also suffers from Bi-Lateral Vocal Cord Paralysis, but he does not let it slow him down. Ian is a musician who has played at events such as Glastonbury Festival.
Alex Holley – Patient, UK
Alex survived a burn injury at the age of one and was supported throughout her childhood by the charity Frenchay After Burns Children’s club. She is currently a medical student and hopes to pursue her interest in burns and plastic surgery in the future.
Amy Acton – CEO, Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors
Amy Acton is the Chief Executive Officer for Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, a leading national non-profit, where she has served the organization for over 20 years. Amy is a burn survivor, former burn nurse manager, and a leading advocate for the burn community. She has dedicated her career to promoting the expansion of burn recovery services and resources for burn survivors and their loved ones. Since 1998, Amy has served as a critical bridge to the communities of survivors and healthcare professionals, ensuring that both communities are seen and heard to help create positive outcomes. Amy is currently the Immediate Past Chair of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Board of Directors and also serves on the board of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition. She also serves on many committees and advisory boards supporting advocacy to help build a safer world by teaching others and supporting the burn survivor community in advancing lifelong healing, optimal recovery, and burn injury prevention.
Jill Meirte – Physical Therapist, OSCARE, Belgium
Dr. Jill Meirte is a physical therapist. Her doctoral study investigated disability post burn injury, burn scar assessments and non-invasive treatments. She is an International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) trainer and has special interest in physical scar management, patient centered burn care and digitalization of burn care. She works in Oscare a burn scar aftercare and research center located in Antwerp, Belgium and combines research activities with coordinating and teaching responsibilities at the University of Antwerp. She is a member of the European Burn Association Professionals Allied to Medicine (EBA PAM) committee and the Flemish ICF platform.
Baljit Dheansa – Consultant Burns & Plastic Surgeon, UK
Baljit Dheansa is a Consultant Burns & Plastic Surgeon at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead. He has been involved in burns and wound healing research throughout his career with key involvements with research charities including Blond McIndoe Research Foundation and Scar Free Foundation. He is particularly interested in scarring, infection and innovations in treatment. Baljit is an honorary senior lecturer and supports teaching in burns for medical students, allied health professionals, nurses, and doctors. He has also been involved with regional and national burns development and major incident planning. Baljit is a patron of Dan’s Fund for Burns.
Jane Leaver – Nurse, UK
Jane Leaver is a paediatric and adult nurse who has worked in the speciality of burns and plastic surgery both in the UK and abroad. She is currently working as a senior lecturer at Birmingham City University and lead nurse of the Midland Burn ODN. She has previously served as vice chair of the British Burns Association.
Janine Evans – Advanced Practitioner Occupational Therapist, UK
Janine is an Advanced Practitioner Occupational Therapist at the Welsh Centre for Burns & Plastic Surgery, and has worked in the rehabilitation of burn injured adults and children for 20 years. She is an active member of the British Burn Association Therapies Specialist Interest Group, as well as sitting on the International Society for Burn Injuries Rehabilitation and Education committees.
Krissie Stiles – Burn Specialist Nurse, UK
Krissie is a burn specialist nurse of 18 years with an interest in burns first aid, burns education, pre-hospital burn care and quality of life outcomes after burns. Krissie has worked as part of the clinical team at the Queen Victoria Hospital (East Grinstead), rehabilitation team at the Katie Piper Foundation, Board of Trustees at the British Burn Association, network leadership team at the London and South East of England Burn Network, and is currently practicing at the King’s College Hospital (London). Krissie is an Honorary Lecturer at the Queen Mary University London, is a visiting lecturer to nursing and paramedicine degree pathways and has contributed to National Burn Care Standards and Clinical Practice Guidelines for burns.
Alice Lee – Junior Plastic Surgeon, UK
Alice is a Core Surgical Trainee (plastic surgery themed) in the Thames Valley Deanery. She has a keen research interest in burns and is a previous recipient of the Scar Free Foundation Elective Award. Her current interests include core outcome set development and research priority setting in plastic surgery and burns.
Jonathan Bayuo – Nurse, Ghana
Jonathan is a burn care nurse and has worked as a senior nurse in the Burn ICU of KATH, Ghana concurrently with a faculty role at the Presbyterian University College, Ghana. Research interests include burns in special population groups, rehabilitation, critical care, and palliative care in traditionally non-palliative care settings.
Lise Deguire – Clinical Psychologist, USA
Dr. Lise Deguire is a Clinical Psychologist, author, speaker, and childhood burn survivor. Her memoir, “Flashback Girl: Lessons on Resilience from a Burn Survivor” has won multiple awards for memoir. She is a national speaker about psychological resilience and writes regularly for “Burn Support Magazine” and “Psychology Today.”
Dale Edgar – Physiotherapist, Australia
Dale Edgar is a Clinical Lead Physiotherapist and translational researcher with over 28 years’ experience. For over 20 years he has been devoted to the specialization in provision and improvement of burn survivor and acute trauma rehabilitation in a number of Australian burns and plastic surgery (trauma) units. In recognition of his leadership, research and contributions to burn patient rehabilitation across the globe, he was awarded the Andre Zagame Rehabilitation Specialist Prize by the ISBI in 2012 and again in 2018. Through the establishment of outcome-based care, his aim is to provide clinicians with the tools to optimize and improve the traumatic injury survivor journey to recovery anywhere in the world.
Charlotte Coates – Scar Free Foundation, UK
Charlotte Coates is Head of Research Funds at the Scar Free Foundation. The Foundation has supported and championed the cause of burn research for over 20 years and is one the UK’s biggest funders of work in this area. We are long-term supporters of Dr Young’s research and are delighted to be involved in the PSP.
Declan Collins – Burn Surgeon, UK
Declan Collins is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon with a specialist interest in burns care. He works at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. He is an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at Imperial College and Research Lead for the Burns Unit. He is interested in scar management and laser and light based therapeutic technologies.
Niall Martin – Burn Surgeon, UK
Mr. Martin has had an interest in trauma and burns throughout his career. He has worked in the Defence Medical Service for more than 25 years and is employed in one of the UK’s largest burn centres. His academic and research interests include all aspects of burns and trauma, especially the impact of frailty on outcomes, and forensic investigation.
Ivette L. Icaza – Burns rehabilitation, Taiwan
Ivette is an Independent Consultant & Advisor Affiliate at Sunshine Welfare Foundation in Taiwan. She has been a member of the burns team at the Paediatric Burn Centre in Nicaragua since 1997, developing the First Burn Rehabilitation Program in Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Palestine. She was involved in the planning and development of more than 30 burn education workshops (2006 to 2016) in the Latin American Region, with a focus on rehabilitation, nursing, psychology and other areas involving a holistic and comprehensive approach. She led school prevention programs and the first Burn Camp “Campamento Confió en Mi” for burns survivors in Latin America. For this she won the best paper award at the 2016 American Burn Association. Ivette is member of the International Society Burn Injury (ISBI). She was the Central American and Caribbean Regional Representative for the ISBI Executive Committee 2012-2016, and Director of the Burn Prevention Committee at the Latin American Burn Federation (FELAQ) from 2011-2015
Mohanad Mansoor – Burn Physiotherapist, Palestine.
Mohanad Mansoor has been the head of the Physiotherapy Department In-Patient Wards at Rafidia Government Hospital, West Bank, Palestine since 2005. As a senior burn therapist in the Burn Unit, his major interests are in early interventions for burn patients and the use of clinical outcome measures for follow-up to improve methods of rehabilitation for burn patients.