top of page
Picture 1 copy_edited.jpg
Pic Charles copy.jpg
Picture gh1 copy.jpg
rose copy.jpg
drT copy.jpg

WHO WE ARE

Board of Directors

Jola Gore Booth

Jola’s association with patient advocacy begun when in 1996 she was appointed CEO of Colon Cancer Concern (now Bowel Cancer UK) prior to which she worked as a fundraiser at Trinity Hospice in the UK. Whilst at CCC Jola launched bowel Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM); she formed the Bowel Cancer Forum; participated in the UK Government’s Bowel Cancer Advisory board; sat on NICE’s Implementation Advisory Board achieving notable success on patient access to treatment.

 

In 2004 she launched and became the CEO of EuropaColon – the first pan European Not for Profit CRC patient advocacy organisation. Jola believed strongly in the importance of collaboration and creating Europe wide CRC communities. This grew to embrace 30 European countries and in 2018 expanded into Digestive Cancers Europe (DiCE), to include all gastrointestinal cancers. Jola stood down from the Board in 2021 to pursue new challenges she continues to support DiCE in whatever way needed.

 

Over the years she launched many initiatives and projects; sat on numerous committees; made countless presentations across Europe and further; engaged with Commissioners, Health Ministers. However her primary focus was on behalf of CRC patients and the promotion and importance of primary and secondary prevention. She launched European Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (ECCAM in 2018.

 

2007 Jola set up Inflatable Body Organs to design and produce the first inflatable walk through Colon/Bowel to raise awareness on the Risks, Signs and Symptoms of CRC. She has also built an inflatable breast, brain and alimentary adventure. She is currently working on a new inflatable and roadshow to educate 8 to 11 year olds on what happens to food when it goes in your mouth and how it affects their health now and in the future.

 

2021 Jola took the decision to use and expand her skills and set up a new Not for Profit - Global Healthcare Projects. The aim is to campaign for equal access to good healthcare;  address health inequalities and gaps in NCDs in disengaged communities; support Informal Carers and encourage young adults to become more aware of their Gut Health.  

 

 

Charles Mills

Educated at Cambridge and Harvard Universities, Charles is a highly experienced communicator and brand strategist. He was Head of Marketing at the V&A Museum and then the Royal Horticultural Society before spending 10 years leading the digital and corporate communications division of the TV company, Twofour. 

Here he worked on brand narratives and content for (among others) The British Heart Foundation, Number 10 Downing Street, GSK and the Ministry of Defence.

 

As CEO of the creative agency, Denhams Digital, he currently leads on major branding and content projects with (among others) AXA PPP Healthcare, Cambridge University, the NHS and the Ministry of Defence. 

He was, until recently, a Trustee of the National Youth Agency.

Geoffrey Henning

Geoffrey began working in the NGO sector in 1985 when he co-founded CRUSAID, a national HIV fundraising charity, and was appointed Director in 1987. When he left 10 years later the charity had raised £11m for HIV related causes in the UK.

 

He joined Roche UK in 1998 to support the HIV and later the Hepatitis C teams and worked closely with patient groups in these areas for 5 years. He was then appointed Policy Manager for Oncology covering the extensive oncology portfolio. Once more he worked closely with the relevant patient groups until his departure 7 years later. 

He joined EuropaColon in 2011, initially as Policy Director and then helped co-ordinate the emerging Digestive Cancers work programme as the NGO expands into the wider digestive cancer arena.

He now lives and works free-lance in Portugal.

 

Collaborating Partners

Dr Rose Thompson

Dr Thompson is a leading Cancer Information and Support Specialist on Ethnicity in the UK with BME expertise. Rose is of Jamaican heritage via Windrush generation parents. She is a qualified Radiotherapy Radiographer with 26 years of clinical practice gained in the NHS based in London and the Midlands. From 2003 to 2007 Rose headed up national BME work at the former leading European Cancer charity Cancerbackup. Today she is the Chief Executive and Founder of the registered charity B'Me Against Cancer (Formerly BME Cancer Communities CIC). She is a 2 times breast cancer survivor

Author: 

  • Two pioneering 'Hear Me Now' reports about Black Men's increased risk of Prostate Cancer. Both launched in the House of Commons by David Lammy.

  • Member:

  • Awareness and Early Detection Committee that contributed to the first top up  for the UKs National Cancer Plan ; the Cancer Reform Strategy

  • National Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer Screening 

  • Invited member of  numerous other health related steering groups and committees.

    Awards:

  • Black Achievers Lifetime Achievement Award 2019

  • Hon Doc Social Sciences NTU -2017

  • Nottingham City Council - Goose Fair Award

  • Phoenix Newspaper - Special Recognition Award.

  • National and local Windrush awards.

  • Guest Radio presenter on 97.5 Kemet FM  health programming for over 10 yrs.
     

Dr Daksha Trivedi

Dr Daksha Trivedi trained as a scientist and obtained her Ph.D (King’s College, London) and M.Sc, Faculty of Medicine, University of London and an M. Phil in Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge. 'Reader in Applied Health Research', University of Hertfordshire, UK. She has an interest and expertise in Evidence Based Practice, Epidemiology, Quantitative and Qualitative designs, Mixed Methods, Clinical Trials and evaluation of complex interventions. She is a cancer survivor and a patient advocate for cancer services

 

She has led the Clinical Trials Design and Management module for Masters in Clinical Research. Daksha has led systematic reviews using mixed methods of both quantitative and qualitative literature commissioned by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). She is an editor for the Cochrane Library, Associate Editor for Primary Health Care Research & Development, member of the Cochrane Nursing Care Research Network and past member of the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Regional Advisory Committee. 

 

She is a peer reviewer for Cochrane reviews Injuries Group, NIHR funding bodies, and journals. She has led NIHR funded projects (see Research interests, outputs and activities) and has an established record of conducting interdisciplinary research which spans across various public health areas. These include mental health, older people’s health including osteoporosis, dementia and nutritional interventions, childhood obesity, teenage pregnancy, physical activity, depression in South Asians. 

Dr Trivedi is currently leading a major randomised controlled trial of energetic activity for depression in young people (READY Trial) funded by the NIHR, Health Technology Assessment, collaborating with the Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Mental Health Theme.  Daksha has an interest in Health inequalities and collaborates with the ARC East of England, (Prevention and Early Detection Theme) and Public Health England East of England in evaluating interventions for cancer screening in ethnically diverse communities. Daksha is the Co-Chair of the Hertfordshire Public Health Connect Strategy Group.

bottom of page