ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½

Daniel Leff

Daniel is the Chief Investigator of PRADA-II trial.

Daniel is a breast surgeon and professor at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, where he works across surgery, medical technology, and cancer research. He also treats patients as a consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Daniel leads a research team focused on making breast surgery more precise, improving how treatments are timed and combined, and helping patients recover better after breast cancer treatment.

Amy Godden

Amy Godden is a Consultant breast surgeon at the Royal Marsden Hospital, specialising in caring for people with breast cancer and those at increased risk. Amy is also a researcher, working with the Institute of Cancer Research. Her work focuses on understanding patients’ experiences after surgery, including wellbeing, confidence, and quality of life. She is especially interested in involving patients directly in shaping research.

In her spare time, she enjoys sport, painting and escaping to the West Country.

Jenny Rusby

Jenny Rusby is a consultant breast surgeon at the Royal Marsden in Chelsea and Reader at the Institute of Cancer Research. Her main long-term research interest is about how to measure aesthetic outcome (appearance) after breast cancer surgery using patient questionnaires and by assessing photographs and 3D shape, culminating in simulating that appearance to show to women to better describe an upcoming surgical procedure. She is among several in the team who has been involved in the PRADA journey for a very long time!

With 2 cricket-obsessed children she spends a lot of time on the boundary, it’s not technically my hobby but what I spend my “free time” doing, and I do enjoy it!

Laura

Laura is a breast cancer survivor and was part of the PRADA feasibility trial in 2017. She is a child and adolescent psychotherapist in doctoral training. She has an interest in the impact of trauma on the body and mind, the importance of relationships and trauma informed care, and interpersonal neurobiology.

Dr Tayana Soukup

Dr Tayana Soukup is a Chartered Psychologist, a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, and an elected Board Member of the International Network for the Science of Team Science (INSciTS). She is also a Fellow in Human Factors at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, where she works within the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in In-Vitro Diagnostics. Holding a PhD in Clinical Medicine Research, Tayana is a mixed methodologist with expertise in implementation science and human factors, and she co-leads the process evaluation of this clinical trial. 

Professor Peter Buckle

≈Professor Peter Buckle is an expert in human factors and design safety. His work is primarily within the NIHR funded HealthTech Research Centre for In-vitro diagnostic. Peter is a Fellow and Former President of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health. a Fellow of the International Ergonomics Association and is a Principal Research Fellow at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½. 

Pernilla Lagergren

Pernilla Lagergren is a professor with a nursing background. She is a co-investigator and lead the quality-of-life assessment in this trial.  She works both at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

Her main research interest is cancer survivorship using patient-reported outcomes to find ways towards a better recovery after treatment.

In her spare time, she trains for and competes in middle-distance triathlons.

Dr Susan Cleator

Dr Susan Cleator is experienced in the comprehensive management of breast cancer. She has a long-standing research interest in the pre surgical treatment of breast cancer  by drug treatment and radiotherapy, contributing to local, national and international studies. When time permits, she is an avid theatre goer, traveller and hill walker.

Simon Wood

Simon Wood is a Plastic Surgery Consultant at Charing Cross Hospital since 1999.  Charing Cross Hospital is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and is in Hammersmith, West London.

Simon specialises in complex reconstruction reporting on techniques for Breast and Head & Neck cancers as well as repairs for complex abdominal wall hernias.  Throughout his career he has had an extensive commitment to training and education at local and national level.

Outside of work he enjoys sport and travel.

Aadil

Aadil is a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at The Royal Marsden Hospital. He has a specialist interest in radiation fibrosis and surgical robotics. In his spare time, he can be found playing golf (badly). 

Navita Somaiah

Navita Somaiah is a Group Leader and Clinician Scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research and Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden. Her main research interest is understanding the biology behind radiation responses in tumours and normal tissues so that we can tailor radiotherapy to maximise tumour control and minimise normal tissue side effects. Her lab analyses patient samples from clinical trials that are an invaluable resource for this research.

She enjoy cooking and travelling - important stress busters for me!

Dorothy Gujral

Dorothy Gujral is a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (treating breast and head and neck cancer patients) and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½.  She completed a PhD at the Institute of Cancer Research on the long-term radiation effects on head and neck patents cancer.  She has experience of radiotherapy quality assurance for multicentre phase 3 trials.  Her research interests include developments in technical radiotherapy and the use of artificial intelligence to enhance radiotherapy delivery. 

Dr Thiagarajah Sasikaran

Dr Thiagarajah Sasikaran (Sasi) serves as an Operations Manager in the Surgery Division of the UKCRC-registered Imperial Clinical Trials Unit (ICTU). Since joining Imperial College in 2002, he has gained extensive experience in delivering large-scale, multi-centre, international clinical trials. His principal interest is in innovative trial design and efficient delivery, ensuring that important research questions are answered both rapidly and robustly.

Abiramy Neduncheliyan

Abiramy is the new Trial Manager of the PRADA-II trial at Imperial Clinical Trials Unit (ICTU). With knowledge of managing non-CTIMP oncology trials, she is keen to put her skill to use in managing the PRADA II trial and ensure its success in recruiting during its pilot phase.  

Natalia Klimoska-Nassar

Natalia Klimowska-Nassar works as an Operations Manager for Surgical Trials at the Imperial Clinical Trials Unit (ICTU). Natalia has worked in the field of clinical trials since 2008 and has experience in various therapeutic areas, in both single and multi-centre RCT studies.
Within ICTU, Natalia works on new grant proposals, trial set-up, oversight, and trial completion. She also provides advice on regulatory and ethical requirements.

Mr Paul Thiruchelvam

 Mr Paul Thiruchelvam is a consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and an honorary senior lecturer in surgery at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½. He graduated from Imperial College in 2000 and undertook his surgical training in the north west Thames rotation, during which time he rotated through the breast units at Imperial College and The Royal Marsden Hospital. He completed his surgical training as a national oncoplastic group (TIG) fellow at the Nottingham Breast Institute, where he undertook research mapping the anatomy of chest wall perforator flaps (lateral intercostal artery perforator (LICAP) and lateral thoracic artery perforator (LTAP)) in partial and total breast reconstruction.

Mr Thiruchelvam has undertaken travelling fellowships to the MD Anderson, Mayo Clinic, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centers. He was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship in 2016, visiting the Netherlands, United States and Japan to observe the use of axillary reverse mapping (ARM) and lymphatic microsurgical preventing healing approach (LYMPHA) in primary lymphoedema prevention. He is actively involved in lymphedema prevention. As a member of the expert panel on breast cancer related lymphoedema, he was involved in drafting best practice guidelines for the American Society of Breast Surgeons.

He received his PhD in molecular oncology from Imperial College in 2010, under supervision from Professors Simak Ali, Laki Buluwela and Charles Coombes. He was awarded the first joint clinical research fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons and Cancer Research UK to fund his research. He is actively involved in clinical trials, including the multi-centre PRADA trial.

Christine Hansen

At 60, I bring over 30 years of experience in finance, alongside passions for art, theatre and astronomy.  Eight years ago, I completed breast cancer treatment and experienced complications with my reconstruction following radiotherapy.  This personal journey inspired me to contribute to research that I hope will improve treatment plans and recovery outcomes for future patients.