CoMPuTE Programme Steering Committee and Stakeholder (PPIE) Group

Professor Rupert Payne (Chair,
Independent Member)

Rupert Payne, professor in Primary Care and Clinical Pharmacology, s a senior academic GP and clinical pharmacologist. He undertook his medical training and PhD in Edinburgh, and subsequently held a NIHR clinical lectureship in Cambridge and clinical senior lecturer position in Bristol.

He leads a programme of applied health service research focused on improving the safety and quality of medicines use in primary care. He has a particular interest in improving how we measure, evaluate and manage polypharmacy, and has methodological expertise in pharmacoepidemiology, electronic health records, and data science.

He is co-Chair of the Society of Academic Primary Care, and practises clinically as a GP in North Somerset.

Ngawai Moss
(Independent PPIE Representative)

Ngawai is a women’s health advocate interested in research following her participation in a number of studies during pregnancy. She has worked ‘on the ground’ with researchers, clinicians, patients and civil society organisations ensuring the voices of women, their families and communities shape both research and the research agenda. 

Ngawai has advised on patient and public involvement at NHIR, Health Education England, The Academy of Medical Sciences, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and a number of Universities and Charities. In 2022, Ngawai was recognised by HDR UK for her contribution to health data science and research delivery as a public and patient involvement co-investigator for the MuMPreDiCT programme developing research to study and improve maternity care for pregnant women who are managing two or more long-term health conditions. 

Rosa Parisi
(Independent Member)

I am biostatistician working with large databases such as NHS Digital data and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. In 2019 I joined the Centre for Primary Care at the University of Manchester and I currently work or contribute to healthcare services research, multiple epidemiological or pharmacoepidemiological projects.

In 2011 I joined the Centre for Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety at the UoM and worked for several years on the epidemiology of psoriasis using CPRD.

Previous to that, I completed a PhD in Genetic Epidemiology from the University of Leeds which was about developing statistical methods for the analysis of genome-wide association studies with a focus on melanoma. During this time, I became familiar with “big data”, machine learning and advanced statistical methods.

Anne Rogers 
(Independent Member)

 Anne Rogers is Professor (Emeritus) of Medical Sociology at the University of Southampton. She has led a number of programmes of applied health services research.  Her main interests are in the sociological aspects of mental health and illness, self-care and management of long term conditions, people’s experiences of health care and health need and demand for care and how patients adapt to and incorporate new technologies into their everyday life . Her recent and current focus is on addressing how social ties and relationships act as a conduit for accessing resources and support for managing wellness, social isolation and mental health and how people accommodate to and live with health inequalities. 

Christopher Yau 
(Independent Member)

Anica has cross-sector experience in health, education, the penal system and veterans’ affairs.  She focuses on values-led governance and pragmatic risk management within complex multi-stakeholder environments, and digital ethics.  She has served on and chaired a number of boards, academic research projects and policy committees.  Current roles include National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standards Advisory Committee; VAPC, an advisory body to the Ministry of Defence; National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Programme Grants for Applied Research; and various projects at the Universities of Oxford and Kent.

Bringing a multi-cultural perspective and strong analytic and communication skills to her work, she is an advocate for including the stakeholder voice in decision making across sectors.  Through various front-line roles in her community, she has first-hand experience in the practical delivery of health and mental-health care, primarily making these equitably accessible for those in mixed, rural and military communities.  Additionally, she has hands-on/lived experience of end-of-life and dementia care, youth and adult mental health concerns, and multiple long-term conditions. She is trained in conflict resolution and is currently undertaking a masters course in Artificial Intelligence and Ethics focusing on the ethical and effective deployment of technology.

I am a first-generation Senegalese immigrant with lived experience of a long-term chronic condition. A keen interest in biological sciences and the business of health led to studying medical innovation and enterprise at University College London. Whilst completing my degree, I became a published researcher and had the opportunity to undertake an internship at NHSE. Now a graduate working within medical communications, I remains passionate about innovative research in, and equitable access to healthcare

I am a young person with lived experience of neurodiversity and mental health challenges. I have experience of receiving support in both child and adolescent and adult services, and have had positive and negative experiences which I hope to be able to use to make a difference for other people. As someone who has Autism, I am also very passionate around accessibility, and want to ensure that everyone can have a meaningful voice in this project and that they are listened to. I hope to be able to use my voice to advocate for those who can't, and to remind professionals of the importance of being inclusive, particularly in language.

I also identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, which I hope can bring an additional perspective, as many from these communities often face barriers in research, and when accessing support, with some facing specific health challenges that are often overlooked.

Before this opportunity, I have also volunteered as a Young Ambassador for a young person's mental health charity. I worked alongside others to improve both the service we were a part of, and to influence decisions more widely, including campaigning for more funding for mental health hubs and working on a youth violence project. I hope these, alongside my own lived experience means I can make a difference for this really exciting project! 

Rashmi Kumar

I am a bereaved and current carer for a family member with a serious illness. I have lived experience of physical and emotional challenges that patients and families face every day, and how with support their physical and psychological well-being can be significantly improved, enabling them to make positive contributions in communities.

I am from a BAME background, and live in a diverse and socio-economically disadvantaged community. I have supported several research and clinical trials programme on developing inclusive and diverse PPI participation in research. Have been involved in PPI co-design and co-formulation of research questions, including research design, analysis, and dissemination.

I work and engage with many voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, and am a Trustee of large Patients and Public Participation Group (PPGs) Network, actively working with local community groups, Primary Care Networks (PCNs), GP Federations and Integrated Care Boards.

I hope to bring a collaborative, enquiring and engaging approach, which systematically and effectively fosters inclusive patient and public involvement and engagement. 

Irene Poku

I am a Personal and Business Coach. Primarily I focus on coaching leaders to

1. Improve wellbeing and consequently increase productivity and efficiency
2. Balance work and family life to reduce stress and improve health

Prior to starting my coaching career, I worked within the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years as a pharmacovigilance expert and clinical trials project manager. I have been involved in numerous clinical trials across therapeutic areas. I have been involved in the care of family members with comorbidities over the last 6 years and this has prompted my involvement in this steering group.

John Taylor

Prior to early retirement on health grounds,I am a Stage 3 Renal patient, I had been at various time an NHS bacteriologist, a Quality Control lead in a small Industrial QC consultancy, MD of a chemicals company and a partner In a jobbing Engineering business.
Following retirement I was a PPI member of three NICE guidelines development groups, a Community Health Council and it's successors, Bolton NHS FT, the NW Summary Care Record rollout, a number of steering groups for various health related research projects as PPI member, I have recently completed my twentieth research grant funding application for the NIHR RfPB as a PPI reviewer.

Amy Wizard-Ponter

Helping others in any way I can is a core driving force. This is what led me to apply for the opportunity to be involved in COMPuTE, in the hope of utilising lived experience in conjunction with other skills to best support the project.

I am deemed a complex case by the medical profession, with a list of both physical and mental health conditions. I am also autistic and a highly empathetic person too, which means that I am constantly acting for and seeking to represent a range of voices in any endeavour. I try to speak for the many and apply that sensitivity in all lived experience work to date.

I am hugely interested in lived experience involvement and research, therefore am constantly evolving this work. I participate in projects and ongoing work and research for a range of significant charities, NHS linked organisations, VCSEs, universities and more. I seek to help wherever I can and the work has been hugely varied and far reaching thus far. My more direct work experience beyond the above has actually been in a range of areas, including several years in production planning and asset management in the defence sector for the MoD. It has also included work in food production, packaging, account managing in the medical and medicines field and customer relationship management in commercial areas. I therefore aim to draw on this varied background to serve all lived experience work in the best way I can. The more meaningful an impact I can have the better.