Menu

Ambassador and Board of Trustees

<strong>Platelet Society Ambassador: Lieutenant Colonel Crispin Black MBE MPhil</strong>

Platelet Society Ambassador: Lieutenant Colonel Crispin Black MBE MPhil

The Platelet Society is pleased to announce the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Crispin Black MBE MPhil as our Ambassador.

Crispin is a world-renowned journalist, author, intelligence consultant and former Welsh Guard officer. In 2007, Crispin was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP); since his diagnosis, he has undertaken numerous public engagement events about his ITP journey, and has shared his experiences and challenges of living with ITP at various conferences, and through the media.

Crispin is no stranger to public speaking, as a journalist, he has vast radio and TV experience, and is a frequent contributor to major British newspapers. These skills will be of great benefit for supporting the Society, by attending specific media briefing events and providing interviews to the press. To this end, Crispin will help the Society promote the charity to the public and to potential donors, thus building on the awareness of the charity’s purpose and fundraising activities.

We welcome Crispin to the Society and look forward to having him as an ambassador representing us.

The Board of Trustees

The Platelet Society is privileged to have six trustees – each with very different professional backgrounds – able to share their experience and knowledge for the benefit of the charity and those suffering from Platelet related diseases.

Jeremy’s research career has been as an endothelial cell biologist, with particular interest in understanding the intracellular signalling pathways controlling the secretion or surface expression of endothelial cell molecules that control vascular tone and permeability, blood coagulation, and leukocyte and platelet function. Jeremy led research teams at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, and then the MRC Clinical Research Centre in Harrow before moving to King’s College London (KCL) in 1991, where he became the UK’s first Professor of Vascular Biology. Jeremy was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2004, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2006, and awarded an MBE for services to medical research in the 2020 New Year’s Honours list. In 2002 Jeremy joined the British Heart Foundation as Associate Medical Director, initially part-time but full-time from 2010, retaining an Emeritus chair at KCL. Jeremy has been an executive committee or working group member for a series of professional societies during his career (including the European Thrombosis Research Organisation and the British Society of Haemostasis & Thrombosis). Jeremy was a Council member of the Association of Medical Research Charities from 2012-18, and he has extensive trustee board experience, Jeremy is currently also the Chair of the Trustee Boards of Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK and Understanding Animal Research.

Chair of Trustees: Professor Jeremy Pearson, FMedSci, MBE

Jeremy’s research career has been as an endothelial cell biologist, with particular interest in understanding the intracellular signalling pathways controlling the secretion or surface expression of endothelial cell molecules that control vascular tone and permeability, blood coagulation, and leukocyte and platelet function. Jeremy led research teams at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, and then the MRC Clinical Research Centre in Harrow before moving to King’s College London (KCL) in 1991, where he became the UK’s first Professor of Vascular Biology. Jeremy was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2004, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2006, and awarded an MBE for services to medical research in the 2020 New Year’s Honours list. In 2002 Jeremy joined the British Heart Foundation as Associate Medical Director, initially part-time but full-time from 2010, retaining an Emeritus chair at KCL. Jeremy has been an executive committee or working group member for a series of professional societies during his career (including the European Thrombosis Research Organisation and the British Society of Haemostasis & Thrombosis). Jeremy was a Council member of the Association of Medical Research Charities from 2012-18, and he has extensive trustee board experience, Jeremy is currently also the Chair of the Trustee Boards of Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK and Understanding Animal Research.
Maryam is 45 years old and has a diagnosis of Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia (GT), a rare platelet bleeding disorder since the age of 5 months. Professionally, she works in the NHS as a Speech and Language Therapist, Clinical Lead in Dysphagia and Early years Complex Needs. I also run an independent Speech and Language Therapy company to provide a service for families who have young children with a variety of speech, language and communication needs. In my private life she is a mum to a 10-year-old son and keeps herself busy with involvement in a couple of different charity organisations for the bleeding disorder community. Living with a long-term medical condition and working in the NHS provides her with an insight from both perspectives i.e. as a patient and a professional. This insight and perspective supports how she works with the families and children in her day to day role.

Maryam Samina

Maryam is 45 years old and has a diagnosis of Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia (GT), a rare platelet bleeding disorder since the age of 5 months. Professionally, she works in the NHS as a Speech and Language Therapist, Clinical Lead in Dysphagia and Early years Complex Needs. I also run an independent Speech and Language Therapy company to provide a service for families who have young children with a variety of speech, language and communication needs. In my private life she is a mum to a 10-year-old son and keeps herself busy with involvement in a couple of different charity organisations for the bleeding disorder community. Living with a long-term medical condition and working in the NHS provides her with an insight from both perspectives i.e. as a patient and a professional. This insight and perspective supports how she works with the families and children in her day to day role.
Crispian was a police officer for just over thirty years but has managed a number of voluntary activities at the same time, latterly in educational fundraising, St John Ambulance and now the Platelet Society. My qualification, so to speak, was the immortal phrase “we’re not quite happy about your blood” after a 2012 health check, and the outcome was a diagnosis of essential thrombocythaemia, an excess of platelets which could lead to clotting and a possible stroke. I have been lucky, in that a balanced dosage of hydroxycarbamide tablets keeps me on an even keel with no noticeable side effects. I know that many other people suffer more from platelet disorders and I am happy to lend whatever skills I have to maintaining the Society and helping patients and researchers.

Crispian Strachan CBE QPM

Crispian was a police officer for just over thirty years but has managed a number of voluntary activities at the same time, latterly in educational fundraising, St John Ambulance and now the Platelet Society. My qualification, so to speak, was the immortal phrase “we’re not quite happy about your blood” after a 2012 health check, and the outcome was a diagnosis of essential thrombocythaemia, an excess of platelets which could lead to clotting and a possible stroke. I have been lucky, in that a balanced dosage of hydroxycarbamide tablets keeps me on an even keel with no noticeable side effects. I know that many other people suffer more from platelet disorders and I am happy to lend whatever skills I have to maintaining the Society and helping patients and researchers.
Alison recently retired as the Professor of Thrombosis & Haemostasis in the Cardiovascular Department of the University of Leicester, where she remains Professor Emerita. Alison is a platelet biologist whose research has spanned the basic-clinical translational divide, initially focussed on bleeding disorders and transfusion and for the past 30 years on cardiovascular diseases, especially heart attacks and stroke. Her interest in platelets emerged from her early post-doctoral research in the 1980s at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, developing monoclonal antibodies to clotting factors and platelets. Her main research interest has been on the factors that regulate the platelet response in both healthy subjects and patients, especially genetic factors. Throughout her career she has engaged with the wider European platelet community through collaborations and EU-funded projects. Throughout her career she has engaged with industry, developing diagnostic and therapeutic products for haemostasis and blood transfusion the most notable of which led to the development of one of the first two recombinant FVIII products for the treatment of Haemophilia A. More recently she co-founded a spin-out company, Haemostatix Ltd to develop therapeutic products to prevent bleeding (platelet substitute – topical haemostat). She has been involved in the UK Platelet group from its inception, as well as being on the committees of the BSH, BAS, and BSHT for which she was elected President in 2001. Her academic roles also include periods on the editorial boards of Platelets, the Journal of Thrombosis & Haemostasis and Clinical Science for which she served as Editor-in-Chief. She has hosted UK Platelet Society and BSHT and BAS meetings and was a regular contributor to the Platelet Summer Schools. Support of ECRs, both scientists and clinicians, has been a focus throughout her career both locally and nationally; for example, she sat on the NIHR Doctoral Awards Panel for several years. She is therefore particularly honoured that the Platelet Society has named the ECR prize in her name. She is also deeply honoured to be the recipient of the first Platelet Society Gus Born Award in 2022. In recent years she has held various senior roles in the College of Life sciences at Leicester including, Clinical Research Lead, Enterprise lead, Head of the Department of Genetics, and Interim Head of College, the latter including a period as a non-executive director on the local hospital Trust Board. Her last role in Leicester was to lead the College REF2021 submission.

Professor Alison Goodall

Alison recently retired as the Professor of Thrombosis & Haemostasis in the Cardiovascular Department of the University of Leicester, where she remains Professor Emerita. Alison is a platelet biologist whose research has spanned the basic-clinical translational divide, initially focussed on bleeding disorders and transfusion and for the past 30 years on cardiovascular diseases, especially heart attacks and stroke. Her interest in platelets emerged from her early post-doctoral research in the 1980s at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, developing monoclonal antibodies to clotting factors and platelets. Her main research interest has been on the factors that regulate the platelet response in both healthy subjects and patients, especially genetic factors. Throughout her career she has engaged with the wider European platelet community through collaborations and EU-funded projects. Throughout her career she has engaged with industry, developing diagnostic and therapeutic products for haemostasis and blood transfusion the most notable of which led to the development of one of the first two recombinant FVIII products for the treatment of Haemophilia A. More recently she co-founded a spin-out company, Haemostatix Ltd to develop therapeutic products to prevent bleeding (platelet substitute – topical haemostat). She has been involved in the UK Platelet group from its inception, as well as being on the committees of the BSH, BAS, and BSHT for which she was elected President in 2001. Her academic roles also include periods on the editorial boards of Platelets, the Journal of Thrombosis & Haemostasis and Clinical Science for which she served as Editor-in-Chief. She has hosted UK Platelet Society and BSHT and BAS meetings and was a regular contributor to the Platelet Summer Schools. Support of ECRs, both scientists and clinicians, has been a focus throughout her career both locally and nationally; for example, she sat on the NIHR Doctoral Awards Panel for several years. She is therefore particularly honoured that the Platelet Society has named the ECR prize in her name. She is also deeply honoured to be the recipient of the first Platelet Society Gus Born Award in 2022. In recent years she has held various senior roles in the College of Life sciences at Leicester including, Clinical Research Lead, Enterprise lead, Head of the Department of Genetics, and Interim Head of College, the latter including a period as a non-executive director on the local hospital Trust Board. Her last role in Leicester was to lead the College REF2021 submission.
Professor Steve Watson is a British Heart Foundation Professor in Cardiovascular Sciences and Cellular Pharmacology. Steve is head of the Birmingham Platelet Group. The group undertakes a multidisciplinary approach to the investigation of platelet function in health and disease with a special focus on platelet receptors and their signalling pathways. The work includes translational studies in patients with platelet function disorders. The group is recognised for the identification of the major signalling receptor for collagen receptor on platelets, the GPVI-FcR gamma-chain complex, and the C-type lectin receptor, which plays a key role in lymphatic development. Steve is head of the Vascular Inflammation, Thrombosis and Angiogenesis (VITA) grouping in the Section of Cardiovascular Sciences. Steve was the 2006 winner of the Nature/Nesta mid-career award for creative mentoring. Steve Watson is a leading member of the NIHR SRMRC.

Professor Steve Watson

Professor Steve Watson is a British Heart Foundation Professor in Cardiovascular Sciences and Cellular Pharmacology. Steve is head of the Birmingham Platelet Group. The group undertakes a multidisciplinary approach to the investigation of platelet function in health and disease with a special focus on platelet receptors and their signalling pathways. The work includes translational studies in patients with platelet function disorders.
The group is recognised for the identification of the major signalling receptor for collagen receptor on platelets, the GPVI-FcR gamma-chain complex, and the C-type lectin receptor, which plays a key role in lymphatic development. Steve is head of the Vascular Inflammation, Thrombosis and Angiogenesis (VITA) grouping in the Section of Cardiovascular Sciences. Steve was the 2006 winner of the Nature/Nesta mid-career award for creative mentoring. Steve Watson is a leading member of the NIHR SRMRC.
Dr Gill Lowe is a Haematology Consultant at University Hospitals Birmingham. She specialises in disorders of haemostasis and thrombosis. She was previously a clinical research fellow at the University of Birmingham when she worked on a study looking at patients with inherited platelet defects, leading to the award of a PhD in 2015. She is the non-malignant haematology speciality group co-lead for the West Midlands Local Comprehensive Research Network, and has an interest in clinical research. She has participated in and organised several educational meetings, including events targeted specifically at patients and their families, and those for doctors in training.

Dr Gillian Lowe

Dr Gill Lowe is a Haematology Consultant at University Hospitals Birmingham. She specialises in disorders of haemostasis and thrombosis. She was previously a clinical research fellow at the University of Birmingham when she worked on a study looking at patients with inherited platelet defects, leading to the award of a PhD in 2015. She is the non-malignant haematology speciality group co-lead for the West Midlands Local Comprehensive Research Network, and has an interest in clinical research. She has participated in and organised several educational meetings, including events targeted specifically at patients and their families, and those for doctors in training.
Mrs Gayle Halford works at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, as part of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences at the University of Birmingham.

Operations: Gayle Halford

Mrs Gayle Halford works at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, as part of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences at the University of Birmingham.

Past Trustees

  • Dr Paul Harrison – University of Birmingham (2017 -20)

  • Dr Sarah Jones – Manchester Metropolitan University (2019-22)
  • Dr Matthew Harper – University of Cambridge (2019-22)