Committee

The current committee were voted in at the AGM held on 28th September 2022

Chair

Priya Mistry - Lead Pharmacist Nutrition Support & Intestinal Failure, University Hospitals Southampton
Priya has been a pharmacist in clinical nutrition since 2003, for the last 6 years Priya has worked at the Intestinal Failure (IF) centre at Southampton University Hospital managing inpatients and home patients on parenteral nutrition (PN). Priya plays an active role in the service development and has recently taken on the role of divisional pharmacist.
At a regional level, Priya organises the Southern Home Intestinal Failure Network (SHIFNet) meetings and plans the education agenda. Priya presents regularly for BPNG, BAPEN, Clinical Pharmacy Congress, Universities of Surrey (MSc Clinical Nutrition) and Reading (BSc Pharmacy). She recently completed a master’s in clinical health and research on PN-related patient safety incidents.
Priya joined the BPNG executive committee in 2016 and was secretary from 2019 to 2022.

Vice Chair
Venetia Simchowitz - Consultant Pharmacist, Great Ormond Street Hospital
Venetia is Senior Specialist Pharmacist in Clinical Nutrition at Great Ormond Street in London, having worked there since 2002. She is the sole pharmacist member of the ESPGHAN/ESPEN/ESPR working party, and has written the GI and nutrition chapter of the NPPG PICU guidelines. Venetia has been a longstanding BPNG committee member and undertaken a number of roles.

Honorary Treasurer
Jacqueline Eastwood - Regional Pharmacy Procurement Specialist, London
Over the past few years Jackie moved away from providing a clinical service to nutrition patients, but has been involved in the procurement of ingredients and raw materials.
Jackie has also been a member of a number of working groups looking at the standardisation of aseptic products including PN, supporting recovery of commercial aseptic compounders and working with trusts to change how these products are ordered.

Secretary
Sarah Zerashchi - Consultant Pharmacist Nutrition, Leeds Teaching Hospitals
Sarah has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2004, most recently as chair from 2019 to 2022.
Sarah is currently Consultant Pharmacist for Nutrition at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, working with both adult and paediatric Intestinal Failure teams, leading on all areas of Nutrition Support for Pharmacy, and contributing to the aseptics rota. Since taking up this post, Sarah has been significantly involved with the introduction of multichambered bags for neonates and paediatric patients, working on malnutrition pathways across Leeds, and as part of the group switching enteral and oral nutrition providers. Past positions have specialised in Microbiology and Infection Control, Gastroenterology, Surgery, Medicines Information, Clinical Trials and as Aseptic Services Manager.
Sarah currently represents pharmacy in a number of groups within the NHS and has been involved in developing national guidance statements on clinical care and shortages and advising on IF specification commissioning.

Education Officer
Ruth Newton - Surgical & Nutrition Pharmacist and lead for Medical Education, Countess of Chester Hospital
Ruth has been on the executive committee of the BPNG since 1996 in a number of roles, including chair. Ruth has been a nutrition pharmacist for over 20 years and provided a NST service to primary and secondary care and HPN.
Ruth has published several papers and presented at BAPEN and other conferences. Ruth was initially education representative for BPNG which then led to chairing the BAPEN E&T committee and teaching/ developing their NST training course.
Ruth was initial founder of the Fundamentals course and look forward to continuing this alongside the advanced education projects that are currently underway with a shared educational role.

Communications Officer

Rebecca White - Medical Affairs Manager, Clinical Nutrition Global, Baxter Healthcare
Becky has been on the executive committee since 1996, serving as secretary, education officer, vice chair and chair. Leading on a number of BPNG initiatives including the competency framework. Prior to her move to the pharmaceutical industry Becky worked in the NHS for 20 years, latterly as Consultant Pharmacist in Nutrition at Oxford Hospitals Trust. Becky has published several original and review articles, taught on aspects of nutrition and stability to under-and post graduate pharmacy and dietetic students and presented at national and international congresses. Her PhD thesis focussed on enteral drug administration. She is editor and co-author of the BPNG Handbook of Drug Administration via Enteral Feeding Tubes.

Co-ordinating Officer (International Communications)
Professor Gil Hardy - Emeritus Professor of Clinical Nutrition in Auckland New Zealand
Gil is past chair, past treasurer and honorary life member of the BPNG. Between 2004 and 2015 was professor of pharmaceutical nutrition and director for the AnQual stability testing laboratory in the School of Pharmacy at Auckland University in New Zealand. Gil’s research publications and educational activities have established an international reputation in the field of pharmaceutical and clinical nutrition with awards and honorary fellowships from Asia, Australasia, Europe, Latin America and USA, including the Distinguished International Nutrition Support Specialist Award from ASPEN in 2014. He was the founder and first chairman of the international clinical nutrition section (ICNS) and in 2020 he was appointed to serve on the ASPEN Board of Directors, representing the society on the new International Human Rights for Clinical Nutrition working group

Development officer - Paediatrics
Marko Puzovic Pharmacy Team Lead - Aseptic Services and Clinical Nutrition, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Marko has been involved with neonatal, paediatric, and adult PN in the hospital and home care setting since 1997. He moved from Croatia to the UK and joined the pharmacy team at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in 2011. He has been actively involved in the ESPEN, ESPGHAN and CSPEN societies. He has published articles and given lectures on parenteral nutrition at several international conferences, and organised, led and actively participated in various study days and courses.

Development officer - Adults
Lucy Hutchinson - Lead Nutrition Pharmacist at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston
Lucy has been working in the field of aseptic services and clinical nutrition for the majority of the last 16 years at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston (UHBW). This has involved caring for patients with type 1, 2, and 3 intestinal failure (IF), and working in a licensed production unit. Since 2015 I have been the lead nutrition pharmacist at UHBW.
She has written, and delivered various training sessions on clinical nutrition, both within the trust and externally for nurses, pharmacists and doctors. These include teaching the secondary care diploma pharmacy students at the University of Bath, as well as the trainee pharmacists in the South West.
Lucy was on the panel of a BDA critical care study day discussion in November 2020, and invited to present at the BSG Education weekend for registrars in 2022. She is now involved the direction and development of clinical nutrition particularly for adults.

Research and Development Officer
Uchuviro Meade - Lead Clinical Pharmacist, St Mark's Hospital
Uchu is currently lead clinical pharmacist at St Marks Hospital. Uchu has worked within the colorectal clinical speciality since 2009. She has worked in a variety of roles covering the key areas of colorectal surgery, inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal failure in paediatric and adult patients. In 2016 she joined St Marks's Hospital as the clinical lead pharmacist. She joined the BPNG committee as a co-opted member in 2020 and has been instrumental in setting up the 2022 series of webinars. Uchu represents the BPNG on the BAPEN programmes committee. Uchu has been involved in research projects and authored several publications.

Co-ordinating Officer - Education and Communications
Graeme Doherty - Specialist Clinical Pharmacist - Clinical Nutrition, Glasgow
Graeme has been involved in clinical nutrition since 2010 and covers five acute hospital sites for in-patient PN in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, as well as looking after over 100 patients on HPN in the West of Scotland as part of the specialist IF MDT based at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He is an active independent prescriber, also supporting aseptic services. He currently sits on the BAPEN Scotland committee and Scottish Clinical Advisory Panels for in-patient PN and HPN as well as the local NHS Clinical Nutrition group.

Co-ordinating Officer - Education and Communications
Amy Hill - Principal pharmacist Quality Assurance, University Hospital Southampton
Amy was previously a paediatric PN prescriber and Accountable Pharmacist for a large section 10 aseptic unit compounding PN/CIVAS and clinical trials, she has a particular interest in ensuring continual supply of high quality products to patients and has experience of managing a number of national issues impacting on local hospital PN supply including shortages of home compounding slots affecting both paediatrics and adults. In her current role Amy is currently leading on a project to design and build a new aseptic unit.
Amy sits on the NIFWG for paediatrics and has also been involved with the implementation of standardised bags on the NNU at Southampton.

Co-ordinating Officer - Education and Communications
Nina Taherzadeh - Specialist Pharmacist, Gastroenterology & Nutrition, Royal Free Hospital
Nina is currently a Specialist Pharmacist in Gastroenterology and Nutrition at the Royal Free Hospital. She works closely within the Nutrition MDT to provide support to a wide range and complexity of patients.

Co-opted Member
Tim Sizer – Consultant Quality Assurance Pharmacist
Tim was one of the founding members of the BPNG and a past chair. He was a member of the Kings Fund Working Party on Clinical Nutrition (1990-92) which led to the formation of BAPEN. Tim currently undertakes a variety of consultancy roles in technical pharmacy and is the Director of NHS Pharmaceutical Continuing Pharmaceutical Development for NHS Technical Services Education and Training.

Co-opted Member
Kate Reilly - Medical Scientific Liaison, Fresenius Kabi Ltd
Kate began her career at Fresenius Kabi in 2012 as a clinical pharmacist in the homecare sector of the business, before joining the Medical Team in 2020. Her current role as Medical Scientific Liaison for Parenteral Nutrition involves the provision of peer-to-peer expertise, clinical education and training.

Co-opted Member
Tony Murphy - Specialist Pharmacist Technical Service - Great Ormond Street Hospital and Royal Free Hospitals
Tony has been on the executive committee for many years, serving as education officer and treasurer. He has also been a member of the BAPEN Conference committee for 25 years helping to organise symposia with as much pharmacy input as possible. He is currently working part-time as a pharmacy consultant in technical services at the Great Ormond Street and Royal Free Hospitals. In particular steering an initiative to use Vapour Hydrogen Peroxide Isolator technology for the new Great Ormond Street Cancer Centre. His specialist areas of knowledge include the formulation of neonatal nutrition, and cleanroom design.

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Committee

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