Introduction to the Executive Committee of AEPU
Miss Jackie Ross – Chair, Consultant Gynaecologist, King’s College Hospital London
Jackie Ross has been active in Early Pregnancy and Gynaecological ultrasound since 1995 and has been a consultant at King’s College Hospital in London since 2003. She is the lead for the Early Pregnancy and Gynaecological Assessment Unit there and is involved in teaching, training, and research.
Rachel Small – Immediate Past Chair RGN RM FRCOG(Hon)
Rachel is a Registered Nurse, Midwife and sonographer, with 30 years’ experience. She currently works at University Hospital Birmingham as a clinical Matron for gynaecology & Early Pregnancy. She has a specialist interest in early pregnancy scanning, recurrent miscarriage and ectopic management. She has numerous publications in this area and performs many national and international talks.
Ms Alison Smith – Treasurer
Alison trained and worked as a sonographer in York for many years before moving south. She currently works as a Tutor Sonographer in Fetal Medicine and Woman’s Health at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital, London. Her interest is in obstetric and gynaecological ultrasound. Alison is treasurer of AEPU and sits on the executive committee.
Ms Lisa Starrs
Lisa is a registered nurse and midwife with 30 years experience working both clinically and in research within early pregnancy care. Currently the Lead Nurse for early pregnancy in Edinburgh and chair of the Scottish Early Pregnancy Network.
Ms Munira Oza – Lay Representative
Following her own experiences of early pregnancy loss through ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage, Munira became Chief Executive of The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust after volunteering with the charity. She has experience in presenting lived-experiences to inform and improve care. Munira was appointed Lay Member on Ectopic Pregnancy for the NICE Guideline committee for ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage. She sits on the Working Group of the Baby Loss Awareness Alliance and participates in the APPG on Baby Loss and the Pregnancy & Baby Charities Network. Munira has a legal background, having practised law prior to her career change. |
Ms Vicki Robinson – Lay Representative
Vicki Robinson is the CEO of the Miscarriage Association, a national charity offering support and information to anyone affected by miscarriage, ectopic or molar pregnancy. Vicki joined the MA in January 2020, initially as Deputy Director and was later appointed to the new position of CEO in 2024. Vicki sits on the core group for the National Bereavement Care Pathway in England and Scotland and is a member of the steering committee of the Pregnancy and Baby Charities Network. She is also the PPI chair for several ongoing studies.
Professor Colin Duncan – Medical Representative
Professor Colin Duncan is a Principal Investigator in the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh. He is a subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at the Edinburgh Fertility and Reproductive Endocrine Centre and clinical lead for early pregnancy at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. His research interests include the corpus luteum, polycystic ovary syndrome and early pregnancy problems.
Dr Joel Naftalin – Co-opted Scientific Committee
Joel Naftalin is a Consultant Gynaecologist at University College London Hospitals. His main areas of expertise are early pregnancy and gynaecological ultrasound, emergency gynaecology and benign gynaecological surgery.
Ms Roxanne Sicklen – Sonographer Representative
Roxanne is a Clinical Specialist Sonographer currently employed at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. She has a special interest in early pregnancy and gynaecological ultrasound and has spoken widely at national and international conferences, particularly about improving communication in early pregnancy care. Roxanne currently sits as the sonographer representative of the AEPU executive committee.
Ms Maeve Tuomey – Secretary
Maeve Tuomey is the Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Early Pregnancy and Acute Gynaecology Unit at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in West London, part of Imperial Health Care Trust. Maeve has worked as a nurse in gynaecology for over twenty years. She currently runs the day-to-day management of the Early Pregnancy and Acute Gynaecology Unit, where over 6000 women are seen annually, and is an experienced sonographer. She has contributed to large multicentre cohort studies with a focus on early pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, pregnancy of unknown location (PUL) and ectopic pregnancy. Maeve also helps organises and manages the local monthly pregnancy loss support group on a voluntary basis. She is passionate about women’s health and providing high quality and compassionate care to couples undergoing pregnancy loss
Dr Chris Kyriacou – Senior Resident Representative
Dr Chris Kyriacou is an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Registrar and PhD candidate at Imperial College London, with a specialist focus on early pregnancy complications, evaluating clinical, ultrasound and novel biochemical biomarkers that may enable earlier ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage diagnosis.
Dr Harsha Shah – Junior Resident Representative
Dr Harsha Shah is an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Registrar and has recently completed her PhD at Imperial College London in novel three-dimensional ultrasound imaging in pregnancy for fetal anatomy assessment. Her current research goals are to improve the assessment of fetal anatomy in the first trimester using three-dimensional imaging techniques with embryological correlation. Her further appointments include lecturer at Imperial College London on the MSc course: Reproductive and Developmental Biology and former Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Junior Careers Advisor and Chair of the North West Thames Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trainees’ Committee.
Dr Jessica Farren – Medical Representative
Jessica Farren has been a Consultant Gynaecologist at University College London Hospitals since 2022. Her daily practice focuses on early pregnancy and acute gynaecology. Jessica’s PhD researched the psychological impact of early pregnancy losses, a subject on which she has taught and published widely. She continues to play an active role in research, currently focusing on ectopic pregnancy. She is on the committee that produces patient information for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and also provides teaching on gynaecological issues to workplaces with the organisation ’This Is Womanhood’.
