5thWelsh Immunisation Conference
Wednesday 12thMarch 2008–Venue Cymru, Llandudno Conference Centre
Programme and additional information about speakers/presenters
Time / Subject and Biographies
9.15 / Registration and tea/coffee. Visit exhibition and/or posters.
10.00 / Welcome
Joint Chairman: Dr Richard Roberts MB BS BSc DCH MPH FFPH. Head of the Immunisation and Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme, National Public Health Service for Wales.
Richard is a Member of UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. He has been a medical doctor for 20 years, worked in hospital and community Paediatrics and General Practice. Also received public health training in Health Promotion Wales and CDSC Wales and has worked for a period in Gaza. Richard has published articles and has research interests on a range of subjects including surveillance and immunisation. He edited and co-authored the 1999 MMR Mythbuster - a communication tool designed to enable healthcare professionals assist parents make fully informed decisions about MMR vaccine. This was used in Wales and Northern Ireland and adapted for use in Scotland and Ireland. Richard provides regular interviews in English and Welsh on immunisation topics for the Welsh press and media.
Joint Chairman: David Morgan, FRPharmS MCPP. Regional Immunisation Co-ordinator, NPHS.
David is based in the NPHS Health Protection Team in Mold, North Wales. He is also a Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health and finds that the two roles support each other well (as vaccines are medicines!). David was originally a hospital pharmacist in Cardiff but developed his interest in immunisation on moving to North Wales in 1989. David is co-author of the MMR Mythbuster Pack originally developed in North Wales. He has a particular interest in improving immunisation uptake for both children and adults. David’s hobbies are walking hills and mountains, visiting the major opera houses, ushering at Clwyd Theatr Cymru and eating plain chocolate.
Welcome: Dr Sara Hayes, Senior Medical Officer, Department of Public Health and Health Professions, Welsh Assembly Government.
Following completion of vocational training for general practice,Sara spent3 years in community paediatrics before entering public health. She was appointed to her first consultant post in 2000 with Iechyd Morgannwg Health and then as a Consultant in Communicable Disease Control in 2002 with the same health authority. In July 2007, Sara was seconded into the Welsh Assembly Government as Senior Medical Officer covering Health Protection.
10.15 / Plenary session: HPV campaign update
Dr Richard Peevor, Clinical Research Fellow, Gynaecological Oncology, UHW
Dr Richard Peevor is a Year 5, Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He is taking time out of his clinical training programme to work with Professor Fiander's HPV research team at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. He is currently undertaking research on the characterisation of HPV infection with the aim of achieving an MD research degree. Following the two year project he hopes to sub specialise in Gynaecological Oncology.
10.50 / Plenary session: TB and BCG programme update
Dr Lika Nehaul, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control, NPHS Pontypool.
Lika has worked in Gwent (Wales) as a CCDC since June 2005, and is the NPHS TB Programme Lead. For the last 2 years, he hasbeen the Welsh representative (Observer status) on the Joint Tuberculosis Committee of the British Thoracic Society.
11.25 / Tea/Coffee
11.55 / Plenary session: Travel Health update

Carolyn Driver RGN RM RHV MSc (Travel Medicine) FFTM RCPS (Glas)

Independent Travel Health and Immunisation Specialist Nurse
Carolyn divides her time between advising travellers in the Travel Clinic at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and lecturing on Travel Health issues. She is an associate trainer for the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and is also a bank member of the team who run their telephone helpline. She is the first Nurse to have chaired the British Travel Health Association and is a member of the RCN Travel Health Forum Steering Committee and the Travel Industry and Public Education Committee of the International Society of Travel Medicine. She is an honorary tutor and examiner on the Glasgow Foundation and Diploma in Travel Medicine courses and is a Fellow and board member of the Faculty of Travel medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.
12.30 / Plenary session: Immunising the immuno-compromised child
Dr David Baxter, Stockport PCT
1.10 / Lunch and visits to posters and stands
2.10 / Plenary session: HPV vaccination – implementation issues
Ms Anne McGowan, Nurse Immunisation Co-ordinator, Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust
Anne McGowan has over 25 years experience working within the NHS first as a nurse in Guys Hospital and then as a midwife and Health Visitor in London, Plymouth and more recently in Wales. She has conducted health related work in Gujerat, India. In 2006 she completed a MPH in Cardiff, her thesis compared the social – economic status of parents who refuse consent to routine childhood immunisations. She currently works as a Nurse Immunisation Co-ordinator for Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust and is the UK nurse member for the Joint Committee Vaccination and Immunisation.
2.50 – 3.45
3.50 – 4.45 / Workshops – choose 2 out of 4. Tea/coffee available in workshops.
(55 mins) / Workshop: Hepatitis B vaccination
Dr Elizabeth McCruden, Consultant Virologist, Welsh Specialist Virology Centre, Cardiff
Attended MedicalSchool in Glasgow 1965-1972 and gained MB ChB and a BSc (Hons in Physiology). Medical and Surgical House jobs were in Glasgow and then worked as an anaesthetist, initially fulltime then part time and gained the FFARCS. Had a spell working in the Blood Transfusion Service running Donor Sessions then eventually became a Registrar in Virology in 1984. Appointed Senior Lecturer in Virology at GlasgowUniversity and Honorary Consultant Virologist in 1989 and spent 18 years devoted to diagnostic virology, lecturing and both clinical and basic research into hepatitis C, adenovirus and HSV in the Institute of Virology in Glasgow. Appointed Lead Clinical Virologist for Wales in April 2007.
(55 mins) / Workshop: Travel Health

Carolyn Driver RGN RM RHV MSc (Travel Medicine) FFTM RCPS (Glas)

Independent Travel Health and Immunisation Specialist Nurse
Carolyn divides her time between advising travellers in the Travel Clinic at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and lecturing on Travel Health issues. She is an associate trainer for the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and is also a bank member of the team who run their telephone helpline. She is the first Nurse to have chaired the British Travel Health Association and is a member of the RCN Travel Health Forum Steering Committee and the Travel Industry and Public Education Committee of the International Society of Travel Medicine. She is an honorary tutor and examiner on the Glasgow Foundation and Diploma in Travel Medicine courses and is a Fellow and board member of the Faculty of Travel medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
(55 mins) / Workshop: Immunisation resources
Dr Simon Cottrell, Epidemiologist, NPHS CDSC Wales / Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme
Simon works as an epidemiologist for the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre of the National Public Health Service for Wales and is the scientist for the NPHS Wales Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme. Simon graduated from the University of Wales Swansea with a BSc in Biochemistry in 1995. On completion of his PhD studies at CardiffUniversity in 2003, Simon worked as a research associate for CardiffUniversity investigating beneficial effects of probiotic bacteria against causes and outcomes of hospital acquired infection and antibacterial modes of action against antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Simon took up his current post in NPHS Wales in 2005. The principal responsibilities of this post are to provide scientific input into the NPHS Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme, act as a scientific lead in surveillance and reporting of vaccine preventable disease in Wales and act as a scientific lead in the analysis and reporting of vaccine uptake in Wales.
(55 mins) / Workshop: How can I improve immunisation uptake?
Leigh Pusey, Immunisation Project Nurse, Flintshire LHB
After completing nurse, midwifery and health visitor training and gaining experience in these fields, Leigh commenced working at Flintshire Local Health board as part of an Immunisation Project in 2003. This was a temporary project to increase the immunisation uptake in the county. Leigh took up her current post as Clinical Lead for Children, Maternity and Immunisation services at Flintshire LHB in April 2006 and currently supports the delivery of all immunisation programmes across the county.
4.45 / Close: Collect CPD certificates from reception desk and depart.

Imm conference speakers biog v1/dam0719 February 2008