Who's who

Prof Nicholas James

Co-founder and Medical Editor-in-Chief

Nick is a cancer consultant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. He is also a Professor of Oncology at the University of Birmingham Institute for Cancer Studies where he is involved in research into cancer treatments. His other main research interest is in the use of information technology in cancer treatment and care. Nick cannot respond to direct approaches about treatment. Please contact your own GP or specialist.

Sally Tweddle

Co-founder of the site

Sally was an educationalist with an interest in literacy. Before founding CancerHelp UK, she worked for the National Council for Educational Technology in Coventry. Her husband's cancer and their search for cancer information on the Internet inspired the setting up of CancerHelp UK with its aim of accessible, comprehensive and easily readable information. Tragically Sally herself died from cancer in December 1999. Her obituary is printed in full on the site.

CancerHelp UK is now fully owned by Cancer Research UK and managed entirely within the charity.

Liz Woolf

Head of CancerHelp UK

Liz has been a specialist oncology nurse for many years and is also qualified as a health visitor and district nurse, with a degree in community health. For the past 20 years she has specialised in providing information for people affected by cancer. From 1996 she was CancerHelp UK's principal writer. She now oversees the running of the site and the clinical trials database, while maintaining an active role in editing and reviewing site content.

Debbie Coats

Clinical Information Manager

Debbie is a Specialist Oncology Information Development Nurse with experience in all the different aspects of cancer. She has worked for the past 19 years in the field of producing information for people affected by cancer. She has written booklets and factsheets on all aspects of cancer and has 5 years experience of working on cancer information websites. Her role with CancerHelp UK is to manage the production and review of the vast amount of information on the site, excluding the clinical trials database.

Debbie Rodbard

Clinical Trials Database Manager

Debbie is a specialist oncology nurse with experience in different aspects of cancer nursing, including haematology, outpatient oncology and palliative care. She previously worked as a member of the Cancer Information Nurse Team for 4 years. Debbie has been writing clinical trials for CancerHelp UK since March 2007 and now manages the clinical trials database team.

Mark Woods

CancerHelp UK Web Manager

Mark's background is in publishing and editorial in both the commercial and charity sector. He works with Liz to oversee the development of CancerHelp UK and the other patient information services. If you have any business queries, Mark is the person to contact at cancerhelpuk@cancer.org.uk.

Jennifer Childs

Specialist Nurse Writer

Jennifer is an experienced oncology nurse. She has been a specialist in cancer information for 18 years, with 8 years' experience of writing information for cancer information websites. Her most recent role was leading the development of a new website for teenagers with cancer. She will write for the questions and answers section and develop new information for CancerHelp UK

Marjorie Hawthorne

Clinical Information Nurse

Marjorie is a specialist oncology nurse with experience in inpatient and outpatient oncology, haematology and palliative care. She worked as a Marie Curie nurse for several years. Marjorie has an interest in ensuring patients and relatives are provided with clear information for cancer-related issues. She joined the CancerHelp UK team in March 2011 and assists Debbie Coats with reviewing and updating the patient information website.

Claire Connolly

Senior Trials Database Nurse

Claire is a specialist oncology nurse who started as an information nurse at Cancer Research UK in March 2002. She gradually took on increasing responsibility for the clinical trials database soon after that. In November 2003 Claire became Clinical Trials Database Manager, a role which she had for about 6 years. Having a young family now, Claire has changed her role and works part time as a senior trials database nurse. Her main responsibility is to write summaries of clinical trials and trial results for the site.

Joy Wilson

Early Phase Trials Writer

Joy has been an oncology nurse for ten years, and joined the CancerHelp UK team in October 2006. Her experience includes acute haematology and oncology nursing, outpatients and palliative care. Joy enjoys writing and providing patient information. Her role is to source and summarise information on early phase trials in the UK for our clinical trials database. She has particular responsibility for trials that are part of the new experimental cancer medicine centre (ECMC) initiative.

Trevor Bott

Clinical Trials Database Nurse

Trevor has worked in cancer care for many years and has experience in haematology, oncology and palliative care nursing. For the last 6 years, Trevor has worked as a research nurse. He joined the CancerHelp team in 2009 to write plain English summaries for the clinical trials database.

Amanda Watson

Clinical Trials Database Nurse

Amanda has worked in cancer care as a research nurse for many years. She has particular experience with lymphoma, urology and melanoma trials. She started working part time for CancerHelp in January 2011 writing plain English summaries for the clinical trials database. Amanda also continues to work part time as a research nurse.

Clair Lawrence

Clinical Trials Administrator

Clair is responsible for putting up all new text on the website and trials on to the clinical trials database. She also assists Deborah Rodbard with the administration of the clinical trials database.

Stuart Foreman

Administration Assistant

Stuart assists Clair Lawrence with the administration of the clinical trials database. He also puts up new trials on the website. And he helps Joy Wilson with collecting information relating to the ECMC initiative.

Sadia Ahmad

CancerHelp UK Web Editor

Sadia has a background in publishing, working mainly within editing and production. She works alongside Mark Woods helping with the daily maintenance of the site, and deals with any other queries within the CancerHelp UK team.

The Cancer Research UK Information Nurses

Our team of cancer information nurses, headed by manager Martin Ledwick, answer the questions you send to Cancer Research UK via the Ask the cancer nurses a question form. Some members of the nurse team help with writing trial summaries for our clinical trials database. Others have contributed to sections on specific cancers for CancerHelp UK.

You can contact the information nurses directly on 0808 800 4040. The cancer information nurse team is a member of the Telephone Helpline Association and has achieved their quality standard.