ASCNUK26 Speakers

ASCNUK26 brought together a diverse line-up of speakers who are leading practice, shaping policy and sharing lived experience in stoma care. From clinical experts to passionate advocates, each voice added depth to the programme and helped drive forward-thinking conversations across the specialty.

Keynotes

Alison Downey

Consultant Urologist | MidYorks NHS Teaching Trust

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Miss Alison Downey is a consultant urologist in MidYorks NHS Teaching Trust and also works with the Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, sub-specialising in functional, reconstructive and neurourology. She is a member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons FRU executive committee. She has an interest in the management of patients with ketamine uropathy and has co-authored the national BAUS consensus guidelines for management of the condition. She has become a prominent national voice raising awareness of the condition.

Alison Leary

Deputy President | RCN

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Professor Alison Leary MBE FRCN is a researcher and serves as a Senior Consultant to the World Health Organization on Human Resources for Health Group. She has worked across many different industries and her current work focuses on complex systems in healthcare, using non-linear mathematics and data science to improve workforce planning and patient safety, For example, her modelling for inflammatory bowel disease nursing led to a recommended staffing ratio that became a European standard. She was appointed MBE in 2019 by the British government for services to crowd safety in English Football. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing and the Queen’s Nursing Institute. She was named among the Top 70 women in health in 70 years of the NHS and the recipient of a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship to study big data in high-reliability industries. She was awarded the Queens Gold Badge in 2026 for her work in community nursing, an honour awarded to only five people in the last 150 years.

Benjamin Saunders

Senior Lecturer in Health Research | Keele University

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Ben is a qualitative and mixed methods researcher, with a particular interest in improving the care, self-management and mental health of people with long-term conditions, as well as in advancements in qualitative research methods. Having initially completed a PhD at Cardiff University in 2012, in which he explored young people’s experiences of living with long-term conditions, Ben then worked as a researcher at the University of York in the field of traumatic brain injury between 2012-2014. He joined Keele University’s School of Medicine in 2014 as a Research Associate, becoming Lecturer in 2019 and Senior Lecturer in Health Research in 2023. He is also Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Social Research Methodology. Ben is Principal- and Chief Investigator on several NIHR-funded programmes; he currently leads the NIHR-funded Stoma Support Study and the Mental and Physical Comorbidity Programme as part of Keele University’s NIHR Mental Health Research Centre.

David Thorne

Transformation Director | Well Up North PCN

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David is Transformation Director of Well Up North Primary Care Network, covering north Northumberland and its 65,000 patients. It is a leading example of advanced neighbourhood and integrated working. Originally a nurse, David has held leadership positions across v both hospital provider and commissioner NHS bodies. He has served as both Chair and CEO for several primary care alliances, received recognition as a past CCG Manager of the Year and acted in leadership roles within primary care at scale bodies from GP fundholding through every subsequent model of working. David has also acted as the programme director for multiple major transformation initiatives, such as r the original successful prototype for NHS 111. Many of these programmes revolved around diagnostic services changes and this has led to his present honorary role as Head of NHS Policy at BIVDA, the trade body for UK in vitro diagnostics.

Kevin Hodges

Strategic Engagement Manager | British Healthcare Trades Association

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Kevin has over 25 years experience working in the Healthcare sector predominantly in Medical Devices across the Stoma and Continence categories. He has worked for one of the leading Stoma Care companies, set up SureCalm Healthcare in 2010 and is now supporting the BHTA Stoma Manufacturers section & the Dispensing Appliance Contractors sections. He also chair of the Drug Tariff Committee which consists of representatives from the five main Part IX trade associations.

Mollie Pearce

TV Personality & Advocate for Disability Awareness

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Mollie Pearce is a TV personality, content creator, disability model, and passionate advocate for disability awareness. From Bristol, Mollie radiated resilience from an early age: born without digits on her right hand and diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 11, she later underwent life-altering stoma surgery at 18.

Mollie rose to national prominence as a standout contestant on BBC One’s The Traitors (Series 2), where her intelligence, integrity, and vulnerability earned her a place as one of the season’s most beloved finalists. Her decision to openly speak about living with a stoma on national television broke taboos and resonated with viewers across the UK.

Following her success on The Traitors, Mollie joined the cast of ITV’s Dancing on Ice (Season 17) in 2025, where she showcased her physical strength and determination on the ice. Mollie inspired audiences once again – this time through performance and perseverance. Mollie has also presented films for Morning Live (BBC One) and appeared on programmes such as Breakfast (BBC One), This Morning (ITV), Lorraine (ITV) and Loose Women (ITV).

Beyond the screen, Mollie is a sought-after content creator and disability model, having worked with brands such as Aveeno Haircare, Next, Marks & Spencer, Primark, L’Oreal, Waitrose, Holland & Barrett and Joma Jewellery. She uses her platform to promote body positivity, stoma visibility, and representation for people with limb differences.

Through television, fashion, and advocacy, Mollie continues to challenge stereotypes and empower others to embrace who they are.

Oliver Westall

Patient

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Terri Porrett

Strategic Project Lead | Coloplast

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Dr Theresa Porrett FRCN, PhD, MSc, RN

Terri was a ward sister at St. Marks Hospital London before joining the Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in 1991 as a CNS in Stoma Care. Terri worked at the Homerton as a Nurse Consultant & was Clinical Director of the North East London Bowel Cancer Screening Centre. Terri has a professional focus on empowering specialist nurses to articulate their safety critical expert clinical knowledge & demonstrate the value & impact of their nurse led services (developing in collaboration with Prof Alison Leary) the www.apollonursingresource.com

Terri’s work has driven the national development of specialist nursing roles within the colorectal/stoma care fields & Terri was recently appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing for her focus on delivering nurse led services for colorectal/stoma care patients.

Speakers

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Adrian Defante

Senior Lead Scientist | Hollister