About Active Patients

Helping you lead a full, active life

The Active Patients website and community is about encouraging and empowering all patients to play an active role in their treatment and recovery, to make informed choices and manage their pathways.

It’s also a place for patients and healthcare professionals to come together and provide ‘information, insight and inspiration’ for our members to lead full, active lives.

Setting active goals for life after surgery

We encourage patients to set active goals – a key part of recovery and living an active life. An active goal can be anything from planning a shopping trip with friends, to taking on a sporting challenge like a running or cycling event.

This is just the beginning…

Editorial Advisory Board

Dr Mark Hall

Clinical lead for EP and devices, Consultant Cardiologist / Electrophysiologist, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

His clinical and research interests include atrial arrhythmias, stroke prevention in AF, paediatric cardiac electrophysiology, and the management of ventricular arrhythmias, including catheter ablation of ischaemic ventricular tachycardia.  He teaches nationally and internationally on pacemaker, ICD and CRT implantation and troubleshooting, as well as cardiac electrophysiology and catheter ablation of arrhythmias.

Karen Booth

Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Freeman Hospital

Karen is a consultant adult cardiac and cardiothoracic transplant surgeon at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, UK. Her special interests are heart and lung transplantation and major aortic surgery. She specialises in the Ozaki procedure for aortic valve reconstruction and valve sparing aortic root replacement.

She trained under Professor John Dark, past ISHLT president who transformed lung transplantation in the UK and has national and international upcoming placements with Professor Oo and Schaeffers in major aortic procedures.

Dr Kawther Hashem

BSc MSc PhD RNutr (Public Health)
Queen Mary University of London

Kawther is a Registered Nutritionist, and currently holds the position of nutrition researcher at Queen Mary University of London and the Campaign Lead at the Consensus Action on Salt, Sugar and Health (CASSH).

Holding a master’s degree in Food Policy and recently completed a PHD on sugar reduction.

Alongside her current roles Kawther is also visiting lecturer on nutrition and food policy at several UK Universities and is a regular contributing expert on nutrition topics in the media.

David Rose

Cardiac Surgeon at Blackpool Victoria Hospital

David is Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, UK, with a special interest in Mitral surgery, minimally invasive valve surgery and total arterial revascularization.

Holding a PhD Angio-Cardio-Thoracic Pathophysiology and Imaging at the University Sapienza of Rome, David also recently spent time in Houston, Texas working with Prof J Lamelas on minimal invasive surgery.