Professional team

Androulla Efstratiou

Androulla Efstratiou,
Senior Microbiologist,
Health Protection Agency, Collindale

Androulla Efstratiou was awarded a PhD by the City of London University in 1987and was appointed to the post of Senior Microbiologist in 1989 within the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS), Division of Hospital Infection, Central Public Health Laboratory.

Androulla is currently a Top Grade Microbiologist within the Division of Respiratory and Systemic Infection (DRSI). In 1994, she was appointed Head of the PHLS Streptococcus and Diphtheria Reference Unit situated within DRSI and in June 1998, officially appointed by WHO and the PHLS as Head of the newly designated, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Diphtheria and Streptococcal Infections.

Current appointments also include; European Commission DG Research Evaluator, WHO Adviser/Consultant on diphtheria and streptococcal infections, Co-ordinator of the European Laboratory Working Group on Diphtheria (ELWGD) and the European Diphtheria Surveillance Network (DIPNET) and the UK Team Leader for the European Commission Fifth Framework programme on 'Severe Streptococcus pyogenes infections in Europe' (strep-EURO).

Marina Morgan

Marina Morgan, Consultant Microbiologist,
Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital NHS Trust

Marina Morgan is a consultant medical microbiologist at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Heavitree, Exeter. Marina is also an Honorary Fellow at Exeter University Dept of Biological Sciences. She qualified in Liverpool in 1985 and was appointed consultant medical microbiologist at Exeter PHLS in 1995. Her special interests include severe sepsis- particularly necrotising tissue infections, and gas gangrene; streptococcal proctitis and vaginitis; zoonoses and biofilm related infections in prosthetic joints.

Shiranee Sriskandan

Shiranee Sriskandan,
Professor & Honorary Consultant,
Imperial College, London

Shiranee Sriskandan is Professor and Honorary Consultant in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London based at Hammersmith Hospital. She leads the Gram Positive Molecular Pathogenesis Group, who are researching the ways in which the group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes) causes severe invasive disease and toxic shock. They are particularly interested in the toxins which are made by the group A strep during illnesses like Necrotising Fasciitis, and in developing techniques of improving treatment for this particularly devastating infection.

Stephanie Walker

Stephanie Walker is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. She was awarded her PhD by the University of Nottingham in 1997. Prior to studying psychology, she spent some years working in the pathology department at Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. In pathology her specialist area was histopathology; a branch of pathology that deals with the tissue diagnosis of disease.

In 2005 Stephanie contracted Necrotising Fasciitis whilst undergoing an operation for a hysterectomy and ended up in an intensive care unit fighting for her life. Today, physically, she is well on the way to recovery, psychologically, she has found the road to recovery much harder. By occupation she is a psychologist, working in a university psychology department.

After reading up on NF in the medical literature it appeared to Stephanie that very little was being reported about the psychological effects this devastating infection has on its survivors, the bereaved, and their families.

Until 2005 Stephanie’s psychological research had largely focused on experimental cognitive psychology, investigating how human mental processes work. She has also been a member of a research team looking at how people can be affected by a particular traumatic event in their lives. Since surviving necrotising fasciitis in 2005, Stephanie has been using her psychological skills and knowledge to work in conjunction with the Lee Spark NF Foundation on a research project to investigate the psychological impact of necrotising fasciitis.

Clare Shearing

Clare Shearing, Nutritional Therapist,
Dip ION Fd/Sc, mBANT, NNEB Dip.

Clare is a newly qualified nutritional therapist, having recently graduated from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with a Diploma and Foundation Degree in the summer of 2008 and a registered member of the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy.

Although born and raised in the heart of Hampshire, Clare now lives and works in North London with partner Andrew. The field of nutrition is a second career choice, having spent 16 years previous as a trained nanny – Clare continues to nanny part-time while bridging the gap between that, and the new career. Aiming to practice nutritional therapy at the moment her spare time involves advising in health food shops, contributing to on-line health/nutrition articles and working with the Lee Spark Foundation to share her knowledge - the sudden loss of a dear Aunt to Strep group A infection in spring 2008 bought Clare to Lee Spark for answers and support for the family.

Clare looks forward to working with Doreen and the highly qualified medical team. For more information about Nutritional and lifestyle factors and how they may benefit survivors of Necrotising Fasciitis / streptococcal infections, keep an eye out for regular updates – just click on “Community Forum” and “Newsletter” where new information will be posted either monthly or seasonally. Bereaved friends and relatives may also find future immune supporting articles informative, interesting and useful.