Our Team

Dr Emilie Wilkes

Dr Wilkes completed her undergraduate training at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospitals in 1998. Her post-graduate training includes sub-speciality accreditation in hepatology following completion of an advanced hepatology fellowship in transplant hepatology at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge.

Dr Wilkes is the hepatology lead for transition from child services, working with the East Midlands Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, and oversees the nurse-led genetic haemochromatosis service.

Dr Peter Eddowes

Dr Eddowes graduated from the University of Birmingham Medical School in 2005. In 2013 he took time out of clinical training to study for an MD, at the University of Birmingham. His thesis looked at techniques for the non-invasive assessment of chronic liver disease and he continues a research interest in this field. On returning to clinical training he completed a fellowship in transplant hepatology at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. 

Dr Eddowes has a particular interest in the non-invasive evaluation of chronic liver disease, autoimmune liver disease and portal hypertension. He provides outreach clinics at King’s Mill and Newark hospitals as well as Nottingham University Hospitals.

Professor Stephen Ryder

Prof. Ryder graduated from the University of Nottingham Medical School and trained in hepatology at St Mary’s Hospital and Kings College Hospital, London. 

Prof. Ryder is the Nottingham University Hospitals lead for reducing alcohol related harm.  He runs the viral liver disease service and is lead clinician for the Hepatitis C NHS England Operational Delivery Network

He is the Director of Research and Innovation at Nottingham University Hospitals. His major clinical and research interest is hepatitis C infection and large clinical trials in hepatology. He was recognised as one of the leading recruiters to commercial clinical trials in the “NIHR at 10” awards.

Prof. Ryder was the national lead for the Hepatology Clinical Research Network (CRN) until 2015 and is now the Co-Director of the East Midlands CRN 

He was hepatology Vice President of the British Society of Gastroenterology between 2012-2015.

Dr Martin James

Dr James has been a consultant hepatologist at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust since 2008.  After postgraduate training in South Africa, he completed an MRC Clinical Research Fellowship PhD and undertook sub-specialty training in transplant hepatology & ERCP at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney. 

He helped develop the joint Nottingham-Cambridge transplant hepatology service and interventional EUS/ERCP biliary endoscopy fellowships in Nottingham. He is co-director of the Nottingham Endoscopy Masterclass and delivers regional & national hepatopancreatobiliary endoscopy training programmes.

After 4 years as clinical lead for hepatology and gastroenterology, he is now hepatopancreatobiliary endoscopy lead in Nottingham and is one of the clinical investigators in the National Institute of Health Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR BRC)  at Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre.

Dr Aloysious D Aravinthan

Dr Aravinthan is an associate professor and honorary consultant in hepatology. He completed his postgraduate training in hepatology at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK and Toronto General Hospital and University of Toronto, Canada. His doctoral thesis, awarded by the University of Cambridge, focused on the role of hepatocyte senescence in the progression of chronic liver disease. He was awarded the prestigious Sheila Sherlock Research Award by the British Association for the Study of the Liver in 2014 and the Sheila Sherlock Travelling Fellowship by the Royal College of Physicians in 2015. His research continues to focus on the prognostic and therapeutic role of cellular senescence in liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and outcomes following liver transplantation.

Dr Aravinthan is the clinical lead for the Nottingham Primary Liver Cancer (HCC) service.

Professor Guruprasad P. Aithal

Prof. Aithal graduated with MBBS from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and an MD in Internal Medicine from Bangalore Medical College, Bengaluru, India. He completed his specialist training in gastroenterology with the northern deanery, UK. He achieved PhD from the University of Newcastle and was an International Fellow at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA.

He holds the position of President of the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL). He is professor of hepatology as well as Deputy Director and Gastrointestinal & Liver Disorder Theme Lead for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham.

Prof. Aithal is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2019) and is an invited faculty member for post-graduate courses in Europe, USA, Asia and Africa. He has also been a member of the Gastroenterology Specialty Certificate Examination Board responsible for standard-setting in gastroenterology since its inception in 2007.

His research interests include drug-induced liver injury (DILI), metabolic liver diseases and both endoscopic and magnetic resonance technology in the evaluation of liver and biliary disorders.

Professor Neil Guha

Neil Guha is a professor in hepatology based at the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre. His research focus is on biomarkers of liver fibrosis and experimental diagnostics including novel MRI imaging. An important area of his work is the application of diagnostic tests in chronic liver disease to develop clinical practice.

Dr Suresh Venkatachalapathy

Dr Venkatachalapathy completed his undergraduate training in India in 2002. He undertook postgraduate training in gastroenterology and hepatology at King’s College Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has completed a sub-speciality fellowship in hepatopancreatobiliary endoscopy.

He is the governance lead for hepatology and endoscopy and the regional lead for the hepatopancreatobiliary multidisciplinary team meeting. He also oversees the pancreatic cyst clinic.

His research interests include therapeutic hepatopancreatobiliary endoscopy.

Dr Naaventhan Palaniyappan

Dr Naaventhan Palaniyappan is a Clinical Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Hepatologist. He completed his postgraduate training in Hepatology and General Internal Medicine in Nottingham.

His research focus is on cirrhosis and its related complications. An important area of his work is using non-invasive imaging including novel MRI technology to evaluate patients with advanced liver disease.

Dr Prarthana Thiagarajan

Dr Thiagarajan graduated from Guys, Kings and St Thomas’ school of medicine in 2010. After this, she undertook postgraduate training in general internal medicine, gastroenterology and hepatology in the East Midlands.

 Dr Thiagarajan received a PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2021, with a research focus on precision imaging and dietary intervention in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). 

She spent the final year of her training at the Birmingham Liver Unit, completing an advanced fellowship in transplant hepatology in August 2022. Her specialist interests include metabolic liver disease, portal hypertension and endohepatology. 

Dr Robert Scott

Dr Scott graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2006. During postgraduate training across the East Midlands, he completed an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow PhD, undertook subspecialty training in transplant Hepatology at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, and was an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer.

His research focus is on the application of new biomarkers (including MRI) to risk-stratify patients with advanced liver disease (plus early detection of cancer) to improve clinical practice and outcomes. He leads a national NIHR partnership to improve the peri-operative outcomes of patients with advanced liver disease.

He provides outreach clinics to United Lincolnshire Hospitals at Grantham. He is part of the East Midlands NeuroEndocrine Tumour and viral hepatitis teams.

Dr Rebecca Harris

Dr Harris graduated from the University of Nottingham and completed her postgraduate training in general internal medicine, gastroenterology and hepatology across the East Midlands.

Dr Harris received a PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2019, which focussed on the early identification and stratification of patients at risk of chronic liver disease. She has assisted in translating this research into clinical practice across Nottinghamshire.

Dr Amardeep Khanna

Dr Khanna completed his undergraduate training in India in 2004. He undertook postgraduate training in Gastroenterology in East Midlands. He did his research in Primary Biliary Cholangitis and metabolomics from Newcastle University (2015-2018). He has been a Sub-I on various commercial drug trials. He did his sub-specialty advanced fellowship in transplant Hepatology at Liver unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in 2020. He did an advanced fellowship in transplant Hepatology from Kings College Hospital, London in 2021. He has completed an advanced fellowship in hepatopancreatobiliary endoscopy from Queens Medical Centre Nottingham in 2022. He is currently the Endoscopy training Lead.

His research interests include PBC and therapeutic hepatopancreatobiliary endoscopy.

Andy Mierkalns

Andy qualified in Nottingham and has been in her current role with our team since 2000. Andy has a special interest in patients with neuroendocrine tumours, and has been delivering a nurse-led clinic for over 19 years for those patients receiving specialist treatment. She delivers a nurse-led cirrhosis clinic and supports the joint liver transplant clinic. Andy has a passion for education around liver disease and delivers two types of liver courses – one for registered nurses and another for non-registered staff. The courses are open to staff in Nottingham and from other healthcare providers.

Tel: 0115 924 9924 Ext: 83457

Karen Bennett

Karen qualified in 2001 with a diploma of nursing from the Nottingham University School of Nursing and has worked in our team since. Karen has been deputy ward sister on our ward between 2008–2019 after which she was appointed as a specialist nurse with a primary responsibility in the Hepatocellular Cancer care pathway. She is responsible for coordinating Transarterial Chemoembolisation (TACE) therapy. She also delivers a nurse-led cirrhosis clinic and supports the joint liver transplant clinic.

Tel: 0115 924 9924 Ext: 80128

Vicki Sugden

Vicki qualified in 1989 as an enrolled nurse from Charles Frear School of Nursing in Leicester. She completed the conversion course to become a registered nurse at Ipswich in 1992-1993 and went on to achieve a diploma in nursing in 1997. Vicki started her role in Nottingham as haemochromatosis nurse specialist in 2010. She provides the nurse-led haemochromatosis service including consultations, venesection, monitoring and surveillance. She also delivers a nurse-led cirrhosis clinic.

Tel: 0115 969 1169 Ext: 54139

Maria Appleyard

Maria has over thirty years’ experience working as a nurse with the NHS. She previously worked on our ward for ten years before joining our specialist nursing team in October 2020. She has a particular interest in assessing and managing pancreatic cysts.

Tel: 0115 924 9924 Ext: 80128

Becky Savage

Becky qualified in 2009 from the University of Nottingham and has been deputy sister of our liver ward since 2019. She has worked in hepatology and gastroenterology since qualifying as a nurse and also gained experience in endoscopy whilst working in Essex.

Sherrelle Fanthorpe

Sherrelle qualified with a BSc(Hons) in health and social care in Nottingham and has been with our team as a viral hepatology specialist nurse since 2001. She provides viral hepatitis clinics for assessment and treatment of hepatitis C at the Nottingham treatment centre, HMP Ranby and HMP Nottingham as well as a joint clinic with the CGL Nottinghamshire drug recovery organisation. She also assesses, monitors and treats patients diagnosed with hepatitis B.

Liz Blackwell

Liz qualified in 2005 with a diploma in adult nursing followed by a BSc in healthcare studies in Nottingham. Liz has been a virology nurse specialist with our team since 2010. Her clinical time is shared between our hospitals and several outreach locations across Nottinghamshire, including the Mary Potter practice and several clinics held jointly with CGL Nottinghamshire’s drug recovery organisation.

Within this role, Liz assesses and begins treatment for those diagnosed with Hepatitis C. She also takes a lead role in our Hepatitis B service.

Jasmina Khaldi

Jasmina qualified as a registered nurse with a BSc in health and social care in Nottingham and has been a viral hepatology specialist nurse with our team since 2009. She provides viral hepatitis clinics for assessment and treatment of hepatitis C at HMP Lowdham Grange and multiple drug and alcohol outreach centres within the Nottingham city area.

Saba Meskel

Saba qualified in 2013 with a diploma in adult nursing from the University of Nottingham and has recently completed her degree. Her positions at NUH were in acute stroke and major trauma before joining the viral hepatitis team in 2021. Saba leads on testing in approved premises throughout Nottingham and also helps to run the monthly PBC clinic.

Dr Kathryn Jack PhD

Kathryn is a registered nurse who has worked clinically as a specialist nurse, and more recently as a researcher, in viral hepatitis since 2000. She has a strategic role in NUH to support non-medical clinical academic career development.

Alan Davis

Alan qualified in 2007 and began his career in the Emergency Department. He always had an interest in complex patients and subsequently took a post in helping to support and manage the NUH regular attender patients. This was followed by further specialist work in substance use and education. Alan is now the clinical lead for the NUH ACT and leads on education and training.

Tim Hardern

Tim started his career as a mental health nurse in Essex before working in the community in East London. He holds a diploma in substance misuse and has worked in the drug and alcohol field for over 25 years. He worked within the Haringey advisory group on alcohol as a community detox nurse then as the alcohol lead in a community drug and alcohol team. He set up the alcohol liaison service in Broomfield hospital in Chelmsford and has been in our team as alcohol liaison since 2013. He assesses inpatient alcohol needs referring on to appropriate community services and runs alcohol care clinics at NUH.

Chloe Green

Chloe graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2016 with a BSC hons in Nursing. Chloe spent the last 5 years working in Intensive Care, caring for complex level 2 and 3 patients. Always having an interest in Alcohol and Substance Misuse she joined the Alcohol Care Team in June 2022. Chloe has recently completed her Non-Medical Prescribing and is starting a nurse led clinic in 2024. 

Joe Salt

Graduating from Sheffield Hallam University in 2013 with Advanced Diploma in Adult Nursing, Joe began his career working in the Neurosurgical/Neurological setting. Not to shy away from challenges, he then took on positions in Burns Unit team and as a community staff nurse. The complexity of alcohol and substance use has been a constant throughout his practice and is subject he extremely passionate about. Ensuring high quality care and patient safety are at the heart of what he does, whilst being an advocate and a voice for patients that are often stigmatised is a key passion. Having now been a CNS for the Alcohol Care Team since December 2021 he is able to fulfil this passion in not only clinical work but also by delivering teaching on keeping patients safe and the harms of stigma.

Marianne Sheehan

Marianne graduated in 2017 from the University of Nottingham with an MSc in Adult Nursing. I joined the Alcohol Care Team in May 2023 after working in infectious diseases (Nightingale ward) for two years and the Burns unit for four years. She has a keen interesting in substance misuse and the treatment of it and has really enjoyed this new challenge.

Olethea Lewis

Olethea is a graduate from the University of Nottingham with a BSc (Hons) in Adult Nursing. Her clinical experience span across Gastroenterology/Hepatology, and Ambulatory care. She has joined the Alcohol Care Team as a specialist nurse and is delighted to add to the positive clinical experience that patients will gain from their expertise.

Kieran Grant

Kieran has been working for Framework for 15 years. He is a dynamic leader who has had significant input in the delivery and implementation of community Drug and Alcohol services. Kieran has recently returned to NUH as Alcohol Pathway Lead for Framework after the successful implementation of The Rough Sleeper Drug and Alcohol Treatment Team. He is a passionate clinician with an excellent track record for successful outcomes and a strong advocate for the client group. He graduated as a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor from The University of Leicester and when he isn’t in clinic he is working on staff and service development.

Debbie Hall

Debbie has worked in Substance misuse for 6 years working in the community supporting adults with drug and alcohol addiction. Starting her career in the Lincolnshire service providing clinics county wide, delivering needle exchange services, peer support groups and training staff on Naloxone, BBV's and harm reduction. In February 2022 she joined the Framework Rough Sleepers Team within Nottingham Recovery Network supporting rough sleepers to access substance misuse services.  Debbie joined the Hospital Alcohol Liaison team for Framework in September 2022.