Lynsey Hawker – Co-Chair

I currently work as an Information Specialist at the King’s Fund. Before joining the Fund in 2016, I was the librarian at Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust where I was responsible for providing library and information services to staff. Previously I spent eight years working as an information professional in a number of roles at St George’s University of London Library in Tooting.

 

Imrana Ghumra – Co-Chair

I am currently Head of Knowledge Services at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. I have previously worked for the Schools Library Service, Health Education England, the Royal Society of Medicine and the Civil Service but the majority of my career has been in Health Libraries. I have been an active member of CILIP’s Health Libraries Group since 2009 and Co-Chair since 2015. I have an interest in utilising technology and social media for access to evidence based health information; getting best value for money on all products and services as well as marketing, coaching and leadership.

Preeti Puligari – Core Collections Lead

Preeti Puligari is a Deputy Library Manager/Outreach Librarian at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust. She has recently been awarded the Level 7 Leadership and Management Qualification from Institute of Leadership and Management [ILM].

Her journey into Librarianship started in India with her first professional post at the British Council libraries (1995-2000) in the capacity of Assistant Librarian.

Since her move to UK in 2001 ,she have worked in various sectors – health information centre, schools and further education libraries- before joining the health sector in 2005. She also completed a Specialist Master’s degree in Electronic Services Management from University of Central England (now Birmingham City University).

She currently is the Chair of the regional groups such as e-procurement and mobile devices in the West Midlands as these are her special interests. She has recently contributed to a systematic review along with a group of librarians on the use of mobile technologies in the health sector and the poster presentation at Oxford, HLG Conference 2014.

She is a Chartered Librarian and successfully Revalidated in January 2016. She also Mentors candidates working towards CILIP’s qualifications.

Lesley Allen – Co-CPD Lead

Library Services Manager, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust

I’ve worked in health libraries for 28 years across acute, public health, PCT now community health library services. I have always had an interest in CPD and professional development and have been lucky enough to be able to be involved as lead for the West Midlands Learning and Development Group, represented the West Midlands on the SHALL SDG, and am actively supporting the West Midlands Paraprofessionals organising group. I’m also involved in a second KfH task and finish group, again around staff development. I work locally as a mentor at my Trust, and also as CILIP mentor.

Potenza Atiogbe – Communications Lead

Multiprofessional Education and Library Services Manager, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

I am the Library Services Manager at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. I have strategic responsibility for the library services. I have worked previously in Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust as the Acting Head of Library and Knowledge Management and Deputy Head of Library Services. I was a member of the HLG CPD panel and am the Communications Officer on the HLG main committee.

Ruth Carlyle – Policy Lead

Head of Library and Knowledge Services, HEE Midlands and East

I lead on the Health Libraries Group’s policy activity, responding to consultations and proposing areas for the committee to influence. My background is in health information services within the voluntary sector and my role at Macmillan Cancer Support includes oversight of information and support services, alongside financial support, physical activity and support to help people with cancer to stay in employement. . I have an academic interest in health policy, having recently completed a PhD on public involvement in the National Health Service. I am also an Associate Research Fellow in the Department of Politics, Birkbeck College, London.

Alison Paul – Membership secretary

I am currently the Acting Library and Knowledge Manager at Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey. Previously I was an Outreach Librarian at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. I have over 20 years experience of working in health libraries including academic, departmental, private company and NHS. I am also membership secretary of the Libraries for Nursing Subject Group.

Yasmin Noorani – International Lead

Academic Support Librarian, College of Human Sciences, Bangor University

My role as a University Academic Support librarian includes teaching literature searching skills to undergraduate and postgraduate health science, nursing, midwifery and medical science students. I provide 1-2-1 support with systematic reviews and scoping reviews for researchers and staff. Students’ 1-2-1 support  includes help with literature searching, referencing, and reference management software. My remit includes line-managing staff at another campus in Wrexham.

I was on the local organizing committee, for the EAHIL Conference that took place in Cardiff 2018 and joined the HLG Committee in 2019.

Sarah Hennessy – Committee member

I manage the Library and Knowledge Service at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. My focus is on knowledge management, improved communication and marketing, along with strategic planning and development. 

 I joined Libraries for Nursing in 2008, which was a sub-group of HLG and then moved onto the HLG committee in 2011. Here I have had roles as Conference Lead and Co-Chair and am now a non-portfolio committee member.

Sub Group Representatives

Phillip Barlow – HLG Nursing Lead

I am currently the NHS Support Librarian at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, which is part of Imperial College London’s Library Service. I joined the HLG Committee in 2015 as HLG Nursing Lead, having previously served as a committee member of Libraries for Nursing. In addition, I am also the editor of HLG Nursing Bulletin.

Maria Grant – HILJ Editor (Ex-Officio)

I am Editor-in-Chief of the CILIP Health Libraries Group ISI listed Health Information and Libraries Journal. I have a background in information science and has published widely including a typology of reviews and associated methodologies and as Lead Editor of the “Research, Evaluation and Audit: Key Steps in Demonstrating Your Value”. I am a freelance trainer in professional academic writing, and mid-career Doctoral Researcher at Liverpool John Moores University using constructivist grounded theory to explore how academics acquire the skills to write for publication. I established the Grounded Theory Network at Liverpool John Moores University alongside my blog The Grounded Theorist and @GroundedTheory Twitter account (https://twitter.com/groundedtheory). ORCID ID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1380-2104

Rachel Gledhill – HLG Newsletter Editor

Knowledge and Evidence Specialist, Public Health England

I have worked in public health since 2016, and enjoy supporting evidence reviews, delivering training, and am passionate about the importance of health literacy. Prior to working at PHE, I completed my graduate traineeship in an NHS library, moved on to manage a prison library at HMP Bronzefield, and then moved to a law library with a focus on health and social care.

Tom Roper – HLG Representative to the Medical Library Association

I’m a (mostly) retired librarian, most recently a clinical librarian for Brighton and Sussex NHS Library and Knowledge Service. Before that I worked in NHS libraries in London and Sussex, for the North Thames Regional Library and Information Unit, for two Royal Colleges, Brighton and Sussex Medical School and an NHS Evidence Specialist Collection.

I joined HLG when we were still the Medical, Health and Welfare Group of the Library Association, served on the editorial board of the Health Information and Libraries Journal. held various committee posts in the 1990s and 2000s, and was proud to be awarded the Cyril Barnard Memorial Prize in recognition of outstanding services to medical librarianship in 2020.  I have also been a long-term member of MLA.  I have authored over thirty papers in the medical and librarianship literature. I keep myself amused in retirement with some light freelance work as an expert searcher, trainer, and by peer reviewing journal submissions.