THE SARCOIDOSISUK TEAM
Meet the SarcoidosisUK team below. We would love to have a chat with you – please do get in touch.
The Board of Trustees
Roma Armstrong
Trustee
Roma is committed to putting patients at the heart of research and innovation to make a positive impact on patients living with sarcoidosis.
She trained as a research scientist (PhD in Pharmacology) and worked as a university researcher and lecturer for twenty years. She spent the next twenty years working for Scottish Government (research funder) and then leading, managing and delivering clinical research within the NHS. More recently her focus shifted from new drugs to innovation and the use of technology to drive changes in healthcare services to improve patient care. A key part of her role was developing effective, proportionate and secure governance processes for the use of unconsented NHS data, tissues and images for research and innovation purposes.
Sally Beare
Trustee
Sally has spent much of her career in charity fundraising, working with major UK charities, including ChildLine, Tommy’s, Children in Need and the MS Society. A close friend was diagnosed with sarcoidosis and she understands how hard it can be to live with the disease.
Her knowledge around grant applications, trusts and legacies will be invaluable as we seek to expand fundraising activities, to grow our research and support our services for the sarcoidosis community.
In her spare time she tries to be as active as possible, generally outside in the countryside around her home in Kent.
Richard Etienne
Trustee
Former official videographer to British Prime Minister Theresa May, Richard holds senior communications positions within the private and third sectors and has aided the online promotion of global brands in academia, art, and politics for over 18 years.
Currently Director of Internal Communications at Elsevier, a medical data and analytics publisher, Richard proudly uses his marketing and communications expertise to help widen the awareness of the charity and its work. Richard lost his father to sarcoidosis in 2004 and made a fundraising film ‘iD Project’ to tell his father’s story that was selected for several international film festivals. iD Project is available to watch for free on YouTube. Richard also holds a trustee position at Hackney Empire, a 122-year-old grade II listed theatre.
Dawn Farrar
Trustee
Dawn joins SarcoidosisUK having recently retired from her role as Director of Research and Advocacy with a medical health charity.
Prior to her charity role, Dawn spent many years in scientific health research and understands first-hand the challenges associated with translating a greater understanding of disease into new treatments. Dawn is delighted to offer her experience and knowledge to help SarcoidosisUK drive progress for all those affected by sarcoidosis and to one day find a cure for this debilitating disease.
Apart from a passion for all things scientific, in her spare time Dawn enjoys cooking, follows Formula One and is a keen sewist.
Nicola Griffiths
Trustee
Nicola spent 20 years in the NHS in senior public health and health promotion roles before moving into the charity sector where she currently supports patients and families affected by pulmonary fibrosis.
She brings a wealth of experience in managing community support and engagement, shaping services that respond to the real needs of patients and carers. SarcoidosisUK has identified increasing patient support as a strategic aim, and we look forward to working closely with Nicola as services expand.
Outside of work and her charity involvement, Nicola can be found in the gym or the garden!
Astrid Madimba
Trustee
Astrid is a digital marketing professional with over a decade of experience in the life sciences sector. She’s also an award-winning podcaster and author, with a passion for storytelling, particularly through audio, to educate and connect communities.
With a close family connection to sarcoidosis, she is proud to support the SarcoidosisUK community.
Paul Sinclare
Secretary
Paul joined SarcoidosisUK in 1997 and became Secretary in 2011. He has been a key part of the charity’s growth over the past 20 years.
Paul contracted Pulmonary Sarcoidosis in 1988. Initially he had a variable experience with treatments and hospitals but now has been stable for many years and is responding well to his drug regime.
Paul first trained as a chef and then returned to study, qualifying as a company secretary. He has spent much of his working life in the area of finance, more recently working primarily with charities. He is now semi-retired.
Susan Wilson
Trustee Chairperson
A member of Sue’s immediate family is affected by Sarcoidosis, and she joined the Board in 2017. Over the past few years Sue has widened her charity experience by working closely with two organisations: one for rare diseases and the other campaigning for social justice. Her professional background is in finance and governance, supporting businesses to thrive and make a difference. Sue celebrates the work of SarcoidosisUK and its fabulous community of staff, volunteers and support group members and is committed to seeing SarcoidosisUK grow and increase its impact. “We want research into drugs that can be safely and effectively re-purposed to treat Sarcoidosis. We also want more people in the UK to be diagnosed early, and treated by experts which means supporting medical training and information. SarcoidosisUK is committed to doing both.”
The Office
Graham Bloye
Senior Executive
Eva Gregory
Marketing and Fundraising Manager
Mary Stratton
Support Services Manager
Our Nurses
Jo
Sarcoidosis Specialist Nurse
Jenny
Sarcoidosis Specialist Nurse
Rachel
Sarcoidosis Specialist Nurse
Our Ambassadors
Kemi Sulola
Charity Ambassador
Kemi is a singer songwriter and artist. She was diagnosed with Neurosarcoidosis in 2018. Since then, she has used her music to fundraise for the charity and has her own healing page called, ‘Everything is Healing ‘ to share her story and experiences. She is passionate about encouraging people to do what they love despite any health issues and as the Patient Experience Ambassador she endeavours to share the diverse and unique stories of other sarcoidosis patients to bring greater awareness of the condition.
Henry St. Clair
Charity Ambassador
Henry has been a Charity Ambassador since 2022 and has systemic sarcoidosis. He takes part in multiple fundraising events throughout the year in support of the charity and as a Charity Ambassador, he is motivated and inspired to help bring greater education and spread awareness within the public domain about sarcoidosis.