Our Management Team

Suresh Rambaran - Treasurer

has a background in cancer nursing, and extensive experience in cancer information through work with Cancer Backup and Cancerlink. He is currently working as Support and Information Specialist Nurse at The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Rizwana Altaf -Secretary

has background in health promotion, cancer information provision and homoeopathy. She is currently the Service Improvement Lead for North East London Cancer Network.

Tariq Saleem - Deputy Secretary

is currently working as a Research Fellow and Centre Co-ordinator at King's Centre for Palliative Care in Neurology Department of Palliative Care.

Ali Orhan

Ali is the Project Manager - BME Communities, at the British Heart Foundation. He is a trained nurse, has a BSc (honours) Sociology Applied Social Studies with C.Q.S.W (Certificate of Qualification in Social Work) and a certificate of Training and Development. As a qualified social worker, trained nurse and an experienced diversity trainer, Ali works to heighten awareness of issues facing socially excluded and seldom heard communities. Ali has been instrumental in setting up and providing front line services for a number of Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in terms of health promotion and health care. Ali also has extensive management experience with a background in health, community development, organisational development, fund raising and diversity. This has helped Ali to identify and provide culturally appropriate and culturally sensitive information and support. Furthermore recognising the need that BME Communities needed more black role models to advance the cause, Ali has identified several high profile celebrities to put their names to the issues.

Jennifer Layburn - Chair of EMCAW

has over 20 years of health service experience, predominantly within the NHS. Her career to date has spanned leadership within both the clinical and managerial setting, with extensive experience of team leadership, service management, quality assurance and strategic planning. Jennifer first trained as a nurse and was the head of nursing for Haemato-oncology in a large London Teaching hospital prior to moving into senior management. She has used this experience to support organisations and communities in the development of services.

Jennifer studied for a Masters in Health and Ethnic Minorities in Kings College London and is currently directing the NAEDI Initiative in North East London Cancer Network.

Meena Patel

has worked in community development, as the Equal Opportunities Manager at Cancerlink and as a project manager at the Afiya Trust. She is currently working for the Afiya Trust as their Programme Manager.

Mona Palsingh

has extensive experience as a nuclear medicine radiographer at Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital, and as a service improvement facilitator in various settings.  Mona is currently working as a health management consultant and has worked as a project manager for various NHS bodies from SHA to individual trusts. She was involved with the roll-out of PACS (Picture Archive and Communication Systems) in Southern England and since has worked with Connecting for Health in a challenging and differing roles. She is also a professional homoeopath and a healer.

Rose Thompson

is a qualified Radiotherapy Radiographer with 26 years clinical experience in London and the Midlands working up to superintendent grade. Co-managed a CancerBackup drop-in-centre in Nottingham prior to becoming the charities Black and Minority Ethnic Cancer Information Specialist, a national role from 2003-2007. Rose is now a BME consultant and is developing a supportive BME specific cancer organisation BME Cancer.

Rose was a member of the Awareness and Detection work group for the development of the next cancer plan, the Cancer Reform Strategy. She also assisted on the development of the Prostate Cancer Equality Action Plan.

Valerie Swaby

is a dietician by background and has a varied experience around cancer services improvement. She is a National Redesign Leader for the Modernisation Agency.