Our Team
-
Derek Edwards
- Derek first started his involvement in healthcare in the British Army (Royal Army Medical Corps) training as a nurse and subsequently working in the Operating Theatre. He served in a number of overseas stations during the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was recalled to Military service for the First Gulf War in 1991 and acted as Theatre Manager in a Field Hospital in Saudi Arabia.
- Upon leaving the military he went to a Teaching Hospital in London training in Medical Physics. He spent a number of years in the commercial side of healthcare, including international sales and distribution before early retirement in 2007. He now has an Honorary Contract at The Christie Hospital in Manchester, UK - one of Europe's leading cancer centres - and works part time in the Department of Radiology, training nursing and industry staff and educating patients. He was fundamental in setting-up the first UK gastrostomy clinic for patient support and is a regular member of the teaching faculty of the British Society of Interventional Radiology & The Society of Gastrointestinal Intervention participating in a series of masterclasses for GI intervention. He has extensive experience in delivering training to industry sales staff and teaching to nursing and medical staff at all levels.
- Derek has co-authored a number of publications on GI stenting and has helped establish a research programme at the University of Chester, UK into safety aspects of interventional procedures and the failure mechanisms of GI stents, leading to an appointment as a Visiting Research Fellow.
-
Prof. Hans-Ulrich Laasch
- After graduating with a "magna cum laude" doctorate in medicine from the Albert-Einstein University in Ulm, Germany, Hans-Ulrich trained as a physician in the UK. After board certification in general medicine (MRCP) in 1995 he trained in radiology in Manchester and was board certified in radiology (FRCR) in 1999.
- He undertook a 4-year fellowship in GI intervention including interventional endoscopy and ERCP and in 2005 was appointed Head of Interventional Radiology at The Christie in Manchester, one of Europe's largest cancer centres. Hans-Ulrich built up the IR service at The Christie, where the department has become a reference centre for several international device manufacturers. He was Clinical Director of Radiology 2006 - 2009. A keen clinical researcher, Hans-Ulrich is widely published on interventional devices and procedures and is a faculty member of several national and international societies.
- Leading a research programme into the failure mechanisms of GI stents, he was appointed Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Chester, UK in 2017. The research has expanded to include performance improvement of medical devices, safety aspects of interventional procedures and virtual reality training simulators for IR.
-
Graham Milward
- After schooling in the UK and the USA, Graham graduated with a degree in Industrial Chemistry, specialising in plastics. Initially Graham worked within the speciality’s division of the world leader in natural and synthetic latex and subsequently in product & facilities development for the manufacture of medical devices in the Far East. After returning to the UK he built a further production facility in South Wales and headed the development of several ranges of plastic, single-use devices.
- From South Wales, Graham moved back to England and has been directly responsible for Technical, Quality and Regulatory Affairs for a privately owned multinational company specialising in single-use disposable medical devices. Since 1995, Graham has also been consulting on numerous product liability cases, regulatory issues and is involved in the development of international standards and represents industry on a number of government working groups.
-
Céline Lecapitaine
- Céline graduated in 2005 with a double language diploma in International Marketing and Communication from the Normandy Business School and the Hochschule Bremen in Germany. A year as hospitality team manager in Limerick gave her the additional third language skills and the practical management experience to join Cook Medical, one of the largest global medical device manufacturers.
- Starting as a territory sales manager in North-West France, Céline has subsequently held posts as Senior IR Product Manager EMEA and Global Product Manager for Interventional Therapies. In 2019 Céline took on the role of Global Program R&D Manager with responsibility for global research and long-term strategic marketing, as well as managing consulting boards of international experts for product development.
- Besides vast experience in people management and advancing the medical device industry, Céline also has a strong background in education and training, having set up and ran numerous staff training seminars as well as international IR teaching courses under the VISTA educational programme.
-
Dr. Alex M Barnacle
- Alex Barnacle is a paediatric interventional radiologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. Her clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of vascular malformations, renal stone disease and ablation.
- Alex undertook her undergraduate medical training at the University of Southampton and her radiology training at Charing Cross and Hammersmith Hospitals in London. She completed an 18 month fellowship in paediatric radiology and interventional radiology at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, followed by a 12-month fellowship at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
- She is passionate about promoting the development of paediatric IR. She sits on the membership and scientific program committees of CIRSE, the Royal College of Radiologists IR committee, and both the Women and Diversity committee and Paeds IR special interest group of the British Society of Interventional Radiology. She is a co-chair of the Paeds IR special interest group within the BSIR and a co-director of the Paeds IR UK annual meeting. She works to encourage innovation within paediatric IR, to ensure that children have access to the same minimally invasive and cutting edge interventions offered to adults.
-
Dr. Shayan Irani
- After graduating from his medical school Seth G.S. Medical College and K.E.M. Hospital, Mumbai India in 2000, Shayan did a 3 year Internal Medicine residency at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa.
- He undertook a 3 year Gastroenterology Fellowship at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa (2007) and followed this with an additional year of Therapeutic Gastroenterology Fellowship at Virginia Mason Medical Centre in Seattle, Wa (2008) where he has been working since 2008. Virginia Mason Medical Centre has established itself as a premier tertiary care centre for gastroenterology not only in the Pacific Northwest, but also in the country.
- Shayan has been a Fellow of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (FASGE) since 2014. He is the co-chair of the pancreatic centre of excellence at Virginia Mason Medical Centre and has focused his research and interest in advancing new techniques and the use of new devices in the field of therapeutic gastroenterology.
-
Mr. Alan GK Li
- Alan graduated from the University of Bristol in 1990. He undertook his surgical training in Leeds and Scotland being certified FRCS (End) (Edin) in 1994 and Intercollegiate Specialty Board certified FRCS (Gen Surg) in 2004. His training took him on senior fellowships to Tokyo, Japan and Brisbane, Australia.
- He has specialist experience and expertise in surgery for Esophageal and gastric cancer, bariatric/obesity and metabolic conditions, upper gastro-intestinal disorders, general surgery and minimally invasive and laparoscopic/thoracoscopic techniques, including robotic surgery.
- Alan currently holds the position of Upper GI Cancer Lead and Minimally Invasive OG Cancer Surgery Lead at Manchester Royal Infirmary, and has a full-time NHS practice at Salford Royal Hospital in the UK’s largest OG cancer centre. He is also the Surgical Lead for Manchester Cancer.
- Alan is also the Bariatric Lead surgeon at a number of private hospitals in the North West of England and a senior surgeon in the Bariatric Unit at Salford Royal.
- Alan works with many allied specialty teams and brings a wealth of surgical expertise to Minnova which will be of benefit to our growing client base.
-
Dr. Raman Uberoi
- Raman graduated from Cambridge University in 1995 and has been a consultant interventional radiologist for over 20 years.
- He works at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he was Clinical Director of Radiology from 2003-2012.
- Raman is an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Oxford and a prolific researcher with over 120 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has held numerous offices at the Royal College of Radiologists and many national and international societies and is a past president of the radiology section of the Royal Society of Medicine and the BSIR.
- He is certified by the European Board of Interventional Radiology for which he has subsequently examined and led the development of the European IR curriculum.
- Raman has wide experience in non-vascular and vascular intervention, but particular expertise in arterial procedures and aortic stent grafts.
Meet The Team
Derek Edwards
CEO
One of the four founding Directors of the Foundation
Prof. Hans-Ulrich Laasch
Clinical Director
One of the four founding Directors of the Foundation. Recognised as one of the worldwide leading Radiologists in GI stenting.
Graham Milward
Technical Director
One of the four founding Directors of the foundation and is responsible for Technical, Quality and Regulatory Affairs
Céline Lecapitaine
Director of Strategy
Expert in Strategic Planning, Marketing, Education and Training
Dr. Alex M Barnacle
Director of Paediatric Intervention
World renowned Paediatric Interventional Radiologist
Dr. Shayan Irani
Director of Endoscopy
Senior Therapeutic Gastroenterologist
Mr. Alan GK Li
Director of Surgery
Leading Upper GI and Bariatric surgeon
Dr. Raman Uberoi
Director of Vascular Intervention
Past President of BSIR and Board member of CIRSE