Appointed Governors

Luisa’s day job as a Senior Lecturer in the School of Dental Sciences involves teaching our future dentists some of the science behind oral health. She is also passionate about engaging with our community and supporting our students to visit community groups to deliver oral health education.

Luisa is also Director of Engagement and Place for the Faculty of Medical Sciences and it is her goal as a Governor to to help increase our membership and champion the importance of the public voice in healthcare.

David is a Patient and Public Involvement Partner. He is passionate about how the insights of caregivers, patients, and the public are used in co-production to inform research and positively impact quality improvement programs in healthcare settings. His research activities span participation, engagement, and involvement across a wide range of health, care, and social welfare themes.

David supports multiple research studies as a lay representative and co-applicant, and he is a co-author of several research papers. He both writes and speaks about patient and public involvement in research. With over twenty years of experience working in the public sector and within the third sector, David has undertaken roles as Company Secretary, Director, and Trustee. He has been involved in the relief of poverty, social disadvantage, and social exclusion by supporting the advancement of community resilience and cohesion.

In addition to his research and public involvement, David supports citizens with day-to-day matters and advocates for them in navigating public services such as social welfare and legal needs. He is an active citizen involved in addressing issues such as digital exclusion, public engagement in decision-making, and social care funding. His personal interests include writing, gardening, and environmental matters.

John is Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor (Education) and a Professor of Nursing at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. He has worked in Higher Education since 2007 and has held posts at the Higher Education Academy, University of Sunderland and at Northumbria University.

John has a background in primary and community care having been a Nurse Director in Primary Care. Until 2018 he was Board Nurse on NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group.

He has also worked in consultancy and a number of specialist nursing roles over the past 30 years. He is a National Teaching Fellow, A Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland (Nursing and Midwifery), a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. John has worked internationally to develop practice and higher education teachers in Thailand, China, Hungary, Ghana, Vietnam, Bahrain, Ukraine and in Grenada (West Indies).

John is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the International Council of Nurses and has a lead role in influencing UK policy as Chair of the Queen’s Nursing Institute. He was awarded an OBE for services to community nursing in the 2022 Birthday Honours List.

Lara was elected as a councillor for Heaton Ward in 2018. She sits on Newcastle City Council’s Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee and is vice chair for Constitutional Committee.

Lara is a support worker and personal assistant. She has a background in outreach mental health support and continues to be involved in peer support and voluntary projects that engage and empower people who have severe and enduring mental health issues.