Women at Newcastle Hospitals are being celebrated for leading the charge for female innovators.
Working across a range of specialist fields, some of our female leaders are celebrated in the The Northern Health Science Alliance‘s North Innovation Women campaign to mark International Women’s Day on March 8 2026.
The initiative shines a spotlight on 500 innovative and inspirational women across the North – as suggested by colleagues – gaining much deserved recognition for leading and supporting innovation.
We have a rich history of innovation, bringing together ideas and improvements to help meet some of the challenges we face.
Innovation is an enabler to helping achieve some of the our key objectives and to ensuring we remain at the forefront of advances to provide high quality care and the best outcomes for patients.
Charlotte Fox, business innovation manager at Newcastle Hospitals, who herself was nominated, said:
I'm delighted to see so many of our talented colleagues recognised for the work happening across our hospitals and the wider health and life science sector.
Each of these women bring fresh ideas, determination and compassion to their work every day and are playing a role in leading innovation to improve patient care, and support our healthcare colleagues to deliver the very best services.
Innovation is only possible when we are willing to push boundaries and find better ways of doing things and I’m incredibly proud to celebrate their achievements.”
Newcastle Hospitals’ colleagues who made North Innovation Women are working across a range of services including health and life sciences, private and international patients, digital and data partnerships, medical physics, clinical engineering, research, quality improvement, digital transformation and corporate risk and assurance.
Commercial and innovation team
- Charlotte Fox, business innovation manager
- Michelle Waugh, innovation project manager
- Julie Marsh, head of communications
- Audrey Barton, communications manager
- Melanie Shield, senior commercial business manager
- Michelle Dixon, commercial business management
- Mhairi Spurr, commercial manager for health and life science, and operations manager for Diagnostics North East
NICE External Assessment Group – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Kim Kelthie, lead healthcare scientist
- Emma Belilios, business manager and project coordinator
- Alison Bray, lead healthcare scientist, medical device development, clinical engineering
- Jo Noble – associate director of operations
- Angela Birt, clinical research general manager
- Layla McMullen, industry manager
Service Improvement
- Joanna McCallum, associate director
Corporate risk and assurance
- Natalie Yeowart, head of corporate risk and assurance
Allied health professionals and clinical entrepreneur
- Suzanne Vernazza, physiotherapist and founding Director, Know Your Floors
Nurse and clinical entrepreneur
Dr Karen Marshall, senior nurse and creator of Breath Tec
Clinical Research Directorate General Manager
Read the full list of north women innovators
