Women’s Health Wales Digital Conference – On Demand

Victoria Lloyd has been working to champion the rights and wellbeing of older people in Wales for nearly two decades. She joined Help the Aged’s Wales team in 2006, bringing a strong commitment to social justice and policy development. Following the formation of Age Cymru in 2009, Victoria was appointed Director of Policy and Programmes, helping to shape the charity’s strategic initiatives.

In 2018, Victoria became Chief Executive of Age Cymru. Under her leadership, the organisation has continued to develop its impact. She oversees the charity’s strategic direction and advocates for policies that address the challenges faced by older people across Wales.

Victoria also serves as Chair of Age Alliance Wales and the Ministerial Advisory Forum on Ageing, and she represents the age sector on the Third Sector Partnership Council.

Joanne Kitt has been a registered nurse for 18 years with a specialist interest in women’s health. Joanne has a background in gynaecology and early pregnancy ultrasound, emergency gynaecology and early pregnancy nursing and has held the role of the Endometriosis Clinical Nurse Specialist in Aneurin Bevan University Health board for 4 years. Joanne’s role has helped to implement nurse led clinics for patients with endometriosis specifically concentrating on symptom management. Joanne is passionate about improving the experiencing for patients with endometriosis across Wales. Joanne focuses on a holistic approach in order to be able to facilitate this working closely with members of the wider multi-disciplinary team. 

Dana Scott is the Director of Midwifery and Professional governance lead at Hywel Dda University Health Board, and Senior Responsible Officer for the WG Women’s Health Plan. With career spanning the UK, Jersey, and Australia, she is recognised for championing compassionate, values-based leadership and driving innovation that bridges evidence, technology, and humanity in care.   Passionate about advancing women’s health restoring sacredness to birth, and integrating evidence, innovation, and humanity into clinical practice.

Mwenya Chimba is Head of Training at Welsh women’s Aid. She has a wealth of knowledge in the violence against women and girls arena, with specific experience in developing services, training, and resources focusing on a BME perspective. Mwenya has been actively involved in policy and service development initiatives to tackle harmful practices in Wales.  

Mwenya is an avid researcher with 12 years experience working in different universities. In 2021 she was one of the Impact Assessors for the Research Excellence Framework https://www.ref.ac.uk/about/what-is-the-ref/ . 

Mwenya has a BSc in Social Sciences, MA in Journalism and a PhD in Journalism, Media and Cultural studies with a focus on Gender inequalities and has more than 20 years experience in different management roles. 

In 2012 she was joint winner of the Marsh Christian award for work in the fight against human trafficking.  

I am a consultant midwife specialising in public health and vulnerable families in Wales, with over 20 years’ experience as a midwife I am passionate about improving maternity care and womens health  for those facing social and health inequalities. My work has focused on developing and implementing evidence based strategies to enhance access to high quality, person centred care for all families. I have recently completed a secondment with the NMC as a midwifery advisor, contributing to the regulation of advanced midwifery practice workstream, this role deepened my expertise in policy, professional standards and the evolving scope of midwifery. In addition to clinical and leadership responsibilities, I am nearing completion of a PhD exploring the barriers and facilitators to the uptake of early postnatal contraception. This research aims to inform policy and practice, ensuring women receive timely, informed choices about their reproductive health.

Katharine is a Certified Coach and Consultant Nurse with nearly three decades of experience in the NHS as a senior nursing leader. FluxState is about empowering women; and the basis of empowering is understanding and information. As the founder of FluxState, Katharine provides women with the information they need to understand their bodies and their minds. Katharine empowers women to deal with the challenges they face around the menopause – so they can move from a state of uncertainty (flux) to find a state of flow. Katharine works with organisations to help them support staff who are experiencing menopausal symptoms and create work environments that recognise the physical and mental experience of menopause.

Donna Coleman, mother of 3 grown up daughters, and 1 transman.  Lived and worked in health or education for most of my life, including hands on delivery care in acute and community settings in Carmarthenshire and Cornwall, GP fundholding and medical research.

Also, I’ve lectured in Swansea Met, Gower College, Coleg Sir Gar in Physiology/ Access to Health Care, Organisational Management and Development and Medical Electronics.

I’ve also had the privilege of working in probation centres, HM Prison, with asylum seekers, disability groups, disadvantaged communities etc.  In 2003, I began work as an advocate for Community Health, currently the Regional Director for Llais West Wales and Strategic lead for Women’s Health.

Debbie is the founder of FTWW / Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales, a pan-Wales patient-led charity and disabled people’s organisation set up in 2013 as a result of her own lengthy diagnostic delays and struggles to access specialist treatment in Wales. Sensing that this would be a widespread issue, not least because of gender stereotypes which see ‘women’s health issues’ dismissed and under-served, Debbie created the FTWW community where those affected could share their experiences and come together to advocate for change. As a disabled woman and health-service user, Debbie regularly represents patients on Welsh Government and NHS Wales groups, and wider UK clinical bodies, and is pleased to call herself a ‘critical friend’ to policy-makers. In her role at FTWW, Debbie currently chairs the third-sector Women’s Health Wales Coalition, whose evidence was instrumental in securing a Welsh Government commitment to a Women’s Health Plan. FTWW is also the third-sector Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement partner in the new all-Wales Women’s Health Research Centre.

Dr Sofia Gameiro is a Reader and Health Psychologist at the School of Psychology, Cardiff University. Her research focusses on women’s health and spans across multiple areas, from reproductive to menstrual health, transition to parenthood, adjustment to unrealised parenthood goals, (digital, in-person) intervention development and evaluation, health communication, and health outcomes assessment, among others.  

Together, with her collaborators, Dr Gameiro’s work has psychologically informed policy and practice, produced evidence-based resources for patient self-management and support and healthcare workforce training and skills development, contributed to prevention, early intervention and awareness initiatives, and supported patient and public involvement and engagement, dissemination and impact.  

Dr Gameiro is a co-I in the Women’s Health Research Wales Centre, where she leads the work package Underserved Women Communities and the integration of sex and gender considerations in health and care research across Wales.

Victoria Lloyd has been working to champion the rights and wellbeing of older people in Wales for nearly two decades. She joined Help the Aged’s Wales team in 2006, bringing a strong commitment to social justice and policy development. Following the formation of Age Cymru in 2009, Victoria was appointed Director of Policy and Programmes, helping to shape the charity’s strategic initiatives.

In 2018, Victoria became Chief Executive of Age Cymru. Under her leadership, the organisation has continued to develop its impact. She oversees the charity’s strategic direction and advocates for policies that address the challenges faced by older people across Wales.

Victoria also serves as Chair of Age Alliance Wales and the Ministerial Advisory Forum on Ageing, and she represents the age sector on the Third Sector Partnership Council.