#weareElly
About Elly Charity
The 'ELLY Appeal' was set up in East London in 2015 to improve the quality of maternal healthcare in the UK and internationally.
We have developed partnerships in both Africa and Asia where Elly Charity has delivered multiple training courses in some of the poorest communities around the world.
In 2020 we became a Registered Charity in England and Wales.
We are proud to be playing our part to build a better future by aligning our work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
By providing training and supporting academic research (Goal 4) we will boost healthcare capacity in communities advancing the skills and knowledge of its professionals (Goal 3). In doing this, health professionals will save lives, improve women’s health and support families and communities along the way.
To promote and protect women’s health in the UK and internationally by:
1. Training and educating healthcare workers and health professionals in how to provide optimal care during pregnancy and childbirth.
2. Supporting research excellence in women’s health.
3. Accelerating the application of research into healthcare environments.
Governance
Elly Charity is governed by a Board of Trustees which is responsible for setting the Charity's strategy and for ensuring it fulfils its objetives.
Our Trustees
Ramesan
Navaratnarajah
Mr Ram Navaratnarajah is the founder of Elly Charity. He is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at St.Bartholomew's and the Royal London Hospitals in Central and East London with a specialist interest in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery. He is passionately committed to Women's Health projects in East London and an advocate for Women in Global Health. He is also a Fistula Surgeon and Trainer at the Fistula Project, Kitovu Hospital Uganda, a leading centre in the world for complex obstetric fistula repair.
Ram is a kind and generous person who is always exploring ways in which Elly Charity can make a difference to improve women's healthcare worldwide, especially in resource poor settings.
Shakila
Thangaratinam
Professor Shakila Thangaratinam is the co-Director of WHO Collaborating Centre for Global Women’s Health at the University of Birmingham.
As Consultant Obstetrician she is involved in the care of high-risk mothers at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
Her research focuses on maternal and perinatal health including the prediction, prevention and treatment of complications in mothers with pre-eclampsia, epilepsy, diabetes, and obesity.
She has a strong commitment to Patient and Public Involvement in research and has established two dedicated Patient and Public Involvement groups, Katie's Team and The Hildas in the UK whose members contribute to research studies.
Joseph
Aquilina
Mr Joseph Aquilina is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at St.Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospitals.
He provides a specialist service in Feto-Maternal Medicine and Gynaecological Ultrasound.
He is the lead clinician for Fetal Medicine at Royal London and runs a highly successful one-stop Menstrual Disorder clinic at Royal London Hospital.
He has a special interest in the application of ultrasound in the management of benign gynaecological conditions (PCOS) and the ultrasound surveillance of high-risk pregnancies especially women with a previous history of uteroplacental complications.
Our aim is to optimise
maternal outcomes through
research, education
and applying best practice.
Mr Ram Navaratnarajah FRCOG
Founder, Elly Charity
Our Team
Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology/Maternal Medicine, Royal London Hospital Chair, Women and Newborn Clinical Board, Barts Health NHS Trust .- Dean for Education, Barts Health Education Academy. .- Honorary Senior Lecturer in Women’s Health, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. .- Co-Chair, NELLocal Maternity and Neonatal System; Obstetric Lead, NEL Maternal Medicine Network. .- Differential Attainment Advisor, RCOG .- Regional Clinical Director – Gynaecology, NHS London
Rashna Chenoy
After an interesting and fulfilling clinical career in the east end of London, Rashna has shifted her focus to providing basic healthcare to women in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. Despite nearly 25years as Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist and Undergraduate Educational Lead for the specialty in London, there is yet much to learn and to adapt to in the new settings. With ongoing support from former colleagues, and specifically from Elly, it has been possible to introduce impactful interventions in a collaborative and sustainable manner, for the well-being of women and children who would not otherwise have access to healthcare. Outside of women’s health, other interests are travel, trekking, the theatre, ballet and jazz.
Inderjeet Kaur or ‘Indie’ as she is popularly known is the Director of Midwifery at Fernandez Hospitals. Indie has held several strategic roles in her career at the NHS, UK. She is passionate about reducing health inequalities of vulnerable women. Indie successfully launched the world’s first maternity clinic in the Royal London Hospital to support women who have experienced sexual violence. She has spent the last six years in India training professional midwives and providing clinical leadership to midwives in Fernandez Foundation and the government of Telangana and India. She is passionate about reducing maternal mortality via the midwifery training and respectful humanised care for Indian mothers. Her initiative for developing seamless pathways of care for women with complex social needs won her the British Medical Journal award. She is also the recipient of 2019 Chief Midwifery Officer Gold Award NHS, UK for outstanding contribution to the midwifery. Indie has several publications and presentations to her credit.
Ms Mandeep Kaler is as a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a special interest in maternal medicine at The Royal London Hospital in London. She enjoys managing pregnant women with complex medical problems and those at risk of developing pregnancy related complications. She has a passion for medical education is a qualified Advanced Life Support instructor and Human factors trainer. Mandeep has extensive experience as a course organiser for the 'MRCOG Part 3' Exam and the 'Basic Surgical Skills' Course affiliated with the RCOG. She is committed to improving outcomes for women in East London and has co-created Elly Charity’s 'Women’s Health Literacy Research' project with the local community. Mandeep is passionate about her work but also a very fun person to be around! She became an active runner and has run four half marathons raising money for Charity. Her aim is to run a full marathon next year
Soha Sohbi
She is an academic O&G trainee in London with a passion for global maternal health and safe surgery. Soha have spent time in several LMIC settings, volunteering in Malawi, working with refugees in Greece and teaching in India. In terms of my research this has mainly focused on the safety of obstetric surgical procedure in LMIC’s. She is also on the trainees global health committee at the RCOG
Locum consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Foundation Trust with a special interest in high risk obstetrics, general gynaecology, colposcopy and medical education. She credits her background of undergraduate and specialist training in India for the passion she shares in empowering women from diverse backgrounds and providing them individualised and holistic care. Being able to communicate in several local languages has helped her understand the specific concerns of the women in East London. She has been associated with ELLY since 2018 with organising biannual courses for RCOG exam preparation and communication skills which are especially popular with overseas trainees.
Of Maori origin, Ngawai's name means "water". And so she is. Clear, transparent and indispensable. She is intelligent and generous because she gives her all in every project in which she participates. Ngawai is a women’s health advocate interested in research following her participation in a number of studies during pregnancy. She now advises on patient and public involvement in a variety of health research environments, including the UK National Institute for Health Research and more broadly for Health Education England and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Ngawai is an Honorary Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London and was also part of the College of Experts for COVID-19 Research in 2020 supporting the UK Department of Health and Social Care alongside UK Research & Innovation. Previously, she worked in the Marine sector for 12 years as a Knowledge Management professional. Ngawai loves chocolate and likes trying different varieties. She also enjoys baking as long as it has chocolate in it!
Julie Dodds
Dr Julie Dodds is the Director of Patient and Clinical Research Programmes at the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation and a trustee at Age UK Bromley and Greenwich. She previously worked as Senior Research Manager in women’s health at QMUL and as a Senior Research Fellow at University College London (UCL), where she conducted sexual health research and obtained a PhD in HIV epidemiology. Julie has a particular interest in Patient and Public Involvement in research and believes it is crucial to incorporate patient’s views and experiences into the research process.
Arancha Martín
With more than 25 years in the profession, this journalist from Spain has worked as a TV presenter, radio broadcaster, editor in several newspapers or community manager... but above all... Arancha is a fierce advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and the most vulnerable people in society. She arrived in England three years ago and fell in love with Elly Charity. The most beautiful word in her vocabulary is MOTHER, and her family... is everything.
Gemma Cartwright
Gemma has worked for 20 years in the voluntary sector, both internationally and more recently within smaller, local and national organisations. She is chartered fundraiser and holds a masters in International Development. Gemma’s experience is grounded in working with small to medium voluntary sector organisations to maximise their full potential. She is highly passionate about community participation and development.