BAMRR Policy Board

Niamh Cleary
BAMRR President

Niamh is the current President of BAMRR and works with Siemens Applications.

Her BAMRR responsibilities include providing leadership to the Association and supporting MRI safety within BAMRR.

Lisa McBain
Secretary

I am one of the Band 7 Lead MRI Radiographers at the Hull University Teaching Hospitals and have over 15 years’ experience in MRI.

I take an active role in updating the safety policies and advanced safety checks. I run a regional MRI Safety group and have successfully organised several MRI Study Days in Hull.

I am currently the Secretary for the British Association of MRI Radiographers and a Past President.

Trudi Whitehead
Social Media Coordinator, Assistant Treasurer

Trudi is Superintendent Radiographer at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton.

She graduated as a Diagnostic Radiographer in 1993 and started MRI scanning in 1997. She is now Superintendent and MRI Responsible Person at UHDB and has developed and manages MRI safety education and training for all staff groups.

As well as scanning, she is also part of the Imaging Compliance Governance team, particularly focussing on MRI and quality standards in safety. Trudi joined the BAMRR board in 2017, is a Past President of BAMRR and is currently supporting the Treasurer role as well as social media coordinator, managing various platforms and content, promoting BAMRR and connecting with the worldwide MRI community.

Jill McKenna
Past President

Jill McKenna is a Diagnostic Radiographer and Past President of BAMRR.

She has worked in MRI for over 20 years and is currently Head of Clinical Operations at AM Diagnostic Imaging Ltd. Her role encompasses many aspects of diagnostics throughout the business.

She is a mentor on the Clinical Leadership programme at the Society of Radiographers and is a QSI assessor, supporting her passion for quality and standards in MRI.

In a previous role Jill successfully designed, developed and implemented the first sustainable Community Diagnostic Hub in the UK and developed an MRI-guided radiotherapy programme for head and neck, cervix, prostate and brachytherapy. She has also led MRI research including cardiac and oncology using DCE and diffusion weighted imaging, and has worked as a radiographer at both the London Olympic Games and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Cath Mills
Safety Co-ordinator

Cath qualified as a Diagnostic Radiographer from the University College of St Martin, Lancaster, in 1997.

She completed her MRI training at Blackburn Royal Infirmary and worked for twelve years in the Cross-sectional Imaging Department at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals operating CT and MRI scanners. During this time she developed an interest in MRI safety and was responsible for safety resources for radiographers and training staff groups such as anaesthetic teams and extended scope practitioners.

She currently works at Beardwood Hospital in Blackburn as Deputy Clinical Services Manager in MRI/CT, and is the lead for the MR steering group at Circle Health Group.
Cath was elected to the BAMRR Policy Board in 2017 and is also a BAMRR Past President.

Helen Estall
Course Co-ordinator

Helen is a Consultant Radiographer in MRI at University Hospitals of Leicester and has been on the BAMRR Policy Board since 2011.

She is currently Course Co-ordinator but has also held the posts of President, Membership Secretary and Treasurer in the past.

Helen completed an MSc in MRI reporting and reports MRI brain and spines. She sits on the SCoR MRI Advisory Group, is a technical assessor for UKAS, and lectures on several undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Nicola Singh
MSc, BHSc (Hons), FHEA
Assistant Professor of Diagnostic Radiography
University of Bradford

Nicola joined academia in Nov 2022 at the University of Bradford, after working clinically as a Team Leader/Senior MRI Radiographer in MSK MRI at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.

Qualified as a Diagnostic Radiographer in 2003 from the University of Leeds, the majority of Nicola’s career has been working within the hospitals around Leeds, gaining a vast amount of MRI experience in particular.

Nicola has always felt passionately about education and career progression, which led her to embark upon a career path into academia, teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Most recently, the role has progressed to become Postgraduate Programme Lead for MSc Medical Imaging, which includes the postgraduate provision for MRI radiographers.

Alongside this, Nicola also still undertakes clinical duties to keep ahead of recent advancements in imaging and service provision and to remain actively involved in delivering excellent patient care.

Matthew Benbow
Newsletter Editor

Matthew has been working in MRI since 1994, using GE, Picker, Siemens and Esaote scanners.

He manages the CT & MRI department at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital where there are three Siemens and one Esaote MRI scanners.

For the BAMRR Policy Board duties, he produces the twice-yearly ‘BAMRR News’ magazine. Whilst not at work Matthew plays bass in a hospital band “On the NASH”.

Zoe Lingham
Newsletter Editor

Zoe Lingham is the Radiology Manager at Nuffield Health Cardiff and Vale Hospitals, with more than 26 years of experience in MRI. Her previous roles have included Head of Clinical Governance and Education, and she holds an PGD in MRI and MSc in Professional Development. Zoe is passionate about the education, training, and development of MRI radiographers and other healthcare professionals, with a strong commitment to clinical governance and service excellence.

A longstanding contributor to BAMRR, Zoe has served in several roles, including Past President (2022), Course Coordinator, Newsletter Editor, and Conference Coordinator. Working collaboratively with fellow Policy Board members, she helps ensure BAMRR continues to provide high-quality education, support, and professional development opportunities for its members and course delegates.

Amir Akhtar
BSc (Hons), PGC, MBA
Business Development Manager,
Medispace Diagnostics Ltd

Amir Akhtar qualified as a Diagnostic Radiographer in 2014, gaining extensive MRI experience within the NHS before completing a PGC in MRI. He joined Medispace in 2022 as an MRI Radiographer, and his role has since evolved into business development for managed equipment services.

In this capacity, Amir combines technical expertise with strategic insight to support healthcare providers in delivering high-quality imaging solutions. With accreditations in project management and Lean principles, he drives efficiency and service improvement across healthcare settings.

Passionate about the future of healthcare, Amir is particularly focused on artificial intelligence and digital transformation. He works to bridge the gap between clinical practice, business strategy, and emerging technologies, remaining committed to advancing smarter, more efficient healthcare solutions.

Rachel Watt
MRAG & Safety Administrator

Rachel obtained her BSc in Diagnostic Radiography at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, and subsequently worked in Edinburgh before travelling to Australia to gain extensive experience within MRI.

She returned to the UK to take up a Superintendent post to design and set up a new MRI service before coming back to Aberdeen in her current position of Lead MRI Superintendent at NHS Grampian, managing three scanners across Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Woodend hospitals.

Outside the NHS, Rachel maintains a keen interest in professional issues through her involvement in the MRI Advisory Group of the Society of Radiographers (SOR) and has undertaken a variety of roles on the BAMRR Policy Board.

In 2008, she was awarded an MSc in MRI following her studies at the University of Queensland in Australia. She has delivered numerous conference presentations at national level and frequently lectures on postgraduate MRI courses.

Rachel is a member of a UK joint working party producing national guidance for the departmental design and installation of MRI scanners and is an advisory member of the Working Group for NHS England and NHS Improvement updating the Health Building Note Supplement 06-01 MRI. She is also part of the MRI Clinical Advisory task group, collaborating with NHS Supply Chain to develop MRI scanner purchase documentation for the National Imaging Optimisation Delivery Board (NIODB).

Alex Lipton
SOR Representative

Alex Lipton qualified as a diagnostic radiographer in 1989, specialising in MRI in the mid-nineties working at the Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Centre at the University of Liverpool on their 1.5T and 3T systems.

Alex then undertook various roles in MRI within the NHS, research and independent sectors before joining the Society and College of Radiographers as a professional officer in 2010.

As professional officer for senior service managers and cross-sectional imaging, Alex is responsible for leading the Society’s work in the field of MRI and other areas of cross-sectional imaging, and in supporting the professional development and education needs of senior service managers. Her role also incorporates work related to the Quality Standard for Imaging (QSI).

Erica Scurr

Erica is the Lead Superintendent MRI Radiographer at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Erica has over 35 years’ experience in planning, commissioning, and delivering clinical MRI services, and over 20 years of specialist oncology expertise. Whilst clinically based, Erica is responsible for the strategic and safe provision of MRI across three hospital sites and eight MR systems, embedding clinical trials and imaging led research activities into a busy clinical MRI service.

Erica teaches widely on many aspects of cancer imaging, with a specific interest in whole body diffusion weighted imaging, MR guided radiotherapy planning, MRI safety and risk management.

Erica has been a BAMRR member since 1992 and has been a policy board member in the past, including a presidential year in 2005!