Steering Committee

Steering Committee

The professional advisory structure for Weqas is a Steering Committee which meets with the organisers of Weqas three times a year. Steering Committee members selected are renowned within their fields with medical, scientific or technical experience to cover the scope of EQA services provided and advise the organisers of Weqas on the overall operation of the programme. Steering Committee members discuss the frequency of distribution of materials, the types of materials to be distributed, methods of statistical analysis and data presentation, the desirability of introducing new investigations to the programme, evaluation of criteria for satisfactory performance, the critical cut offs, the appropriate clinical range, clinical advice and interpretative comments. The Steering Committee is not concerned with the performance of individual participating laboratories, except where this might indicate a failure in the operation of the programme.

The Steering Committee discusses with the organisers criteria for satisfactory performance although the overall responsibility for the acceptance of such criteria will rest with the Weqas Director. There are also additional experts which act as Clinical Advisers in specific Programmes. All members of the Steering Committee are available to receive comments from participants, although the majority of comments are received by the organisers via the “helpline”.

Full Members

Dr. David Housley
Title and Qualifications: Consultant Clinical Biochemist, BSc, MSc, PhD, DipRCPath.
Organisation: Dept of Chemical Pathology, Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust, Luton.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Chair. General Clinical Biochemistry advice. Area of expertise – Quality Control. Member of PFLM Group.
Date of appointment: 10/2015
Prof. Garry John
Title and Qualifications: Consultant Clinical Biochemist, BSc, MSc, PhD, MCB, FRCPath.
Organisation: Retired – past Chair of Weqas Steering Committee.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 General Clinical Biochemistry advice, Advisor for HbA1c Scheme. Ex-Chair IFCC ED- Diabetes Biomarkers Committee.
Date of appointment: 10/1996
Dr. Patrick Twomey
Title and Qualifications: Consultant Chemical Pathologist, BSc, MB, BAO, BCh, FRCPath, FACB.
Organisation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Clinical advice in Chemical Pathology. Ex-Deputy Chair of Joint Working Group in Clinical Chemistry. Ex-chair of NQAAP in Chemistry.
Date of appointment: 10/2012
Dr. Lorraine Brunt
Title and Qualifications: Consultant Clinical Scientist, MSc FRCPath EuSpLM.
Organisation: Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Dept Clinical Chemistry, Wansbeck General Hospital, Ashington, Northumberland.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Area of expertise – Toxicology.
Date of appointment: 07/2025
Mr. Jamie West
Title and Qualifications: Biochemistry Manager and IT lead. Biomedical Scientist, CSci FIBMS.
Organisation: Pathology Department, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Peterborough City Hospital, Edith Cavell Campus, Bretton Gate, Peterborough.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 General Pathology advice. Area of expertise – Quality Control and IT. IBMS representative.
Date of appointment: 06/2018
Dr. Emma English
Title and Qualifications: Associate Professor in Medical and Health Sciences. BSc, PhD.
Organisation: Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Registered Clinical Scientist. Area of expertise – HbA1c, POCT device evaluation. Chair IFCC ED- Diabetes Biomarkers Committee.
Date of appointment: 03/2020
Dr. Aidan Ryan
Title and Qualifications: Consultant Chemical Pathologist, MB, BMedSci, MSc (Genomics), PhD, MRCP, FRCPath (Chemical Pathology), FFPath (RCPI).
Organisation: Pathology, University College Cork College of Medicine and Health, Cork, Ireland.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Clinical advice in Chemical Pathology, lipids and inborn errors of metabolism.
Date of appointment: 03/2023
Prof. Timothy James
Title and Qualifications: Laboratory Manager, BSc, MSc, PhD, FIBMS.
Organisation: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 General Pathology advice. Area of expertise – Angiogenic markers.
Date of appointment: 03/2023
Ms. Elizabeth Ralph
Title and Qualifications: Principal Clinical Scientist (Immunology). BSC, MSc, FRCPath, PGDip.
Organisation: Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Area of expertise – Immunology
Date of appointment: 03/2023
Dr. Catherine Moore
Title and Qualifications: Consultant Clinical Scientist (Virology). MBE BSc MSc FRCPath.
Organisation: Public Health Scotland, Edinburgh.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Area of expertise – Virology
Date of appointment: 08/2023

Advisors

Dr. Danja Schulenburg-Brand
Title and Qualifications: Consultant in Medical Biochemistry and Metabolic Medicine, MBChB, MMed (Chempath), FRCPath.
Organisation: Department of Medical Biochemistry & Immunology, University Hospital of Wales.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Clinical advice in Chemical Pathology. Clinical lead in inborn errors of metabolism and porphyria. Advisor for Porphyrin Scheme.
Date of appointment: 03/2022

Weqas Staff Members

Annette Thomas
Title and Qualifications: Consultant Clinical Biochemist, MPhil, CBiol, CSci, MSB, FIBMS.
Organisation: Weqas, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Quality, EQA and POCT. Member of IFCC Task Force on Global Quality.
Member of IFCC POCT Committee. Chair National POCT Strategic Board, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement. Member of EQALM Scientific Committee. Member of PFLM Group.
Date of appointment: 09/1992
Gareth Davies
Title and Qualifications: Principal Biochemist, Deputy Director, BSc, MSc, EuSpLM, FRCPath.
Organisation: Weqas, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 EQA. Member of ACB National Audit Group. Member of PFLM Group.
Date of appointment: 01/2013
David Ducroq
Title and Qualifications: Principal Biochemist, Head of Reference Lab, BSc, MPhil.
Organisation: Weqas, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Reference measurement, traceability. Leader of JCTLM working group on Electrolytes and Blood Gases Review Team.
Date of appointment: 04/2004
Samantha Jones
Title and Qualifications: Biomedical Scientist, Operations Manager, BSc, PGDip, FIBMS.
Organisation: Weqas, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 EQA, Member of IFCC working Group on Faecal Immunochemical testing, Member of EQALM Scientific Committee. Member of the EQALM Board.
Date of appointment: 04/2011
Charlotte Evans
Title and Qualifications: Quality Manager, BSc, MRes.
Organisation: Weqas, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Area of expertise /
representative:		 Area of expertise – Quality Management & Assurance.
Date of appointment: 02/2026

Last updated: 06/10/2026

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