Meet the C19-YRS team

The original C19-YRS patient-reported outcome measure was developed by a team of clinicians and academics from The University of Leeds, Leeds Community Healthcare and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trusts and Airedale NHS Trust during the first wave of COVID-19.

The core team has been supported by research-active clinicians across the UK and internationally to take soundings and gather feedback in order to rapidly develop the most effective screening tool to assess the complex mix of persistent symptoms experienced by patients due to COVID-19. 

The C19-YRS has been iterated over time and adopted globally, digitally enhanced by ELAROS and recommended in national guidelines for Long Covid / post-Covid syndrome around the world. The self-report can be found here.

Professor Manoj Sivan

Bio

Dr Manoj Sivan MD FRCP (Ed)

Dr Manoj Sivan MD FRCP (Ed) is an Associate Clinical Professor and Honorary Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine (RM) with University of Leeds and Leeds NHS Trusts. He led UK’s first study on Covid-19 long term symptoms (long Covid) published in July 2020 that led to the setting up of UK’s first Long Covid service in Leeds in Sept 2020. He also led the development of the C19-YRS (Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale), a NHS England and NICE recommended tool for assessment and monitoring of the condition. His current research interests are developing rehabilitation interventions for Long Covid symptoms and outcome measurement of the condition.

His previous research on home-based rehabilitation robots has won several awards including the European Academy of RM prize and the UK Philips Nichols prize. His research has received grants from NIHR, MRC, EPSRC, ISRT, Research England and RCP.

He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford Handbook of Rehabilitation Medicine. He is also the President-Elect for the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (BSRM). 

Professor Rory O'Connor

Bio

Professor Rory O’Connor

Rory O’Connor is the Charterhouse Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chair of the Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and a Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation at the University of Leeds. He is Lead Clinician and honorary consultant rehabilitation physician in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He is also Deputy Clinical Director and Rehabilitation Technology theme lead for the National Institute for Health Research Devices for Dignity MedTech Co-operative (D4D).

He trained in Medicine at University College and St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin. He undertook clinical training in rehabilitation medicine at the National Rehabilitation Hospital of Ireland and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and in research at University College London, obtaining his MD in 2005.

His leadership roles include chair of the national committee for Rehabilitation Medicine training at the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board from 2010 to 2016, membership of the NICE stroke guideline development group from 2010 to 2013 and membership of NICE’s Medical Technologies Advisory Committee from 2013 to 2016. He was Honorary Secretary of the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine from 2009 to 2013. He is currently an executive committee member of the Baltic and North Sea Forum of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and an editorial board member of the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Dr Mike Horton

Bio

Dr Mike Horton PhD

Dr Horton is an academic Research Fellow at the University of Leeds, and the Director of Leeds Psychometric Laboratory for Health Sciences. He has over fifteen years of applied health research experience, and his research interests focus around measurement science, psychometrics, and implementing Rasch Measurement Theory to create measures of latent constructs. He is an enthusiastic advocate of psychometric methodology, and is committed to developing the next generation of patient reported outcome measures.

Dr Horton is also the primary instructor on a range of world renowned Rasch analysis courses, and is part of a broad, international multidisciplinary collaborative network which looks to shape methodological advances in patient reported outcome measures.

Jeremy Gee

Bio

Jeremy Gee Bsc Msc mCSP

Jeremy qualified as a Physiotherapist in 2009 working rotationally across a wide variety of key areas within Airedale NHS Foundation Trust before focussing mainly on rehabilitation of older adults both in inpatient and community settings. After completing a Masters in Advanced Practice at the University of Leeds in 2019 Jeremy has expanded his holistic management of people within the community setting.

The Covid-19 pandemic has raised significant challenges and the need for a co-ordinated rehabilitation response. With a strong interest in rehabilitation, multi-disciplinary working and a passion for holistic care, working towards a whole system approach to Covid-19 has been a natural progression from Jeremy’s experience so far.

Community Advanced Practitioner | Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Denise Ross

Bio

Dr Denise Ross MCSP, PhD

Dr Denise Ross is a clinical academic specialist physiotherapist within the field of complex and neurological rehabilitation. She works at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and leads R&I for the Physiotherapy Services.

Denise has been instrumental in the development of the COVID rehabilitation pathway in Leeds and works within the Leeds COVID rehabilitation research team.

Denise’s PhD used mixed methods for the conceptualisation, development and testing of a clinically focused outcome measure. She represents the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in the co-production of the publication: Key questions to ask when selecting outcome measures: a checklist for Allied Health Professionals.

R&I lead for Physiotherapy | Clinical specialist physiotherapist complex rehabilitation | Independent and supplementary prescriber | Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Dr Stephen Halpin

Bio

Dr Stephen Halpin

Stephen Halpin is a consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine in the NHS in Leeds, and Senior Clinical Research Fellow in the University of Leeds. He has been central to developing the city’s nationally leading Community Covid-19 Rehabilitation Pathway and works clinically with patients with Long Covid /post Covid-19 Syndrome. His other areas of practice encompass both inpatient and community complex and neurological rehabilitation, and research areas include Long Covid, chronic pain and sleep disturbance, and global rehabilitation.

Senior Research Fellow and Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine | The University of Leeds | Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Leeds Community Healthcare Trust

Sophie Makower

Bio

Sophie Makower

Sophie Makower qualified as a physiotherapist in 1989. After gaining broad experience she specialised in neurology. She has worked clinically for many years in rehabilitation, working with patients with a variety of conditions and within different NHS services and settings – inpatients, outpatients and community. She has had a variety of research experience within rehabilitation. She has worked as a research physiotherapist within a multi-disciplinary research team at the University of Leeds developing and investigating therapeutic exercise devices for people with stroke. She has supported the delivery of research as a therapist and as principal investigator within a clinical stroke service. Since retiring from the NHS in 2018 she has continued to work in a research physiotherapist / research support role within a number of projects.


Research Physiotherapist / Research support | Covid-19 Rehab team | Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Amy Parkin

Bio

Amy Parkin

Amy is a senior neurological occupational therapist, currently on secondment with the COVID research team. She usually works at a specialist complex neurological rehabilitation unit, with a special interest in traumatic brain injury and motor processing. She is advancing her research skills in preparation for return to clinical practice and potential clinical academic career.

Research AHP / Research support (secondment) | Covid-19 Rehab team | Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Dr Nick Preston

Bio

Dr Nick Preston PhD

Dr Nick Preston is a postdoctoral researcher with a background in adult and paediatric physiotherapy (Neuro-Development, Musculoskeletal, Orthopaedics, Neurological Wards and Respiratory Care (ICU, Cardiac ICU, Neonatal Intensive Care and Surgery) and in the community (schools, homes and clinics)). Nick has held posts in the Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at The University of Leeds, where he acted as the physiotherapy advisor on movement and rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy, as well as managing the day-to-day aspects of studies to develop and test assistive robotic technology in homes and schools.

Nick will be responsible for supporting the University’s ongoing research into long Covid by liaising with clinics who adopt the system to ensure only the minimum essential data is gathered for research purposes only.

Research Fellow | Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine | Faculty of Medicine & Health | The University of Leeds

ELAROS

ELAROS is a private digital health company incubated by NHS organisations, that represents a breakthrough, not only in terms of the innovative nature of its product development, but also in its partnership approach that brings together the NHS, the academic community and industry. ELAROS has partnered with The University of Leeds to digitise and enhance its C19-YRS questionnaire by developing a clinical web portal and patient app with another Sheffield-based software development company and strategic partner, PNP Digital.

The NHS organisations involved in ELAROS are:

Devices for Dignity: a NIHR Healthcare Technology Co-operative set up to drive forward innovative new products, processes and services to support people with long-term conditions, preserving their dignity and independence. Devices for Dignity is hosted by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Medipex Ltd and NHS Innovations North: the UK NHS Innovation Hubs for Yorkshire & Humber and the North East Region. Their mission is to facilitate the development of services and products that cut costs and improve patient care.

Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: who provide the clinical direction for ELAROS.

North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group: with whom ELAROS is working to commercialise the hydration monitoring system, Hydr8, and a service improvement management software, the CQI Toolkit.

Professor Paul O'Brien
Chief Executive Officer

Bio

Professor Paul O’Brien

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Professor Paul O’ Brien was appointed CEO of ELAROS 24/7 in April 2012. Paul has held senior posts in the private sector (Chief Executive), local government (Chief Officer), health (Director in West Essex NHS Trust) and education (Head of Department).

He has previous venture start-up experience having established the Essex Development and Regeneration Agency with a turnover of £8.5 million and funds under management of £15 million – employing 60 planners, economists, surveyors, bid writers and fund managers.

He has extensive experience of public sector transformation having externalised a local government service and more recently the externalisation of a £33 Million NHS Service.
Paul also has broad non-executive board experience gained over a 15 year period and has completed the Institute of Directors Diploma in Company Direction.

He is a visiting lecturer to the University of Surrey on its MBA & MSc Entrepreneurship programmes.

Peter Cunliffe
Finance Director

Bio

Peter Cunliffe

Finance Director

Peter Cunliffe qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1983, having trained in Birmingham with one of the then ‘Big 4’ accountancy firms, Deloitte Haskins and Sells.

Since qualifying, Peter has worked in various finance and accounting roles for a wide spectrum of businesses, both in terms of size (£3m up to £1.2bn turnover) and industry sector (including retail, engineering, steel stockholding, laboratory analysis and specialty chemicals).

His early positions were in large blue-chip companies, roles which gave him a full understanding of the importance of pertinent, current management information and the need for strict financial disciplines to augment performance and safeguard assets.

Recognising that most small companies do not need a full-time financial director, Peter set up Flex FD Ltd in 2004, providing a flexible financial direction service for start-up and early-stage companies, particularly in the life science and healthcare sectors, and has helped raise £7m in funding across 10 businesses.

Román Rocha Lawrence
Director of Research & Development

Bio

Román Rocha Lawrence

Director of Research & Development

Román Rocha Lawrence joined ELAROS in July 2019 as our Graduate Trainee Research & Development Manager after graduating from The University of Sheffield with a First Class Honours MEng Degree in Bioengineering.

As part of his degree which drew on various engineering disciplines, management, science and medicine, Román specialised in Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Medical Devices and Computational Medicine; completing a summer research project with INSIGNEO in 2018; Europe’s largest research institute dedicated entirely to the development, validation, and use of in silico medicine technologies.

Román made a substantial impact at ELAROS in his first year using his broad depth of knowledge of interdisciplinary STEM subjects and entrepreneurial experience outside of academia, forming key partnerships for the company at an early stage and managing two pivotal Innovate UK funded projects for ELAROS.

Román has managed the (digital) C19-YRS development with ELAROS’ industrial, academic and clinical partners and will be responsible for the clinical rollout and national launch of the system in the NHS and private sector.

Henry Robinson
Regulatory Affairs & IT Manager

Bio

Henry Robinson

Regulatory Affairs and IT Manager

In July 2022, Henry began in the new role of Regulatory Affairs and IT Manager. In this role he will ensure that Elaros and its products conform to the highest regulatory standards, and that our IT systems are secure for both staff and customers. He will bring his experiences in areas such as data processing, data protection, data ethics, and project management to this new role.

Henry started at Elaros as a part time intern in March 2021 whilst completing his master’s degree in Healthcare Analytics and Artificial Intelligence at Sheffield Hallam University. After completing his master’s degree in January 2022, he transitioned to a full time role as our Business and Healthcare Analyst. In this role he supported the rollout and development of the C19-YRS system, and became heavily involved with our partner company Mi-Trial.

Before joining Elaros, Henry graduated with honours in BSc Biochemistry from the University of Sheffield and worked as Laboratory Technician for a medical devices company. This degree included teaching in genetics, bioinformatics, microbiology, and genomics. Henry has also completed a PGCE in Secondary Science at the University of Manchester.

Oscar Petherick
Programmes
Director

Bio

Oscar Petherick

Research & Development Manager

Oscar joined ELAROS in July 2021, following the completion of the University of Sheffield’s multidisciplinary MEng Bioengineering degree.

Appointed to the role of Graduate Research and Development Associate, Oscar worked across all aspects of the development of the C19-YRS, which was quickly gaining traction amongst NHS Long COVID clinics. During this time, he worked with the team to garner and convert interest in the system as well as designing and testing new features, creating materials for marketing, and instructing users.

In April 2022 Oscar was promoted to the role of Research and Development Manager. In this role he acts as Project Manager for ELAROS Innovate UK Project, Neu-Restore, which will deliver a new way to assess and monitor stroke rehabilitation. Oscar continues his work in the development of the C19-YRS, which is now embedded in the landscape of Long COVID assessment and research. Additionally, he oversees ELAROS’ hydration product portfolio and will play a key role in the development of new ELAROS systems, which are set to roll out in 2023.

Oliwia Zwara
Business Communications Manager

Bio

Oliwia Zwara

Intern

Oliwia was selected to join the company’s summer placement programme whilst completing her University of Sheffield’s MEng Bioengineering degree.

 Whilst specialising in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, the degree also offered her exposure to fields like computer science, medicine and material science as well as industry focused project management. 

Having worked on designing and manufacturing a thermal cycler for COVID-19 testing and hearing about the Elaros’ C19-YRS app and clinical portal, it seemed like the perfect collaboration. 
 
Over her time at the company she has worked on different aspects of the C19-YRS including the commercialisation and implementation, as well as the resource research for the C19-YRS.me and Elaros’ most recent project, Neu-Restore. 

PNP Digital is ELAROS’ long-term strategic technology development partners who we have worked with for a number of years to help bring ELAROS’ ideas into reality. It is through ELAROS’ first product, the Digital Bladder Diary, which PNP helped to rapidly develop the C19-YRS system into world-leading, award-winning, long Covid assessment and management platform which has been taken up by a significant portion of the United Kingdom and internationally.


PNP provide cross platform mobile application design, cloud software development and web design services focused on delivering high-end bespoke digital business solutions right here from our Sheffield based offices. We love cloud and mobile technology, it’s something that we as a team have an abundance of passion for! We use this tied with our experience to provide our customers with something that’s incredibly unique and that is guaranteed to fulfil their digital requirements.