The 2025 FPM Annual Symposium: Innovation in times of global uncertainty will explore how pharmaceutical medicine can play a vital role in addressing uncertainty and misinformation, helping bring clarity based on evidence, balance and equity.
We are continuously updating this section as we announce more speakers. Check back regularly for the latest additions to our expert speaker lineup.
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Click on the following names to find out more about each speaker:
Plenary Discussion
Deep Dive Speakers
Chief Executive Officer of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
Keynote: Pharmaceutical Medicine for Health Security
Professor Susan Hopkins CBE FMedSci is an infectious disease clinician, epidemiologist and public health leader. She has 30 years health experience – clinical, operational and academic; and 15 years in national and international leadership roles. She was Clinical Director for Infection services in the Royal Free Hospital from 2016 to 2018. She played pivotal roles in the UK’s COVID-19 response, serving as Incident Director at Public Health England, Interim Chief Medical Advisor to NHS Test and Trace, and Strategic Response Director during the pandemic. From November 2021 to August 2025, she served as Chief Medical Advisor, Director General at UKHSA. She commenced as CEO in September 2025.
Former Chief Medical Officer at Pfizer
Keynote: Good Sense and Good Science: Inclusion in Pharmaceutical Medicine
Dr Freda Lewis-Hall, a pioneer in medicine and leadership, has been on the front lines of health care for more than 40 years as a clinician, researcher, and leader in the biopharmaceuticals and life sciences industries. A passionate advocate for health equity and improved outcomes for all patients, Dr Lewis-Hall has served in multiple leadership positions in the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, she spent more than 10 years at Pfizer, Inc. on the executive leadership team as Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, and later Chief Patient Officer.
Trained as a psychiatrist, Dr Lewis-Hall began her medical career in frontline patient care and became well known for her work on the impact of mental illness on families and communities and on issues of health-care disparities. She recently completed a decade of service on the inaugural Board of Governors for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. She continues her commitment to health, science, and advocacy by serving as a board member and advisor to a number of health and life sciences organisations.
Dr Lewis-Hall is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and Howard University College of Medicine. She is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom.
Non Executive Director at Compass Pathways
Keynote: Generating Momentum in Innovation on Shifting Sands
Dr Annalisa Jenkins FRCP is a life sciences thought leader with over 25 years of experience building and financing companies pursuing cures for the most challenging diseases globally. She has consistently mentored leadership teams advancing programs from basic research through clinical development, regulatory approval, and into healthcare systems globally.
Dr Jenkins graduated in Medicine at the University of London and received her Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians London. She trained in Cardiovascular medicine and was a research fellow at Imperial College. Earlier in her career, Dr Jenkins was a medical officer in the British Royal Navy during the Gulf Conflict, achieving the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant Commander. She also held senior leadership roles at Merck Serono, and Bristol Myers-Squibb over 15 years. Dr Jenkins served as President and CEO of Dimension Therapeutics, a leading gene therapy company she took public on the NASDAQ and subsequently sold to Ultragenyx.
Following her relocation back to the UK, she developed a portfolio of roles spanning the public, private and charitable sectors including Genomics England, The King’s Fund, British Heart Foundation and Chair of YouBelong, a leading mental health care charity. She is also a Board member of several growing public and private companies including AVROBIO, COMPASS Pathways, Affimed and Mereo Biopharma. Dr Jenkins serves on a number of advisory boards and contributes publicly on leadership with purpose, social entrepreneurship, diversity and innovation.
Executive Director, Medical Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
Panel Discussion: Comparing and Contrasting Local Challenges and Working Together Globally
Amit Aggarwal has over 14 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently at LEO Pharma as Medical Director for the UK and Ireland. Prior to that he spent over a decade at Bayer where he held various roles including pharmacovigilance, Global medical affairs, and latterly as Director of Medical Affairs UK for General Medicine.
His background is as a medic, spending 5 years working clinically in the NHS, mainly in secondary care. Amit has worked on both innovative and established product launches, spanning a range of therapy areas including oncology, women’s health, cardiovascular medicine, dermatology and thrombosis in the UK and globally.
Amit holds a MA in Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge, and a MBBS from Guy’s, King’s & St Thomas’ School of Medicine.
Director of Regulatory Strategy at Richmond Pharmacology
Deep Dive 1: Future Health of Women
Lisa is an experienced clinical researcher and regulatory strategist, currently serving as Director of Regulatory Strategy at Richmond Pharmacology. She is a medically qualified Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and has acted as Chief Investigator on numerous clinical trials in women’s health.
Previously, Lisa was a Senior Medical Assessor at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), where she developed expertise in trial eligibility and regulatory frameworks. She contributed to an internal MHRA working group on women’s health, led the agency’s involvement in the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement initiative with the Health Research Authority (HRA), and co-authored guidance promoting diversity and inclusivity in clinical trials.
She also represented the MHRA in the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Maternal Health Project and has participated in international collaborations, including a workshop with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on including women of childbearing potential in clinical research.
Expert Medical Director in Metabolism at Roche
Deep Dive 1: Future Health of Women
Jennifer is a metabolic medicine physician and obesity expert with nearly 20 years of clinical research leadership in the design and delivery of Phase 1-4 clinical trials; she is currently leading the early clinical development of incretins and related drugs. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Jennifer was Professor of Metabolic Medicine and Associate Dean for Research at Lancaster University (UK) with a portfolio of NIHR grant funded trials and research in obesity and diabetes. She also held the role of Deputy Clinical Director of the NIHR North West Coast Clinical Research Network, overseeing the delivery of commercial and grant funded trials in NHS primary and secondary care, with specific responsibility for clinical researcher development and digital trial infrastructure. True collaboration with experts by lived experience has been a key priority throughout her research career.
Co-Chair of the BRIDGE Commission
Deep Dive 1: Future Health of Women
Ngawai Moss works with families, researchers, clinicians and civil society organisations to ensure patient perspectives shape health research. She is a co-investigator on several studies and was recognised by Health Data Research (HDR) UK for her role in Patient and Public Involvement.
Ngawai co-chairs the Better Research, Information and Data Generation for Empowerment (BRIDGE) Commission, which focuses on improving reproductive health globally for women with chronic conditions. In 2024, she spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative during the UN General Assembly about the need for inclusive research that addresses existing data gaps. She also serves as an honorary research fellow at QMUL.
Chief Medical Advisor at PA Consulting
Deep Dive 1: Future Health of Women
Hilary is a senior clinician with extensive expertise in oncology and medical management. She has served as an acute trust Medical Director and Professor of Oncology at the University of Surrey and was actively involved in clinical trials across all phases throughout her clinical career.
After more than two decades in the NHS, Hilary transitioned to the private sector, where she has spent the past 15 years in life sciences and healthcare consulting, including the last four years as Chief Medical Advisor at PA Consulting. In July 2024, she became a joint Non-Executive Director at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust and Barts Health, where she chairs the Quality Assurance Committee at both organisations.
Patient Partnership Editor at the British Medical Journal
Deep Dive 2: Communicating on the Front Line
Emma Doble has lived with type 1 diabetes for over 30 years. She is the Patient Partnership Editor at the British Medical Journal (BMJ) where she leads on all of the patient partnership work across the journal and company. Emma also is the founder of CEEHealth, an organisation which guides, supports and facilitates patient partnership and involvement across healthcare.
Over the past 15 years, Emma has become an internationally recognised patient advocate for diabetes. She has worked with many organisations including the Scottish Government, World Health Organisation (WHO), Breakthrough T1D UK and Cochrane on patient partnership and co-production. In 2025, Emma won a Made with Patients award at the Patient Engagement Open Forum (PEOF) for her work in leading patient partnership at BMJ.
Chief Executive and Founding Director of the Science Media Centre
Deep Dive 2: Communicating on the Front Line
Fiona Fox is the Chief Executive and Founding Director of the Science Media Centre, which, since it was established in 2002, has become an indispensable resource for science journalists in the UK. She has a degree in journalism and many years of experience working in media relations for high profile national organisations, including, amongst others, the Equal Opportunities Committee and the Catholic Agency for Overseas Devlopment (CAFOD).
She has received many accolades for her services to science, including an OBE, honorary fellowships of the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Society of Biology and the British Pharmacology Society. Fiona is also the author of ‘Beyond the Hype: Inside Science’s Biggest Media Scandals from Climategate to Covid’.
Interim Executive Director Innovation and Compliance, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Deep Dive 2: Communicating on the Front Line
James Pound joined the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2008. He has worked in a variety of roles within the MHRA and is an executive leader within the Agency with responsibility for their Innovation Accelerator (the home of their innovative pathways for medicines and medical devices), the clinical investigations and trials group, the team who are working to develop new regulations on guidance for MedTech and AI, and the standards and compliance function. James led the cross-Agency response to clinical trial assessment delays in 2023 which were successfully eliminated in Autumn 2023 with sustained performance by the MHRA since then.
Founder and CEO, Curistica Ltd
Deep Dive 3: New Technologies
Dr Keith Grimes is founder and CEO of Curistica, a Healthtech Innovation Consultancy helping builders and buyers of Clinical AI innovate faster, safer, and smarter. A GP and former Director of Clinical Product Management at Babylon, Keith is internationally recognised as a thought leader in responsible Clinical AI. He has contributed to the Topol Review, AI All Party Parliamentary Group, advised the UK Government on Generative AI in Healthcare, and lectures at Warwick, UCL, and Bayes Business School. With Ambient Voice Technology and AI rapidly deploying in surgeries and hospitals, Keith works with builders and users to ensure safe and effective implementation for clinicians and patients.
Founder and CEO of Camcon Robotics
Deep Dive 3: New Technologies
Professor Tim Higenbottam FFPM is a senior pharmaceutical physician with extensive experience in clinical development and regulatory affairs. A recognised expert and innovator in respiratory medicine, he has made significant contributions to academia and is credited with pivotal discoveries of new therapeutics including the use of inhaled nitric oxide and prostacyclin for treating pulmonary hypertension.
Tim is a past President of FPM, having served his three-year term from November 2018 to November 2021. Recently, he is Founder and CEO of Camcon Robotics, a therapeutic devices company developing advanced oxygen delivery systems for patients with respiratory failure.
Consultant Anaesthetist and Honorary Professor of Practice at UCL
Deep Dive 3: New Technologies
Prof. Duncan McPherson, MBBS FRCA, is a Consultant Anaesthetist at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Head Clinician at QMD Services Notified Body. He is a member of WHO STAG MEDEV, Honorary Professor at University College London in medical device regulatory science and a member of ISO working groups writing standards on clinical investigation and evaluation of medical devices.
Duncan was Clinical Director of Medical Devices at MHRA during implementation of the EU MDR, Brexit, and Covid-19. Duncan runs a special interest group for clinicians specialising in medical devices regulation. His interests are in sustainability of medical devices, global health, and how the regulatory system can contribute to improved medical devices leading to better care of patients.
Senior Vice President at Elsevier
Deep Dive 3: New Technologies
David is Senior Vice President at Elsevier, leading R&D developing indicators of research impact and improved tools to support research. He is Hon Consultant Urologist at Cambridge and was previously Chair of Surgical Oncology; previously he was Head of School and Professor of Surgery at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
He has published >690 papers (cited > 58,000 times; H index: 121). His research was focused on developing better methods of detecting and managing early prostate cancer and understanding molecular changes in androgen receptor signalling. He introduced robotic surgery to the NHS in Cambridge and carried out retro-peritoneal surgery for testis cancer.
Head of Programme, Population and Systems Medicine Board, Medical Research Council
Deep Dive 4: Our Ageing Population
Graham is Head of Programme for Ageing and Multimorbidity in the Population and Systems Medicine Board at the UK Medical Research Council (MRC). The Board supports mechanistic and applied research relating to the physiology and pathophysiology of major human organs and systems, including population health and the impact of environmental factors on health and development across the life course.
Graham joined MRC in 2019 and has led a number of strategic cross-disciplinary research funding opportunities and initiatives. Previously, Graham was a post-doctoral researcher at different UK and international research organisations.
Vice President of Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine
Deep Dive 4: Our Ageing Population
Emma Harvey is an independent pharmaceutical physician with over 25 years’ experience in drug development, medical affairs and corporate leadership.
She has worked predominantly in rare and infectious diseases in both biotech and big pharma. Emma holds MRCP, is a Fellow of FPM and current Vice President of FPM.
Senior Global Medical Director, ViiV Healthcare
Deep Dive 4: Our Ageing Population
Dr Ana Milinkovic is an Infectious Diseases specialist with expertise in HIV, ageing, and antiretroviral therapies. She serves as Senior Global Medical Director at ViiV Healthcare and holds honorary clinical and academic appointments at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Imperial College London. Her work focuses on HIV-related comorbidities, PrEP/PEP strategies, and digital care pathways. She founded the UK’s first Live Well Pathway Clinic and has advanced person-centred HIV care. Dr Milinkovic has contributed extensively to clinical research and innovation in HIV prevention, treatment, and ageing.
NIHR Director for Public Voice
Deep Dive 4: Our Ageing Population
Jeremy Taylor is a leader and expert in patient voice. As Director for Public Voice at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) he has since 2020 led and strengthened NIHR’s work on public engagement and the dissemination of research evidence.
From 2009 to 2019 Jeremy was chief executive of National Voices, the national patient advocacy charity. It grew in stature from a start-up under his leadership and he was awarded the OBE in recognition of this work. He is also a former senior Treasury official.
Jeremy is co-author of “Organising Care Around Patients” published by Manchester University Press in 2021 and a chapter author of Research Handbook on Leadership in Healthcare published by Edward Elgar in September 2023.
Chair of British Society of Gerontology’s Special Interest Group on Ageing Business and Society; Founder and Principal at Covostra Ltd.
Deep Dive 4: Our Ageing Population
Rob’s career began in the pharmaceutical industry as a field sales representative. He has since held senior roles in Government Relations and External Engagement at Pfizer, Gilead Sciences, and UCB, both in the UK and globally. In 2007, Rob founded his first healthcare communications agency and has been building Covostra since 2021, leveraging decades of experience to help pharmaceutical companies achieve distinction and leadership through strategic and impactful human-centred engagement.
Rob has extensive experience in various healthcare areas, including Oncology, Vision Care, HIV & AIDS, Immunology, Chronic Viral Hepatitis, Cardiovascular, and Rare Diseases. He is a trustee of the Primary Biliary Cholangitis Foundation and a founding member of the Leading Intestinal Failure Equality in Europe (LIFE) initiative. Rob holds a Bachelor of Laws and was awarded a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University School of International Public Affairs (SIPA).
