About Us

The C. Diff Trust Trustees

• Dr Kerrie Davies MBE (Chair)
• Beccy Sinclair (Deputy Chair)
• Dr Jane Freeman (Secretary)
• Trefor Morris. (Deputy Secretary)
• Dr Michael Perry (Treasurer)
• Dr Derek Fairley (Deputy Treasurer)
• Michelle Linsley (Trustee)
• Dr Roya Haghighat-Khah (Trustee)
• Christian John Lillis (Trustee)

 

Dr Kerrie Davies MBE, FRCPath (res), FESCMID

Kerrie Davies is a Consultant Clinical Scientist and Head of the HCAI research Group Laboratory, she was the Deputy Lead for Infection on the NIHR Leeds MedTech Invitro Diagnostics Cooperative (MIC), and is currently Co-lead for the Early Diagnosis and Personalised Care theme of the HealthTech Research Centre, and Deputy theme lead of the Infection and AMR theme of the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), within the Healthcare Infections Research Group at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Honorary Associate Professor of diagnostics for infectious disease at University of Leeds; Senior Scientific Advisor to the Office of the Chief Scientific Officer at NHS England; Co- chair Empower Leeds Women, and Chair for the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease study group committee for C. difficile. During the pandemic she was seconded first into DHSC, and then UKHSA, to lead on validating COVID-19 diagnostic assays, then contributed to writing and setting up, then operationalising, new regulatory legislation (Coronavirus Test Device Approval 2021) for COVID-19 test devices.

Kerrie has been researching in vitro diagnostics for >20 years, both nationally and internationally, including defining the optimal C. difficile testing algorithm which was adopted in the UK and recommended in European, American, and Australasian testing guidelines. She has a passion for the impact of research on patients and healthcare, and in particular supporting Healthcare Scientists in research careers and was awarded CSO Healthcare Scientist of the year in 2021 for her work on COVID-19 diagnostics, and an MBE for services to Healthcare Science in 2025.

She is one half of the Small Faeces, a scientific singing duo, with Dr Jane Freeman. She does her best work while drinking tea and eating cake. @kerrieanndavies @hcaiLeeds

 

Dr Jane Freeman, Secretary

Jane Freeman is an Associate Professor in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leeds and Clinical Scientist at Leeds teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and National Clinical Lead for AMR Diagnostics in the Office of the Chief Scientific Officer, NHS England. At the University of Leeds, she is a senior member of the Healthcare Infections Research Group, and Co- Deputy Lead within the AMR and Infection theme of the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre. She is a previous NIHR Clinical Lecturer. Jane co-chairs the Leeds Female Leaders Network.

Jane has been working in the field of Healthcare Associated Infections, and particularly C. difficile for over 25years. She was responsible for establishing the in vitro gut model of C. difficile infection (CDI) at Leeds, leading to more than 50 publications and being involved in the development of new antimicrobial treatments for CDI. She has led European-wide studies on antibiotic resistance in C. difficile. Jane’s most important moment in researching CDI came when she became a CDI patient herself, becoming a strong advocate for patient involvement in CDI research and management and more widely in infection.

Before she was a scientist, Jane was a musician, and continues her love of music by writing and performing with The Small Faeces, a scientific singing duo with her friend and colleague, Dr Kerrie Davies. Jane loves curry, tea and a good chat. @drjanefreeman @hcaiLeeds

 

Dr Michael Perry (Treasurer)

Michael is a Clinical Scientist in microbiology and the Deputy Lead Scientist of the Public Health Wales UK Anaerobe Reference Unit in Cardiff. With over 20 years’ experience in clinical microbiology, he is dedicated to improving patient’s health care experience and outcomes by optimising the diagnosis and typing of infectious diseases.

Michael is the Chair of the Public Health Wales C. difficile Infection Focus Forum, a multi-disciplinary group of professionals with expertise in the prevention and management of C. difficile infection (CDI). The work of the Forum is patient-focused with the aim to increase CDI awareness of government, health care workers and the public. The Forum has been responsible for producing a C. difficile framework for Wales to promote best practice and deepen understanding of the routes of transmission of this important pathogen.

Michael is also the Chair of the Combatting C. difficile Conference steering group, which provides a patient-focused setting for clinical professionals and researchers to share information and learning that can positively impact increasing rates of CDI seen across the UK, and further afield, since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael loves to exercise and enjoys a wide variety of sports and outdoor pursuits. Otherwise, he spends as much time as possible travelling with his wife and six children as well as singing in his church choir.

 

Beccy Sinclair (Deputy chair)

Beccy is a former academic microbiologist with an MPhil from University of Leeds and has experienced C. difficile infection as a patient. She’s now enjoying life as a full-time dog trainer.

 

Trefor Morris. (Deputy secretary)

Trefor trained as a Biomedical Scientist at the clinical microbiology laboratory in University Hospital Wales, Cardiff, before joining the UK Anaerobe Reference Unit in 2003. As UKARU Lead Scientist he has overseen the evolution of the reference service to provide whole genome sequencing for C. difficile and gold standard aspartate transferase (AST) by agar dilution. He is chair of the European Sub Group for Anaerobic Infections (ESGAI) and chair elect of the Society for Anaerobic Microbiology (SAM) and has published numerous papers and contributed to the works of the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute and Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook. He is currently working alongside the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing to further develop AST methods for anaerobic bacteria.

When not at work he enjoys spending time with his family and keeping active via HIIT training and cycling.

 

Dr Derek Fairley (Deputy treasurer)

Dr Fairley completed his undergraduate training at Warwick University, was awarded a PhD in microbial biochemistry by Queen’s University Belfast, and also holds a Master’s degree in bioinformatics from Manchester University. He is based in Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, where he leads regional molecular typing services for pathogens causing healthcare-acquired infection - particularly C. difficile. He has a longstanding interest in the diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of C. difficile infection, and when not at work, he is usually found messing around on boats.

 

Together, we can end the harmful impact of CDI across the UK and Ireland.