Speaker Biographies

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Professor Sanganee was appointed Chief Medical Officer for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board in April 2022 and is a member of the ICB Board, prior to this he was Vice Chair of the Clinical Commissioning Group.
He has been a practising GP since 2004 and is a Partner in a practice in Leicestershire.  Being passionate about medical education, he has also worked as a GP Trainer, Medical Student Tutor, GP Appraiser and Examiner for the Royal College of GPs. 
As Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sanganee oversees the delivery of the Clinical Strategy via the System Clinical Executive to drive high-quality clinical services across LLR pathways, ensuring services are of high-standard and accessible within primary, community and hospital sectors, optimising health outcomes and driving down inequalities in care. 
He leads the Medicines Optimisation Team as well as chairing the Regional Medicines Optimisation Advisory Group in the Midlands.  He also chairs the ICS Research Strategy Group.
Professor Sanganee leads a team of Deputy Medical Directors and Clinical Leads with specialist interests who support the delivery of system transformation work either through a specific workstream or through a supportive enabling or Place function.   
He and his team work alongside the Medical Directorates of Acute and Mental Health and Community Trusts and he leads the Professional Leadership Forum for the ICS which serves to integrate multiprofessional clinical leadership across the System.  
He is the Chair of a national ICB Chief Medical Officer Forum, bringing all 42 Integrated Care System Medical Directors together to strengthen the senior clinical voice and influence as well as share good practice and innovation across the NHS.
Professor Sanganee was awarded an honorary professorship from the University of Leicester in July 2025. 

Abbe Vaughan is a Health & Wellbeing Board Manager for Leicestershire also overseeing a key partnership group delivering a strategic life course priority within the current Joint Local Health & Wellbeing Strategy. With over 25 years’ local government experience, with expertise in project and change management and learning & development. She has led a wide range of transformation programmes including decommissioning, service redesign and other strategic initiatives to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Leicestershire residents. Skilled at managing complex projects and driving sustainable, collaborative change across the public sector.

Frances Hinton is the Health and Wellbeing Integration Lead for Rutland County Council, with over 15 years' experience working for the NHS and Social Care. In her current role, she is responsible for driving strategic collaboration across systems to improve population health and deliver integrated, person-centred care.

Her work spans prevention, mental health, and service transformation, with a focus on building sustainable partnerships that enhance outcomes for individuals and communities.

Frances brings a wealth of practical experience and policy insight, and is committed to shaping compassionate, joined-up approaches to health and wellbeing.

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Sharon Mann is a Programme Manager in Public Health at Leicester City Council, where she leads on the delivery of the Leicester Health and Wellbeing Board’s workstreams and strategy. With over two decades of experience in local government, she brings a strong background in project management and cross-sector collaboration. For the past four years, Sharon has focused on public health initiatives, particularly mental health, supporting system-wide efforts to improve population health and reduce health inequalities across Leicester.

Dr Joshna Mavji is Assistant Director of Public Health at Leicestershire County Council, with a wide remit which includes leading on strategic partnerships across the health and social care sector.

With a strong focus on transformation and collaboration her passion towards fostering inclusive, evidence-based approaches to improving population health, she has played a key role in shaping local authority responses to health inequalities, service redesign, and integrated care.

Maria Martinez is an award-winning pharmacist, wellness expert, personal trainer, nutritionist, and author with more than 20 years of experience in healthcare. Having served as a senior NHS clinician, including eight years as a Consultant Pharmacist, Maria now combines clinical expertise with practical wellness strategies to help people achieve
lasting results.
Her signature approach, Doable Wellness, is designed to make health accessible and achievable for everyone. By focusing on realistic, sustainable steps that fit seamlessly into daily life, Maria has guided countless individuals to transform their energy, strength, nutrition, and overall well-being.

She specialises in:

• Integrating healthcare with everyday wellness
• Nutrition and sustainable healthy eating
• Fat loss and weight management
• Strength training and functional fitness
• Confidence, mindset and building lasting healthy habits
• Core strength and mobility for longevity
• Medicines and supplements advice

As an entrepreneur, Maria has built a thriving wellness business that bridges the gap between medicine, nutrition, and fitness. She is also the author of Good Fast Food, Maria’s Festive Treats, and VEguide for Good Fast Food, with a new book, You Are Not the Bin, launching September 2025.

Passionate about healthcare integration, Maria champions a future where wellness and
medicine work hand in hand, empowering people not only to manage conditions but to
live healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Jessie Walker is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner working for North West Leicestershire Primary Care Network. She is also the Senior Paramedic within her  PCN and therefore line manages a team of 7 Paramedics/ACPs and Physician Associates. Jessie works clinically at Measham Medical Unit, and has been working in primary care for 4 years now.

Prior to this Jessie worked for West Midlands Ambulance Service as a Paramedic, and has since completed additional training with Nottingham University and Coventry University to develop her advancing practice knowledge and skills.

Professor Howick is the inaugural Director of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, where his mission is to ensure that all healthcare consultations include a dose of empathy. Previously, he worked in the University of Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, where he co-founded the Oxford Empathy Programme. He holds a degree in Engineering from Dartmouth College, and graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford. He is currently a member of the Sigma Xi honours society and the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) for the East Midlands.
He recently co-founded the Global Network for Empathy in Healthcare, aiming to infuse empathy into every healthcare consultation. With over 250 peer-reviewed publications and three books, including the Amazon #1 bestseller Doctor You, he is a recognized authority in evidence-based healthcare. His work has earned awards from the British Medical Association, European Society for Person-Cantered Care, and the University of Oxford.
Professor Howick has appeared on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and NPR, and his research was featured in a BBC Horizon Documentary that had 2 million viewers. He regularly speaks at high-profile events, delivering keynote lectures and workshops for corporations, NGOs, and academic audiences, inspiring change in healthcare practices worldwide.
He is an international rowing champion and holds a Commonwealth Games Silver Medal.

Follow him on Twitter @jeremyhowick 

Dr Helen Garr is a GP and recognised expert and leader in the field of wellbeing and mental health. She is known for her energetic and unique approach to wellbeing with a call to make her Wellbeing GP training content ‘mandatory for all in the NHS’. She has delivered her talks to audiences across the world and is a frequent guest on TV and Radio, appearing on BBC Politics live, Woman’s hour, Radio 5 live, The Jeremy Vine Show and many more. 
Helen is Medical Director of NHS Practitioner Health, a National service supporting Healthcare professionals with mental health and addiction difficulties, and believed to be the biggest of its kind in the world. 
Having worked for many years in student health as a GP at the University of Nottingham Health Service, Helen also continues to work in out of hours general practice. She has a background in psychology and nursing prior to entering medicine and is a former Public Health England Clinical Champion for physical activity, Director of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine and coach and mentor for healthcare professionals. She sits on a number of national expert groups and has contributed to many national mental health and wellbeing policies and guidance. She is a Nottinghamshire Medical committee member and is their Wellbeing lead. Helen is known for her engaging speaking style and commitment to compassionate leadership and kindness in healthcare. 
Find Helen open water swimming (mainly in the summer), running half marathons (slowly) and walking her chocolate Labrador called Eileen.