Expertise

Markella has worked in the charitable sector, academia and NHS in the U.K. for over 25 years. CancerBACUP, The Patients Association, The College of Health, London South Bank University and Imperial College - NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre are organisations she worked at. She has extensive experience in:

• health and social care research,

• transformational and operational improvement, and

• patient, public and community involvement, experience and advocacy.

 

She continues with her patient experience and involvement research and lecturing on research methodology, patients' rights and patient involvement policy at both U.K. and Greece. 

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Academically, she completed a cross-national PhD on Patient Empowerment, entitled 'Patient Empowerment in England and Greece: Cross-National Settings, Organisational Implementation, Systems and Cultures', following her MSc in Demography and BSc in Sociology. She is the author of more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and presented in several national and international conferences over the years.

 

She started working as a researcher on patient experience and needs of people with certain conditions very early at her career and she continued for many years. Later on, while at London South Bank University and Imperial College, she led on service user and patient involvement, by developing and implementing patient and public involvement and engagement strategies.   

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She is committed, passionate and enthusiastic about empowering co-creation of health research and services. Her enthusiasm also stems from her personal experience, caring for and supporting close relatives with various ailments and experiencing health care systems both at the U.K. and Greece.