With 11 years clinical experience within weight management and bariatric services, Ness now works as a senior specialist dietitian within the high-volume bariatric unit of Sunderland Royal Hospital.
She currently sits on the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (BOMSS) council as the IHP Dietetic lead and is a member of The Association for the Study of Obesity. Ness was formerly in the training and education role for the Obesity Specialist Group Committee of the British Dietetic Association, however has now stepped into the bariatric liaison role. She is currently contributing to the Bariatric Surgery chapter of the Manual of Dietetic Practice (7th edition).
Working as a team lead in an integrated multi-disciplinary service, she understands the importance of professional representation and how different disciplines play a key role in optimising safety outcomes and progression within the service. Ness prides herself on communication skills in motivational interviewing and behaviour change, and has a passion for patient-centred care.
Helen Parretti
BOMSS IHP representative, Council member Consultant Clinical Senior Lecturer in Primary Care University of East Anglia
Helen is a GP and academic conducting obesity research at the University of East Anglia. Over the last 5yrs, she has also worked clinically in specialist weight management services in the East of England. She is a member of the NICE weight management guidelines and quality standards committees and a RCGP clinical advisor. Helen has been an IHP representative on BOMSS council for the last 3yrs and is delighted to have been re-elected into this position. She aims to continue to work with council members, associated committees and the membership to improve the understanding and management of patients who have bariatric surgery within primary care. Helen has a particular interest in long-term post-bariatric surgery care and currently leads an NIHR funded study in this area, and led the multidisciplinary group who developed the BOMSS GP Hub, launched last year. She also aims to further build on this work as well as support more outreach to primary care healthcare professionals.
Emily McBride
BOMSS IHP representative, Council member
Principal Health Psychologist and Clinical Lecturer
Dr Emily McBride is a clinical academic Health Psychologist and Behavioural Scientist passionate about obesity management and prevention. She splits her time between NHS practice as Principal Health Psychologist in Bariatric Surgery at Lewisham Hospital, and academia as a Clinical Lecturer at King’s College London. She has research streams underway in psychological aspects of bariatric surgery and obesity prevention and regularly publishes in peer-reviewed journals.
Prior to this, Emily was Senior Research Fellow at University College London (UCL) where she held an NIHR fellowship and has also worked in other NHS trusts. She has held policy roles such as Senior Behavioural Scientist for the UK Government Department of Health and Social Care, and Policy Lead for the British Psychological Society. She therefore has experience of advising on national obesity management and prevention projects at population level.
Emily holds a PhD in Behavioural Science which she completed between UCL and Yale University as part of a Yale-UCL scholarship, which won her three national awards. She also holds a Doctorate-level degree and MSc in Health Psychology, and BSc (Hons), all of which she completed in Scotland.
