Media

Sarah Sleet was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Asthma + Lung UK in April 2024, and has spent the last 18 years as a CEO in the health charity sector. She is passionate about levelling up health inequalities and making chronic conditions a national priority. Sarah is available for interviews on the challenges facing the NHS and public health, air quality, smoking, diagnosis, breakthrough treatments, optimising AI as a healthcare resource, and issues around COPD and asthma care. She is also committed to boldly amplifying the impacts of living with breathlessness.

As a seasoned spokesperson and campaigner, Sarah has featured in a variety of print, digital, and broadcast outlets, including BBC Breakfast, Sky News and Radio 4. She has given evidence before parliamentary health committees and is happy to provide thought leadership pieces and expert commentary across all major health policy initiatives.
@sarahsleet

Samantha leads the Research and Innovation team at Asthma + Lung UK overseeing the research projects we invest in, ensuring the needs of people with lung conditions are at the heart of all research and bringing together funders to invest in lung research. Samantha is available for interviews on a wide range of topics including respiratory research, air pollution, allergies, COPD and asthma care and management. She has previously appeared in media including Radio 4’s Today Programme, BBC Breakfast, ITV News and Sky News.

Samantha holds a PhD (Imperial College, London 2000) in the mechanisms of allergy and asthma and has worked in the field for over 25 years. Her work on allergies and asthma has been published in a range of research journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal and Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Before working at Asthma + Lung UK, Samantha held a range of roles including designing and delivering clinical research projects and programmes, designing respiratory educational programmes through the Open University, diagnosing and treating patients in allergy, asthma and severe asthma clinics in primary and secondary care, influencing health policy and teaching and lecturing healthcare professionals.

Follow Samantha on Twitter at: @samtwick

Nick is a professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College and he is based at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, where he runs a specialist service for people with COPD (chronic bronchitis and emphysema). Nick, who has published more than 250 research papers and qualified in medicine at Cambridge and the London Hospital Medical College, has specialist interests in lung volume reduction for emphysema, pulmonary rehabilitation and tobacco control.

Nick has been interviewed for national media including BBC, The Times and Telegraph and has published research in the BMJ and The Lancet. He is able to provide specialist insight into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking and the impact air pollution has on the lungs.

Follow Nick on Twitter: @COPDdoc

Andy is a practising GP in Portsmouth and the charity’s Clinical Lead. He has worked as a GP for over 15 years and has a wealth of knowledge about diagnosis and treatment of lung conditions, including asthma, in primary care. He has held a range of roles driving innovation and quality improvement including working for the Primary Care Respiratory Society UK, on the Department of Health’s Respiratory Programme and as Clinical Champion for FeNO testing at NHS England.

Andy has been interviewed for a range of national and regional media outlets including the Telegraph, BBC and Sky and written for publications including GP Online, OnMedica and Patient.info and can give expert clinical insight on all lung conditions as well as how digital innovations such as apps can help people manage their lung health.

Follow Andy on Twitter: @76whit

Joseph has worked in public affairs in the health sector for the last 15 years. He leads on external affairs in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, working with governments, parliamentarians and health bodies to prioritise lung health and tackle air pollution. Joseph is able to provide expert commentary on any stories in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and has been interviewed by BBC, ITV Wales, STV, UTV and a variety of national newspapers. In addition to his role at Asthma + Lung UK, Joseph chairs Healthy Air Cymru and Healthy Air Northern Ireland and represents the organisation in a variety of coalitions in the devolved nations.

Follow Joseph on Twitter at: @Joseph_AUKBLF

Emma oversees Asthma + Lung UK’s health advice website, its Long Covid support and severe asthma assessment tools and leaflets, ensuring people with lung conditions have easy access to evidence-based, clinically sound self-management advice wherever and whenever they need it. Before moving to Asthma + Lung UK Emma was Head of Content at the UK’s information and advice service for young people, The Mix.  

Emma regularly offers lung health advice comment in the press and has appeared on TV and radio across a range of national and regional media outlets. She can provide insight on a wealth of topics including condition self-management, long covid, asthma in children and correct inhaler use. She is also happy to discuss the main barriers and challenges faced by people with asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and other lung conditions.

Erika is responsible for leading on the development, delivery, and evaluation of Asthma + Lung UK’s high-quality, evidenced-based, clinically-accurate health information to support people with lung conditions to understand and manage their health. Erika has had a lot of experience of working with clinicians, the NHS, and people with lived experience.

Erika has been interviewed by a range of national and local media outlets, including the Telegraph, BBC, ITV and Sky News. She is able to provide expert commentary on the causes, symptoms and treatments of a wide range of lung conditions including asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, and pulmonary fibrosis. She is also able to provide advice on living with a lung condition, with a focus on how people can self-manage their condition to take control of their health and feel better. 

Erika Kennington heads up the research team at Asthma + Lung UK and is responsible for our portfolio of funded research. Erika holds a PhD from Kings College London and has worked as a research funder in the charity and not-for-profit sector for 12 years. Prior to joining Asthma + Lung UK, she worked as a published researcher in both industry and academia across a number of biomedical and health disciplines.  She regularly comments on respiratory research in national and regional media in relation to all aspects of lung health.