Haemoglobinopathies: Specialist Update Study Day
Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care
Course overview
This one-day update is targeted at experienced practitioners (nurses, midwives, and health visitors) who have previously undertaken training through the PEGASUS course, the King’s College London Genetic Risk Assessment and Counselling module or an alternative sickle cell and thalassaemia related module. It is not suitable for non-specialists.
Application deadline: 21 October 2026
Course features
The course is funded by the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening Programme and is free to applicants.
Entry requirements
Applicants must be responsible for counselling women and couples at risk of having an affected baby as part of the NHS Sickle Cell & Thalassemia Screening Programme. This includes the offer of prenatal diagnosis and/or giving results to parent(s) who have given birth to an affected child.
Teaching Schedule
- Wednesday 4th November 2026 – London – venue will be shared with participants by 31/10/26
(this session is face to face and in London)
Attendees from July Manchester study need not apply as the content of the Programme is the same
- Date TBC July 2027 – Manchester (venue TBC)
(this session is face to face and in Manchester)
The maximum capacity for each date is 35
Emma trained at St Barts and the Royal London School of Medicine, University of London and qualified in 2001 and is currently working as a Haematology Consultant between UCLH and the Whittington Hospital. She was Clinical Lecturer in Sickle Cell Disease at King’s College Hospital from 2009 to 2013 and during that time was awarded her PhD based on research into markers of severity and predictors of organ dysfunction in sickle cell disease. In 2013 she was awarded the Early Stage Investigator prize from the British Society of Haematology. She is the Haemoglobinopathy Coordinating Centre lead for North Central and West London, East Anglia and the South West and Central England.
John James OBE has 33 years of experience within the NHS including 4 CEO roles. He was Chair of the West London Cancer network (2002-2005) and Chair of the North West London Diabetes Network (2003-2004). 
Dr Subarna Chakravorty is a Paediatric Haematologist with a special interest in non-malignant haematology and stem cell transplant for haemoglobinopathy and non-malignant diseases. She joined King’s College Hospital as consultant in July 2015. Prior to that, Subarna led the Paediatric Haemoglobinopathy service at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and the Imperial Paediatric Red Cell Disorders Network for 5 years, where she was also involved in the bone marrow transplant programme for paediatric haemoglobinopathy. Since 2021, Subarna has been involved in the adult sickle cell bone marrow transplant service at King’s College Hospital.
Dr Rachel Kesse-Adu is a consultant haematologist who qualified in medicine from Imperial College School of Medicine in 2002 and completed her specialist training in haematology at Kings College Hospital in London in 2012.