Who we are and what we do at NCIO
Welcome to the
National Centre for
Integrative Oncology
WE ARE THE FIRST INTEGRATIVE ONCOLOGY CHARITY THAT IS CO-LED BY BOTH ONCOLOGY CLINICIANS AND PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE OF CANCER.
Our charity’s objectives are to protect, preserve and promote better health, wellbeing and quality of life for people diagnosed with any form of cancer and their families or carers in particular by:
Providing equitable access to evidence-informed integrative oncology support to people living with and beyond cancer in the UK, through on-site and online programmes, assisting in oncology care and improved quality of life. This will include an app-based service, helpline support and 1:1 integrative medicine care, working in partnership with standard of care oncology providers, primary and secondary care, as well as other charitable organisations.
Undertaking, advancing or supporting integrative oncology research in the UK and disseminating the useful results for the public benefit.
Educating and training healthcare professionals across public and private healthcare, as well as charity sectors, in the delivery of safe and effective multidisciplinary integrative oncology care for the public benefit.
Charity number: 1210476
Our Team
Dr Penny Kechagioglou
CONSULTANT CLINICAL ONCOLOGIST CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER ICON UK; CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCIO BOARD
Dr Penny Kechagioglou is a senior Consultant Clinical Oncologist specialises in the treatment of breast cancer with particular interest in the integration between lifestyle and traditional medicine. Her non-clinical research interest is in Innovation, Leadership and Digital Transformation and she has completed a Doctorate degree in Leadership and Innovation with Warwick Business School.
Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel
INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE & PRECISION HEALTH PHYSICIAN SPECIALISING IN INTEGRATIVE ONCOLOGY
CEO OF THE NCIO
Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel is an award-winning Oxbridge-trained integrative medicine physician scientist and educator with over a decade’s experience in integrative healthcare. Dr Fuller-Shavel is a Fellow of the College of Medicine, the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel participates in research in integrative oncology (IO) and precision health, is an expert integrative and supportive oncology reviewer for international conferences and journals, and contributes to journal editorial boards and guideline development panels, alongside her international IO advocacy work.
Our Team
Dr Jonathan Krell
CONSULTANT MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST,
MEMBER OF THE NCIO BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Dr Jonathan Krell is a Consultant Oncologist specialising in breast and gynaecological cancers, with particular interest in cancer genetics and hereditary malignancies. Dr Krell is a leading member of the translational research team within the Cancer Research UK and Ovarian Cancer Action centers at Imperial College, aiming to overcome resistance to current anti-cancer agents in ovarian and breast cancer.
Anita Khosla
NCIO TREASURER
LIVED EXPERIENCE MEMBER OF THE NCIO BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Anita is one of the Founders and Chief Operating Officer of Verdi Group. She leads the firm’s investment strategy, regulatory compliance, operational execution, and international investor relations. Prior to setting up Verdi, she worked for 15 years at Credit Suisse First Boston as a Vice President in the legal and compliance department in London, New York, and Tokyo. Beyond private equity, she is a Board Member of the International Business Forum in Prague. Anita serves as Trustee and Treasurer for the cancer charity, National Centre for Integrative Oncology where she is applying her financial acumen to support philanthropy and nonprofit governance
Linda Woodhouse
NCIO SECRETARY
LIVED EXPERIENCE MEMBER OF THE NCIO BOARD OF TRUSTEES
In her early career, Linda worked in Retail Management in Scotland, then moving into Sales Management within the Beauty sector where she spent the remainder of her Executive career.
Working with Kenneth Green Associates (KGA) for 25 years, the leading perfume wholesaler and distributor in the UK, Linda operated as Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, Sales Director and latterly as Managing Director/CEO, a position she held for 12 years. Linda’s domain skills are in sales, strategy, brand building, negotiation, P&L, HR, motivation and people management.
Linda is passionate about the integrative approach to cancer care. Living with cancer is tough but having a clear and focused plan and mental resilience is imperative.
Ellie Patsalos
SENIOR FINANCE EXECUTIVE
LIVED EXPERIENCE MEMBER OF THE NCIO BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Ellie Patsalos is the founder and Managing Director of Patsalos Consulting Ltd. She also provides consulting services and is a member of the Geller & Company Advisory Board, a NY based firm. Prior to setting up her own firm, Ellie was a Senior Partner and Vice Chairman of Deloitte LLP, the Global Professional Services Firm. Ellie has vast experience providing business advisory and tax services to a wide range of high profile global organisations; she has worked with senior executives and Human Resource departments to enhance and support their corporate strategy. She also acted as an advisor, identifying and resolving business issues on global expansion to new markets.
Ellie provides a valuable voice of lived experience on the NCIO Board of Trustees with a passion for integrative oncology advocacy.
Dr Michael Flynn
MEDICAL ONCOLOGY CONSULTANT
MEMBER OF THE NCIO BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Dr Michael Flynn is is a Medical Oncology Consultant at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) with an interest in gynaecological cancer and new drug development. He completed his PhD in antibody drug conjugate translational development at University College London and his specialist training at the Royal Marsden Hospital. He now leads the BASKET studies clinic at UCLH.
Our Team
Growth and Resilience in Trauma (GRiT Centre)
Prof Nazanin Derakhshan
HEAD OF CENTRE
Nazanin Derakhshan moved to the NCIO from her position as a Professor of Experimental Psychopathology in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at The University of Reading, UK. At NCIO she continues as the Founder and Director of The BRiC Centre (Building Resilience in Breast Cancer) alongside heading up the GRiT Centre. Prior to joining Reading University in 2022, she spent 18 years in The Department of Psychological Sciences at Birkbeck University of London, UK, where she was promoted to Full Professor in 2012. Bringing her unique perspective as a breast cancer survivor, she was voted a key transformational figure in 'Birkbeck Inspires, 200th anniversary', for transforming the lives of thousands of people through the research she conducts at BRiC, in 2022.
Nazanin has conducted extensive research into the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying anxiety and depressive vulnerability, as well as developing and applying neurocognitive interventions designed at reducing vulnerability and promoting resilience, especially in vulnerable populations. Naz has been the holder of prestigious fellowships such as The Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, as well as at The University of Oxford and St John's College Oxford. She was elected a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science in 2016.
Our Streams of Activities
The NCIO GRiT centre covers the following activity streams:
Clinical integrative care to support post-traumatic growth and resilience in people with cancer and their carers and loved ones
Multidisciplinary research initiatives to look at practical implementation of integrative oncology programmes in this setting
Education and training for healthcare professionals in trauma-competent care, including our 3-month hybrid course on integrative psycho-oncology for healthcare professionals
Contact us
Interested in volunteering for the charity, donating or partnering with us? Please complete this information, and we will be in touch shortly. We look forward to hearing from you!