Radiographer Working Group – British Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (BSCMR)

BSCMR – Radiographers Working Group (RWG)

BSCMR is delighted to announce the establishment of its very own Radiographer Working Group (RWG).
The BSCMR RWG has been initiated by the BSCMR to promote the interests of CMR Radiographers. The members of this group are experienced CMR radiographers who are passionate in championing the role of CMR radiographers. We aim to develop and establish education and training resources, which will promote a standardised approach to acquiring high quality images and developing high class CMR centres.
The BSCMR not only provides our members with a platform to share our knowledge and expertise through the webinars and conferences we deliver, but also offers a place for our small community to come together and share our experiences and learn together.

RWG members

Benny Lawton

I am a diagnostic radiographer with over 16 years of Cardiovascular MRI experience. I was the first Superintendent radiographer at the Bristol Heart Institute, one of the UK’s largest single scanner CMR units. I was a co-founder and co-director of the Bristol Cardiac MRI Radiographers course for 5 years. After working for 20 years in the NHS, I have now moved to the independent sector as the Executive CMR Radiographer for St Joseph’s Hospital in Malpas, Wales. I currently sit on the Technologist committee for the Society of Cardiac MRI (SCMR), the education committee for the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) and I am the radiographer representative to the board of the British Society of Cardiac MR (BSCMR). I am currently a contributor to the SCMR newsletter and co-author the technologist top tip segment. I have given presentations over the last 10 years on cardiac MRI technique across the world both virtually, and in person. I am an ardent advocate of CMR radiographer education and our role development. I have published articles on radiographer education in peer reviewed journals and industry magazines.

Rachel Elizabeth Dale

Rachel works as a senior Radiographer at the James Cook University Hospital (JCUH), Middlesbrough, where for the last decade her speciality has been Cardiology. Rachel has a dual role working between four busy Cardiac Catheter Labs and Cardiac MRI (CMR). The CMR service started in 2011 at JCUH and Friarage Hospital Northallerton in 2018, Rachel trained MRI Radiographers and Catheter Lab Radiographers to perform CMR scans on 3 different Siemens MRI scanners. Rachel oversees CMR Research and manages the CMR Aortic surveillance program, which includes requesting and vetting requests.
Rachel is proud to have played a central role in the writing and implementation of a standard operating procedure in 2016, enabling patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices to be scanned safely in MRI.
With her continuous drive and passion to keep learning and teaching others, her professional goal is to empower colleagues to be confident in producing high quality diagnostic CMR images.
When not at work, Rachel enjoys the busyness of raising her four children along with her husband Lee.

Jane Francis

I am a CMR radiographer with over 20 years’ experience in the field beginning my CMR career at The Royal Brompton Hospital in 1997 . I then moved to the University of Oxford where I was the lead radiographer and head of Imaging applications in OCMR, having a varied research and clinical career. I am passionate about radiographer education as well as promoting best clinical practise. I have been an invited speaker at many national and international meetings on various cardiac MR techniques and have been a faculty member of SCMR, BSCMR and Euro CMR on many occasions. I have also been invited to teach and mentor radiographers nationally and internationally and in 2018 I was the first radiographer to be awarded the honour of Fellow of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (FSCMR) in recognition of my contributions and achievements in the field.

Emma Kendrick

Originally from Wales, Emma graduated University of Wales College of Medicine with a degree in diagnostic radiography in 1999. She started her MRI career in Wales, before moving to London and working at UCLH. After spending 8 years in Business development in New York, she set up the cardiac MRI service at the prestigious Harley Street Clinic upon her return, scanning complex congenital cardiac cases in paediatrics and all manner of adult cardiomyopathies. She is currently the Deputy Imaging Manager there, but enjoys keeping up her clinical skills in cardiac MRI.

Kevin Strachan

I have been a cardiac MRI radiographer for 13 years, the last 4 of which have been as cardiac MR lead at Nottingham University Hospitals.
I am passionate about championing advanced practice for radiographers. I constantly look to challenge the ways CMR is taught and understood, by developing new training schedules, documentation and videos for radiographers and clinicians. I also continually strive to push the boundaries of advanced practice and role development for radiographers within CMR. I have established a cardiology and radiology registrars CMR course in Nottingham along with my cardiology colleagues and have developed a radiographers training course due to run in late 2022 for the first time.
I am involved in ongoing in a number of national research projects with Nottingham University and Philips.
I am privileged to have been involved with the BSCMR radiographer steering group since early 2021 and have helped to develop and present interactive webinars and live presentations within the group. I am also a member of the newly founded educational sub-committee.
I am currently the only reporting radiographer of CMR in the UK.
I have also regularly presented at radiology and cardiology conferences including those organised by: BSCMR, BAMRR, ISMRT, IFRS, UKOI and Philips Medical international.
Away from radiography, I am a published author, commissioned portrait and landscape artist and a slightly bewildered husband and father to three children.

Lauren McAuley

I have been qualified from 2013 and have about 6 years of that working in MRI. I trained at the University of Liverpool and then worked at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013-2016.
I then moved home to Belfast to work at the Mater Hospital in the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust. Although we scan a wide range of MRI examinations, the majority of the work is Cardiac imaging. I have really enjoyed learning and developing skills in cardiac imaging and feel very competent in performing various cardiac scans such as congenital, viability, angiography and stress cardiac MRI. I attended BSCMR in Manchester which I really enjoyed.
I have a keen interest in MRI safety and have taken on the role of organising Pacemakers and ICD’s which require MRI at the Mater Hospital. I have attended a MRI devices training day in St Barts Hospital which has helped me fulfil this role.
I enjoy the teaching aspect of my job therefore I take a keen interest in helping new starts learn about cardiac MRI. I also like to help out with students when they are on placement and help them any way I can on their journey to become a Radiographer.
Outside of MRI I play football and currently undertaking my badges to become a football coach.

Lizette Cash

I graduated from UCOL Palmerston North in New Zealand with a Bachelor of Applied Science (MIT) and moved to the UK in 2007. I worked across multiple private and NHS sites in South England in MRI and General Xray. I moved into Cardiovascular MRI in 2012 whilst working with Alliance Medical and helped to set up the CMR service at Clock House Imaging Centre in Epsom. Since moving on from my roving Radiographer position with Alliance Medical I worked briefly at Kings College Hospital in Denmark Hill, London before joining the Barts Heart Centre in 2015. During my time at Barts I continued to work at other various sites in MRI and CMR, Kings College (London), Bupa Cromwell (London), St Helier’s Hospital (Jersey) and with In Health.
I became the Operational Lead for the Cardiac Cross-sectional Dpt at Barts Heart Centre in 2018, leading the Cardiovascular MRI and Cardiac CT services. I have been honoured to work with a plethora of talented Cardiologists, Cardiac Radiographers and Cardiac Physiologists. With Barts, we established a robust scanning service nationally for patients with CIEDs and have run regular courses on MRI for patients with cardiac devices. I presented on MRI and cardiac devices at UKIO in 2019 and am part of the RWG for BSCMR. I have now left London to relocate to Harrogate, North Yorkshire and am currently working in CMR and AIC at Leeds General Infirmary and at my local Harrogate District Hospital.

Nabila Mughal

CMR superintendent radiographer @Kings college London, St.Thomas’ hospital since 2018 looking after 5 (soon to be 8) scanners; doing a mixture of clinical and research work at the Rayne institute. Worked previously at Barts hospital for 7 years.

Vanessa Orchard

Vanessa is currently the MRI superintendent for the Cardiac MRI service at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Glasgow. She has been working in MRI for the past 20years and been performing dedicated CMR for the past 10years. She started Cardiac MRI imaging in paediatrics at the RCH children’s hospital in Melbourne but returned to the UK 12 years ago to focus
on CMR imaging. She performs a wide range of CME including varied research and congenital scanning. She has been an invited speaker at international conferences such as SMRT Euro CMR and UKRC.

Louise McGrath

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