Professor Louise Rose

Professor of Critical Care Nursing, King’s College London

Professor Louise Rose, RN, PhD is a Professor of Critical Care Nursing at King’s College London, UK and an honorary Professor in Critical Care and the Lane Fox Respiratory Unit at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. Prior to joining King’s she was an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Her research program focuses on improving outcomes and the healthcare experience of mechanically ventilated patients across the care continuum from the emergency department, intensive care unit, specialised weaning centre and in the home. She also has extensive clinical experience in critical care in four countries. Since commencing her research career she has been awarded 90 peer reviewed research grants and has over 180 peer reviewed publications.

Professor Sarah Wallace OBE

Consultant Speech and Language Therapist in Critical Care, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Sarah Wallace OBE FRCSLT is a Consultant Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Manchester. She specialises in Critical Care and has over 30 years of clinical experience as an SLT. After training in Manchester, Sarah has worked in hospitals and Non-Government Organisations in the UK, Singapore, Grenada (WI) and Cambodia. Whilst working clinically in cardiothoracic, ECMO and general critical care in Manchester, she also teaches and conducts research internationally, focussing on laryngeal injury, dysphagia and communication issues post intubation and tracheostomy. She has over 60 publications, several top cited articles winning awards from the BMJ and the ICS. She holds expert advisor roles with the Intensive Care Society (ICS), the National Tracheostomy Safety Project and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and has contributed to many policies, guidelines and initiatives including GPICS, FEES, NCEPOD and the ICS National Rehabilitation Collaborative. Sarah is also an Associate Editor for JICS. She has pioneered new treatments for laryngeal recovery in ICU, setting up the first FEES service in Asia and the UK and supports SLT service development in the UK, Sweden and Chile. 

Sophy Evelynn Norman

Patient Advocate

Sophy is a patient advocate whose lived experience offers a powerful window into the long arc of critical illness. In December 2022, septic shock precipitated a 10-week coma and triggered hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), marking the start of an eight-month hospitalisation spanning three hospitals.

Life-sustaining interventions included three weeks on ECMO, two rounds of mechanical ventilation, a tracheostomy, nephrostomy and dialysis, alongside blood transfusions, IVIG, and anakinra therapy.

Recovery has been a slow and deliberate process: Sophy has relearned to cough, swallow, speak, eat, and drink—fundamental skills lost during the acute phase. Now navigating post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) and unable to walk without assistance, Sophy has adapted to using her non-dominant hand for writing and is exploring mouth painting as a creative outlet. 

Sophy speaks to the lasting impact of ICU survivorship and the resilience required to rebuild a life afterward. Sophy brings this firsthand experience of survival and adaptation to the medical community, bridging the gap between clinical practice and the reality of life after critical illness.