About ISPEP

ISPEP is a global community of over 2000 patient engagement professionals from over 400 different organisations.

We are led by highly experienced patient engagement professionals with a wide range of experience.

Emma Sutcliffe

Founder / Chief Patient Officer

A global leader in patient-focused medicine development, a medical biochemist, and a psychotherapist and volunteer counsellor, Emma is a true example of where science meets empathy. From starting her career as a medical writer working in HIV, Emma has gone on to win a multitude of awards and speak at countless conferences as a champion for patient

engagement over the past 30 years.

With experience working across biopharma, agencies, and now more recently a patient organisation, Emma is a firm believer in the importance of patient engagement professionals coming together - regardless of background or 'title' - to learn from each other, co-solve challenges, and advance best practices.

Alex Charge

Chief Executive Officer

A global life sciences executive, specialising in strategic transformation, innovation, and patient-centric approaches in healthcare, medicines development and clinical trial optimisation.

Alex brings extensive leadership experience in pharmaceutical, CRO and solution organisations, and is an active industry voice advancing patient-focused drug development, inclusive research, and equitable healthcare.

With experience in Global Clinical Operations, she has led initiatives in Clinical Innovation, Digital Health, DCT/Hybrid Strategy and Business Process Transformation to advance and accelerate access of medicines to patients.

Wider ISPEP team

We thank the following individuals for their contribution to the launch of ISPEP:

Olivia Kersey, Patient Affairs Consultant and ISPEP Managing Editor
Helena Binder, EUPATI Fellow and ISPEP Ambassador Programme Manager
Tanya Sadhwani, ISPEP Digital Content Manager

We are supported by a dedicated team of specialists and Regional Ambassadors.

Whether it’s creating business case studies or amplifying the voices of patient advocates across the globe, ISPEPers are committed to advancing the field of patient engagement to drive meaningful change in healthcare.