We take Funny Blood seriously, so we have a number of clinical and medical Advisors within our Funny Blood ‘Family’ who ensure we provide correct medical information. We’re very proud of our ‘Family’ and truly grateful for their support so thought we’d take the opportunity to introduce them to you …

Dr Gill Lowe is a haematologist (blood specialist) who specialises in treating problems with bleeding and blood clotting.  She did her medical degree in Cambridge and worked in Norfolk, Manchester and Newcastle as a junior doctor before moving to Birmingham in 2006 to specialise in haematology.

Between 2010 and 2013 she worked in the University of Birmingham and researched platelet disorders within the GAPP (genotyping and phenotyping of platelets) project.  Her work involved recruiting patients from over twenty haemophilia centres around the United Kingdom and testing how their platelets work.  Gill has presented findings from this work at several medical conferences and has been an author on numerous scientific papers on this subject.  She has also been involved in running other clinical research studies in patients with clotting and bleeding disorders.  At the end of 2015 Gill will take up a Consultant Haematologist post in the Haemostasis and Thrombosis department at University Hospital Birmingham. Gill said :

“I’ve been involved with Funny Blood for a number of years and hope to help to meet the aims of increasing awareness of inherited PFDs and providing practical and helpful information and support to patients and families affected by them.”

Dr Neil Morgan is a non-clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham. His research is primarily involved in the identification of novel genes for inherited diseases and he has published over 60 research papers in scientific journals in the field of human genetics.

His current research focuses on the genetics of patients with platelet bleeding disorders and low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia). In identifying novel gene defects for these conditions he hopes that they will provides clues to how the patients’ platelets work and how this leads to excessive bleeding in these patients. Neil said that :

“Funny Blood will help to increase awareness of this group of rare diseases and raise funds for children being cared for at the Haemophilia Unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. I totally support what they are doing.”