
The Synnovis Future Leaders in Innovation Podcast
By Future Leaders in Innovation

The Synnovis Future Leaders in Innovation PodcastFeb 23, 2021

Sustainability in the Laboratory
In this special green edition of our podcast, we talk with Robert Booth, Head of Environmental, Social and Governance at SYNLAB UK and Ireland, about the ways in which the company is currently contributing to sustainability goals, as well as how our colleagues can get involved themselves.
Topics include:
• Introductions and background to Rob and his role as Head of ESG
• Introduction to ESG – what is involved in the ESG framework and roadmap.
• Expanding on the three pillars in the framework – Green, Care and Citizenship.
• Synlab Green - the current projects ongoing and what are the future targets. In particular, focusing on the new Pathology Hub and how this will impact waste and environmental management.
• Synlab Care – an overview, current projects and future targets - focusing on Lab ISO standards and the 2025 target of increasing the average number of training hours per FTE by 50%.
• Synlab Citizenship – an overview, current projects and future targets.
• London Climate week - How staff across all roles and grades at SYNLAB can make a difference to help reduce the negative impact we have on our climate.
• How to access more information on the ESG and ways to contribute.

Women in Science - Working in a Female Led Team
The Women in Science series aims to shine a light on some of the women working within Synnovis, highlighting their careers and achievements so far, and giving advice to those at the beginning of their career journeys. Each episode will explore the strengths and challenges of being a woman in a scientific background.
This episode will include interviews with two of our leading Women in Science at Synnovis, focusing on the topic of working in a female led team.
The first conversation in this episode is with Aine McCormack from the Haemostasis and Thrombosis team, who spoke with fellow Future Leader Sarah Curran. We also had the chance to have a chat with Frances Smith, a key female leader in the molecular pathology laboratory.

Women in Science - Coping with Change
The Women in Science series aims to shine a light on some of the women working within Synnovis, highlighting their careers and achievements so far, and giving advice to those at the beginning of their career journeys. Each episode will explore the strengths and challenges of being a woman in a scientific background.
This episode will include interviews with two of our leading Women in Science at Synnovis, focusing on the topic of coping with change.
The first conversation in this episode is with Khadijah Owusu-Ansah who is the Service Delivery Manager for the Tissue Sciences team at King’s College Hospital and the Transformation lead for Tissue Sciences for South East London.
The second interview is with Dr Tracy Ellison who, at time of recording, was the Chief Operating Officer at Synnovis, Tracy is now the Managing Director at Synnovis and spoke to us in the summer of 2021 about her 35 years working in healthcare and the changes that she has seen in that time.

Symposium 2022: Excellence in Pathology Finalists
The Excellence in Pathology awards are an annual recognition of innovation occurring within our company, with the winner selected and announced on the day of the Symposium. One of our Future Leaders had the opportunity to chat to the three finalists of the Excellence in Pathology Award 2022, to discuss the projects they entered for this year’s award.

Symposium 2022: Fiona Carragher – The Global Health Challenge of Dementia
This series was recorded at this year’s Innovation Academy Symposium. The Symposium is a conference organised by Synnovis bringing together leading and up-and-coming members of the scientific community and including interesting talks on a variety of current topics and developments by both internal and external speakers. One of our Future Leaders in Innovation caught up with some of the speakers on the day, delving into their professional career and outlining key points of their talk.

Symposium 2022: Chris Lambert - Changes in Haematology Through the Years
This series was recorded at this year’s Innovation Academy Symposium. The Symposium is a conference organised by Synnovis bringing together leading and up-and-coming members of the scientific community and including interesting talks on a variety of current topics and developments by both internal and external speakers. One of our Future Leaders in Innovation caught up with some of the speakers on the day, delving into their professional career and outlining key points of their talk.

Symposium 2022: Professor Jonathan Edgeworth - Evaluating Rapid Sequencing Technology
This podcast series was recorded at this year's Innovation Academy Symposium. The Symposium is a conference organised by Synnovis bringing together leading and up-and-coming members of the scientific community and including interesting talks on a variety of current topics and developments by both internal and external speakers. One of our Future Leaders in Innovation caught up with some of the speakers on the day, delving into their professional career and outlining key points of their talk.

Inside Pathology: Clinical Transplantation Laboratory (CTL)
Thousands of organ transplants are performed in the UK each year. Scientists working in the Clinical Transplantation Laboratory (CTL) ensure that patients safely receive their life-changing transplants by using specialist techniques to predict whether the recipient’s immune system will reject the organ. The role of transplants in our lives is expanding as, in 2020, the law around organ donation in England changed to an opt out system to allow more people to save more lives. What is the science behind CTL services? How do national and local teams support organ transplantation? What challenges do CTL scientists face?
In this episode, we get a bird’s eye view of CTL. Ali Versi, a patient who waited years for a kidney transplant, shares his experience on Inside Pathology. We also hear from Viapath’s CTL scientists at Guy’s Hospital on molecular typing methods, the organ transplant pipeline and the teamwork required to deliver transplant services in the age of COVID-19.
Special thanks to our guests Ali Versi, Olivia Shaw, Corinna Freeman, Kamla Reddi and Hannah Maple.
This podcast was produced by members of The Viapath Future Leaders in Innovation: including Charlene Hoad, Nana E. Mensah, Ariane Lim and Kate Roberts.
Viapath UK: http://www.viapath.co.uk/
Organ Donation Law in England: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/uk-laws/organ-donation-law-in-england/
Music: Pure By Design by Purple Planet Music (Free License)

Inside Pathology: Clinical Virology
Virology testing services are at the centre of our national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While we limit contact to protect the NHS and save lives, Virologists throughout the country have continued to meet the endless demand for COVID-19 testing. Elsewhere, the beginning of the pandemic markets a crisis in procurement, with personal protective equipment and testing kits at a national shortage. How does a virology service prepare for a pandemic? What does a procurement team do in an emergency? What should every future biomedical scientist know about a career in virology?
We follow Andrea Wilson and Sam Sheppard on their redeployment journey to the June Almeida virology lab, which was created in response to the pandemic. We also hear from Jonathan Ponce about the challenges Viapath’s procurement team faced at the onset of the pandemic. Their stories show the teamwork and innovation that make pathology services thrive.
Special thanks to our guests Andrea Wilson, Sam Sheppard and Jonathan Ponce.
This podcast was produced by members of The Viapath Future Leaders in Innovation: including Ariane Lim, Nana E. Mensah, Charlene Hoad and Kate Roberts.
Viapath UK: http://www.viapath.co.uk/
June Almeida News Release: https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/news-and-events/2020-news/september/20200908-guys-hospital-names-covid-lab-after-pioneer-who-discovered-the-virus.aspx
Music: Pure By Design by Purple Planet Music (Free License)

Inside Pathology: Clinical Genetics
DNA carries the biological code that makes each of us unique. For rare disease patients, it holds the key to diagnosis and future treatment. Scientists working in the clinical genetics service unlock insights from DNA that make a difference to patient’s lives. What is it like to be a rare disease patient? How do scientists work to find a genetic diagnosis? What skills are required to become a clinical scientist in genetics?
In this episode, we follow Aimee Mann and her son Freddie’s journey to finding a diagnosis. Along the way, we meet scientists and consultant geneticists. Finally, we learn what it takes to be a scientist in the genetics profession today.
Special thanks to our guests Aimee Mann, Dragana Josifova, Layla Afkahmi, Lisa Rauter and Rachel Mayhew
This podcast was produced by members of The Viapath Future Leaders in Innovation: including Nana E. Mensah, Charlene Hoad, Ariane Lim and Kate Roberts.
Viapath UK: http://www.viapath.co.uk/
Aimee’s Website: https://aimeemannmentoring.com/
Syndromes Without A Name (SWAN) UK: https://www.undiagnosed.org.uk/
Music: Pure By Design by Purple Planet Music (Free License)

Innovation Symposium 2018: Drones and Excellence in Pathology (rebroadcast)
A rebroadcast of our interviews from at the 2018 Viapath Innovation Symposium.