Committee Members

Professor Cheng-Hock Toh is Professor at the Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool and Consultant Haematologist at the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He is the Academic Vice-President of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and completed terms of office as President of the British Society for Haematology and as National Haematology Lead of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network in April 2020.

Cheng-Hock has trained in Sheffield, Manchester and Newcastle as well as at Johns Hopkins, USA and Queen’s University, Canada. His translational research programme on understanding blood changes during infection and critical illness is world leading and has come to the fore during COVID-19. His innovative work on the coagulopathy of sepsis has also led to patented discoveries and guidelines to improve standards in patient care.

In addition to his clinical leadership and academic credentials, he is Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. These blended skills inform his deep interest in re-imagining and re-shaping medical professionalism to future-proof medicine. With his track record of inclusive leadership, his comprehensive skill set will re-define how NBTC grows and sustains its impact on transfusion practice nationally and internationally.

Youssef is a Consultant Haematologist working at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals. He is Deputy Chair of the National Blood Transfusion Committee, Chair of the North East and Yorkshire Regional Transfusion Committee and Clinical Lead for Transfusion at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals.

Andy is a Consultant Haematologist working in a joint post between NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and Newcastle Hospitals.  He is Secretary to the National Blood Transfusion Committee, Clinical Lead for the Patient Blood Management and Components clinical team, supports the NHSBT Red Cell Immuno-haematology clinical service and is Clinical Lead for Transfusion and Myeloma at Newcastle Hospitals.  He supports regional and national transfusion education initiatives and is involved in guideline-writing and examining. He is an active PI, and UK CI for the REDDS-2 trial. 

Celina Bernstrom joined NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) in 2014 as Executive Assistant to the National Blood Transfusion Committee (NBTC).  She supports the  NBTC and the Regional Transfusion Committee Chairs (RTCs). 

In addition to the this she supports the subsidiary working groups of the NBTC and beyond; Patient Involvement Working Group (PIWG), Transfusion Laboratory Managers Working Group (TLM), Patient Blood Management (PBM) Working Group, National Transfusion Practitioner Network Working Group (NTPN), Haematology & Trauma Working Group, Emergency Planning Working Group (EPWG).

Celina promotes effective working relationships with all key contacts internally within the NBTC/NHSBT and with key external stakeholders and acts as a key link/central point of contact for members of the NBTC and the PBM team providing information and advice/support attending monthly meetings and feeding in the activities of the working groups.