New Faces on the Board of Narcolepsy UK

24th April 2018

We are pleased to announcement the appointment of two new Trustees to the Board of Narcolepsy UK.

Helen Strongman is a university-based epidemiologist who has previously worked for healthcare market research agencies and the civil service. Helen spends a lot of time trying to explain what epidemiology and narcolepsy are. Epidemiology is the study of diseases in populations; who gets them, what happens next and why this might be. Helen says, “Narcolepsy is difficult to describe in one sentence; it’s important that we improve understanding of how this complex condition affects our lives. My goal as a trustee of Narcolepsy UK is to make this happen.”

Bill Harris will be familiar to many members of the narcolepsy community, as he previously served as a Trustee from 2005 to 2014, including a spell of 5 years as Chair. Having had narcolepsy since the age of 15, Bill considers myself one of the ‘lucky’ narcoleptics in that he was diagnosed extremely quickly and so wasn’t branded as lazy at school. The fact that he knew what was wrong gave him the confidence to pursue his education to the full. Bill graduated in economics from Bristol University and then spent 9 years combining work with professional exams, qualifying as an Actuary in 2001. He then set up my own business in 2007, focusing on pensions-based actuarial work. Drawing on his own experiences, Bill’s aim has always been to do all he can to help people with narcolepsy achieve their potential.

The constitution of Narcolepsy UK allows for a maximum of twelve Trustees. With the recent appointments, the number of Trustees has grown to eight. We therefore have vacancies for up to four more members of the Board. If you would like to help people with narcolepsy and you feel that you could contribute to the running of the charity, we would be delighted to hear from you. For more information, or just to learn more about what is involved in being a Trustee, please contact either our Operations Manager, Nicola Rule (nicola.rule@narcolepsy.org.uk) or the Chair of the Board, Matt O’Neill (matt.oneill@narcolepsy.org.uk).