Speakers
Katy Heaney
Putting the patient at the heart of diagnostics: From sample to story
Drawing upon the principles discussed throughout the workshop, individuals are given the opportunity to reflect on their personal mission and develop a personal action plan. Participants will be encouraged to note their commitment, visualise potential obstacles and the support needed to overcome these.
In this activity-based session, groups will be invited to brainstorm common barriers to patient-centricity in their settings. The aim for each group will be to develop one or two practical solutions or "small wins" for each identified barrier. They will then be encouraged to share these ideas with the wider group enabling the cross-pollination of ideas. The importance of change management principles will be highlighted: Gaining buy-in (from leadership and staff), piloting initiatives, measuring impact and celebrating successes.
Katy Heaney is a Consultant clinical scientist and nationally recognised leader in Point of Care Testing (POCT), with over 20 years’ experience in the NHS. They are known for combining scientific expertise with compassionate leadership, and for championing diagnostics that are accessible, effective, and centred on patients.
Katy previously served as Chief healthcare scientist at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, representing healthcare science at executive level and leading on workforce strategy, engagement, and innovation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Katy was seconded to the Department of Health and Social Care and later the UK Health Security Agency, leading national operational supply and rollout of rapid testing across the UK.
As Specialty lead for POCT at Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services, Katy oversees diagnostic services across hospitals, community settings, and military units, supporting tens of thousands of patients daily. Their work has been instrumental in embedding POCT into modern care pathways.
A passionate educator and mentor, Katy has taught at several universities and frequently presents at national and international conferences. They are a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and the Academy for Healthcare Science, a Pathology Power List honouree, and winner of the 2025 NHS England Chief Scientific Officer’s Healthcare Science Team of the Year award.
Rav Sodi is a Consultant clinical biochemist at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Broomfield Hospital, Mid & South Essex NHS Trust and Honorary senior fellow at the Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.
He undertook undergraduate studies in Canada and postgraduate studies and specialization in Clinical Biochemistry in the UK.
He is the Director of Publications and Communications and a member of the Scientific Committee of the Association for Laboratory Medicine (UK).
He holds a number of teaching roles and has published widely in the field of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine and is a contributing author in the leading textbooks of the profession including the Tietz Textbook of Laboratory Medicine. He has written numerous innovative e-learning laboratory medicine education platforms including: the award-winning Learning Lab developed by the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (USA) and presented in the European Federation of Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) syllabus course.
His current research interests are patient-centred diagnostics particularly with applying strategies involving artificial intelligence, personalised genomics and home self-testing to improve the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases.