About us
The Menopause Research and Education Fund (MREF) brings together medical experts, researchers and menopause advocates who all share a common goal – to improve the health of women going through and after menopause.
Meet the team
Our Trustees
Fiona Clark
Fiona Clark is an author, investigative journalist and health writer with more than 40 years experience in public broadcasting and medical publications.
She studied anatomy and exercise physiology (sports medicine) at university but after graduating went into journalism spending 20 years in television news and current affairs with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation before going back to her academic roots and moving into medical publishing.
Fona has spent more than a decade interviewing menopause experts from across the globe and after years of asking ‘what do we know about evidence for’ various treatments and getting the answer: ‘Not much because the research hasn’t been done,’ she decided enough was enough and set about creating the Menopause Research and Education Fund (MREF) to make sure we get the answers we need!
Fiona went on to write MenoWars in 2025, a book that looks at the current political and commercial landscape of menopause and women’s health.
Diane Danzebrink
Diane Danzebrink is the founder of menopausesupport.co.uk and the #MakeMenopauseMatter campaign.
Menopause Support is a not-for-profit organisation offering 1-1 support for individuals. It is home to a community of more than 30,000 women, and also provides menopause awareness training for organisations to help them understand how menopause can impact on both corporate and personal wellbeing.
Diane is a tireless campaigner for better education, information and treatments for all those who experience menopause. She is the author of Making Menopause Matter and has contributed to numerous books and appeared on various media outlets to help raise menopause awareness.
Her motivation comes from her own experience of surgical menopause, after which she nearly took her own life. Starting HRT changed that for her and she vowed to ensure that no one would go through what she went through.
Vikram Talaulikar
Vikram Talaulikar is an associate specialist in reproductive medicine at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and an Hon. Associate Professor at University College London.
He is a certified menopause specialist by the British Menopause Society and trains other healthcare professionals to achieve thier advanced certificate. He is an avid researcher who has been published widely in multiple peer-reviewed medical publications.
He is a member of the British Fertility Society, the International Menopause Society and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Vikram is constantly giving his time to share his wealth of knowledge to make sure women’s health and menopause receive the attention they deserve.
Our Medical Advisors
Dr Juliet Balfour
Dr Juliet Balfour is a GP and a registered British Menopause Society (BMS) menopause specialist. She is a member of the BMS Medical Advisory Council.
She runs the NHS specialist menopause service for Somerset and is director of Wells Menopause Clinic, a private online menopause service.
Dr Balfour provides educational sessions for healthcare professionals in Somerset and nationally, as well as webinars to educate patients about protecting their health in menopause.
Michelle Griffin MB B Chir MRCOG DFSRH
From working on the frontline as an NHS gynaecologist, Michelle worked in senior roles with Public Health England, the World Health Organisation, and Cancer Research UK.
She now works in the private sector as a women’s health consultant and digital and FemTech strategist helping develop digital menopause treatment options. She is also a columnist for the BBC.
Kate Pleace
Kate Pleace is a Senior Women’s Health Nurse specialising in Fertility and Menopause. She has worked in this area since 2007 providing consultations to patients and training and workshops to healthcare professionals.
Kate completed her MSc in Reproductive Medicine in 2021 and has recently started her PhD focusing on women’s lived experiences of a premature menopause.
Kate is passionate, enthusiastic, and caring in her mission to share knowledge, educate & support patients & her fellow healthcare professionals.
Dr Aziza Sesay
Dr Aziza Sesay is a GP, honorary senior clinical lecturer also runs ‘Talks with Dr. Sesay’, a platform which shares evidence-based information women’s health and health inequity.
Dr Sesay is vice chair and creative director of Black Female Doctors UK, and an ambassador for the charities Eve Appeal, Wellbeing of Women, Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) Hatfield Vision, and the Everywoman Festival. She is also a member of the WHO Fides group and works with the YouTube Health Partner Programme.
Dr Angela Wright
Dr Angela Wright is a GP, Menopause Specialist and Clinical Sexologist. She is particularly interested in improving sexual function and menopausal symptoms in women who have undergone cancer treatment.
Dr Wright has a NHS clinic in Hull, seeing patients with complex menopause issues, female sexual dysfunction and premenstrual disorders. She is a Fellow of the European Committee of Sexual Medicine (FECSM) and is also trained in CBT for Menopause.
She is a registered trainer for the BMS & FSRH, and is an active committee member of the British Society of Sexual Medicine and the education committee of the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum.
Dr Claire Phipps
Dr Claire Phipps is a GP and a a British Menopause Society (BMS) advanced menopause specialist and also a member of its medical advisory council.
She received her medical education from Guy’s Kings and St Thomas’s medical school and currently practises as a GP in London.
Dr Phipps has completed extra specialised training to enhance her expertise in menopause care, offered by the British Menopause Society and the International Menopause Society.
Dr Mandy Leonhardt
Dr Mandy Leonhardt is the founder and director of Hormoneequilibrium. She is a GP with an interest in women’s health, nutrition and healthy ageing.
She received the Certificate of Menopause care by the British Menopause Society (2018) and she is certified as practitioner by the International Society of Gynaecological Endocrinology (ISGE, 2021).
She is also the co-author of The Complete Guide to Premature Ovarian Insufficiency and Early Menopause, which she wrote with her friend Dr Hannah Short.
Our Non-Executive Directors
Elizabeth Minshaw
Liz has an extensive background in leadership, strategy and helping CEOs and boards align.
She has led global operating model redesign, multi-market integration and commercial transformation across the UK, US, Europe, China, LATAM and wider APAC.
Her background is in media having worked in both ediroial and strategic planning roles in Hearst Media. She has a degree in cognitive science, and interests in health and wellness.
Jo Cowler
Jo’s background is in the pharmaceutical industry and is distinguished by a unique and diverse background encompassing R&D, Commercial, Compliance, and Law. She has lead multinational teams and managed cross-functional projects and external partnerships with a focus on delivering positive impact. Paying it forward is an integral part of Jo’s being – and you can read her thoughts on this as one of the contributors to “Stories of Cancer and Hope.” Jo is an active scuba diver and proudly engaged supporter of marine environmental causes.
Colette Harris
Colette is an award winning content strategies and editorial lead. She has spent 20+ years forming and leading diversely skilled teams to reach, engage and activate target audiences including heading up content strategy for a health charity.
She has worked as a Creative Communications Director of a patient support programme agency, and as the editor of three national consumer websites/magazines.
Sunhee Park
SunHee has been a lawyer for nearly three decades, and has worked in a Magic Circle law firm, a global bank, an international organisation, a high growth fintech, and is currently a partner at DCQ Legal, a boutique law firm. She is the first Korean to qualify as a solicitor in England & Wales. Growing up as a child of a diplomat SunHee has benefitted from an international education, experiencing different cultures and learning several languages. SunHee is the founder of the East Asian Lawyers Organisation (EALO). She advises and invests in London start-ups.
Karrie Liu
Karrie is Inaugural Fellow, Academy for the Mathematical Sciences, seasonal data scientist specializing in healthcare analytics, and the Founder and Director of Hypatia Analytics. She works across healthcare, the public sector, and social impact, applying rigorous data strategy and advanced analytics to support high-stakes decision-making.
Her experience spans NHS organisations, pharmaceutical companies, and charities, where I translate complex analysis into clear, actionable insight for senior leaders. Her work also includes governance, accountability, and outcomes matter. She also leads pro bono work focused on maths/data, ageing, health equity, and community impact, applying the same professional standards used in regulated settings.