Our aim is to summarize take-home messages from the scientific literature and medical community to help you to improve your clinical practice in the following:
- When to suspect a fungal disease
- Selecting and interpreting the right diagnostics
- Promptly initiating the best evidence-based treatment(s)
Mission statement: to improve health outcomes for those with fungal diseases or allergies, by delivering free medical education materials and providing the latest news and guidelines to clinicians and medical lab staff around the world. We also participate in awareness campaigns and public engagement activities to raise awareness of global fungal infections.
Target audience: doctors, nurses, radiologists, laboratory staff, ophthalmologists, critical care units, paediatricians, transplant centres, physiotherapists, epidemiologists, public health professionals, general practitioners, dermatologists, HIV/AIDS centres.
International outlook: each country faces a different set of challenges depending on the particular infections present and prevalence of underlying factors (e.g. HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis). Each healthcare system is different, and may be limited by factors such as funding and the availability of treatments in that country. However, high-quality education in multiple languages can help everyone to make the best of what resources are available.
Location and funding: we are based within The University of Manchester. We are supported by the Fungal Infection Trust, a UK charitable foundation set up in 1991.
Our team
- Professor of Infectious Diseases in Global Health, The University of Manchester.
- Has cared for patients with fungal infections for over 30 years.
- Founding Director of the National Aspergillosis Centre (Manchester, UK), a specialist NHS care commissioning group that treats patients with CPA, ABPA and other forms of aspergillosis. The centre provides information and support to patients and their doctors (2009-2020).
- Scientific Director of the Fungal Infection Trust, as UK charitable foundation (Charity Commission no. 1147658), that supports LIFE and fungal education.
- Chief Executive of the Global Action For Fungal Infections (GAFFI), an advocacy foundation that pushes for universal access to fungal diagnostics and treatments. Part of their remit is ensuring fungal infections are represented on the WHO Essential Diagnostics List and Essential Medicines List.
- Read his profile and publications: www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/ddenning.html
Ange Brennan
Current LIFE Worldwide Medical Writer and Web Manager
- Joined LIFE team in 2021.
- Has worked for the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education, writing pharmacy CPD materials.
- Previously worked in academic publishing at Manchester University Press.
- Also works as the Public Engagement Manager for MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, Exeter, UK.
Dr Beth Bradshaw
Previous LIFE Worldwide Medical Writer and Web Manager
- Joined the LIFE team in 2017
- Writes content for and helps to manage several other websites and groups based at the National Aspergillosis Centre, including Aspergillus&Aspergillosis, GAFFI and the MRCM laboratory,
- Helps to run the aspergillosis patient support groups (Facebook support group, patients and carers website, monthly patients and carers online meeting, and weekly Zoom meetings).
- Trained in molecular microbiology at the John Innes Centre (PhD) and Technical University of Delft (postdoc) before training as a medical writer at Ashfield Healthcare Communications.
- Previously worked as Publications Manager for the NHS West Midlands Genetic Regional Laboratory (Birmingham), and as part of the clinical trials team at Stepping Hill Hospital (Stockport).