Meet Jane Wigg…
Meet Our UK Trainers…

NATALIE PHILLIPS

JOANNE PATON

CHERYL WHITE

MARY WOODS
Meet Our Global Trainers…

Veronica Yap
Singapore

KATINKA RUTJENS
Netherlands

CANDICE KUSCHKE
South Africa

Our staff have many years experience between them as well as high medical training
Qualifications
As a student nurse back in 1986, Jane was inspired by Sr. Margaret Rodgers, who became the first Breast Care Nurse at Walsall Manor hospital.
This led her to strive to become a Clinical Nurse Specialist in 1994 where she found her way into lymphology. It has been a passion since, knowing that there are always better ways to do things and striving for better outcomes. She quickly became one of the first clinics in the UK and moved her direction into the Wolverhampton Lymphoedema Service.
Jane has always had a passion for training and coincidentally LTA is renowned for being one of the most innovative Lymphatic Training Academies internally and with the introduction of ICG imaging in the UK, she is one of a few in the world leading in this technique.
In 2014 Jane commenced Lymphatic Imaging Clinics across the UK, offering patients and therapists a more in-depth analysis and diagnosis. In turn improving the quality of treatment outcomes and patient care.
As a Lymphoedema Nurse Specialist, Jane has presented at conferences, symposiums, and congresses in many countries across the globe and has written numerous research papers and articles on the emerging ICG imaging.
Professional Profile:
Lymphoedema Nurse Specialist
Meet Kerry…
Beverley is a Macmillan Lymphoedema Clinical Nurse Specialist working for Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She has over twenty-five years experience in community health care, primarily working as a district nurse and community practice teacher. She has specialised in lymphoedema and chronic oedema management for the last eight years, having initially set up the local service and provides high-quality care underpinned by complex assessment, differential diagnosis and holistic management. She is committed to working with charitable groups and provides educational support for secondary care to raise awareness of lymphoedema, and advice on minimising the risk of developing lymphoedema post breast and head and neck surgery. She has completed her MSc in Advanced Nurse Practice and undertook a primary research project to look at the use of bioimpedance in assessing female unilateral breast oedema. She is passionate about sharing her skills of direct clinical care, service design, leadership and research.
Natalie has been nursing for the past 10 years and developed a specialist interest in the management of lymphoedema as a community nurse. She went on to work at Wolverhampton Lymphoedema service where she developed her skills and passion for treating patients with lymphoedema and for delivering training to individuals with a specialist interest in Lymphoedema management. In her current role, she continues to advise clinicians and provides training as part of HHC and often delivers training at Wolverhampton University and The Lymphoedema Training Academy. Natalie has recently completed her MSc in Lymphoedema Care at Wolverhampton University and continues her clinical Practice at LymphCare UK to maintain her skills and provide care to patients.
Cheryl attended Queen Elizabeth School of Physiotherapy and qualified as a Physiotherapist in 1990. An opportunity arose in 1998 to work at Christie Hospital, Manchester as a Macmillan Lymphoedema Specialist/Surgical Physiotherapist and Cheryl held this post for nearly 9 years. Here she completed her Specialist Lymphoedema training at Kings College, London with Eunice Jeffs and in the Casley Smith method of MLD at Wrexham with Eilish Lund. Due to family relocation, Cheryl worked as a Macmillan Specialist Physiotherapist setting up rehabilitation services for patients with complex cancer needs in Central Cheshire and then returned to the field of Lymphology when she assisted at Compton Hospice, Wolverhampton. It was at this time that Cheryl trained in the Leduc Method of Medical Lymphatic Drainage, working with Jane Wigg. In 2011, Cheryl moved to her current post as Macmillan Lymphoedema Specialist at St Luke’s Hospice, Winsford, Cheshire. Cheryl regularly assists with training for Lymphoedema Training Academy and Haddenham Healthcare. She has also been a committee member for the British Lymphology Society and has been the Editor of the BLS newsletter for many years. She is also a casual trainer for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Gary currently holds the position of University Lecturer at Birmingham City University within the undergraduate degree nursing program. Previously he has worked as a clinical nurse specialist in lymphoedema within Walsall and Worcester for over seven years. He currently continues clinical practice at the Wolverhampton Lymphoedema service located in Compton Hospice. Garry has recently completed his Masters in lymphoedema care in conjunction with Compton Hospice and the University of Wolverhampton. Previous roles held include Occupational Health Nurse Advisor and community staff nurse.
Stacy qualified as a nurse in 2004 and spent 2 years working on the hospice inpatient unit where she developed an interest in lymphoedema when an opportunity for training to become a Leduc MLD therapist arose in 2005. After completing the course successfully her passion for lymphoedema had been ignited and she was lucky enough to gain a secondment at Wolverhampton Lymphoedema Service where she had the privilege of working alongside Jane Wigg for almost 3 years. She has been assisting Jane with training for several years and is currently the module leader for the Lymphoedema degree at the University of Wolverhampton whilst also studying towards her lymphoedema masters with the university.
Independent Hospital & Health Care Professional
Veronica is the director and founder of Masso Institute. She has been a medical healthcare specialist since 1997, and is certified in a number of notable areas associated with Lymphatic Disorders, her speciality. In 2006, Veronica graduated as a Dr. Vodder Manual Lymph Drainage & Combined Decongestive Therapist with the highest qualifications and a Distinction. From that point on, she decided to specialise in Lymphoedema Therapy. Most of her patients today are cancer survivors dealing with the post-treatment complications of developing lymphoedema. Many more struggle with genetic-related dysfunctions in their lymphatic systems. In September 2009, she took advanced studies in Medical Lymph Drainage techniques under Leduc U.K., further enhancing her abilities in handling complex lymphology cases. She’s also been a member of the International Society of Lymphology since 2009. Often seen at Lymphology conferences and visiting great lectures around the world, she works hard to extend her knowledge, and keep constantly updated on the latest research. In 2011, she broadened her expertise by becoming a Certified Level-3 Kinesiotaping therapist from the KTAI (Kinesio Taping Association International). By using Kinesiotaping and support/compression garments, she’s found she can provide additional and better support for her patients. In 2015, Veronica became a Fluoroscopy Guided MLD Therapist, graduating from the Lymphoedema Training Academy in the U.K. (taken from the work of the esteemed Professor Jean Paul Belgrado). Her clinic is now fully certified; all her therapists are now qualified in this advanced level of Manual Lymph Drainage, becoming the first specialist clinic in Singapore and the asian region to achieve this.
Katinka Rutjens: ‘My passion for Lymphoedema and compression therapy started in 2006, my passion for taking care for people started when I was born. My nursing blood always runs through my veins!’
Katinka, was born in and is living in The Netherlands. She trained as a specialist nurse in 1985 and has worked in mental health care for 21 years.
From 2006 Katinka has been working at Varodem; a Belgium / Dutch company specialized in compression garments and compression solutions. Initially as a product specialist and representative. From 2009 she was made Business Unit Manager, managing the team regarding the entire product sales process of Velcro bandages. Later she has been involved in the internal development of existing and new products. In 2015 she developed a new Velcro wrapping system (VaroCare ACS). Katinka is now the director of the R&D department, innovation and education within Varodem. All innovations and new products form part of the training and management of the Varodem Academy. A large part of her role is troubleshooting and problem solving which ‘the blood keeps running’ and is the core of the Varodem expertise.
In 2016, Katinka attended the LTA ‘fill and flush’ training in the UK and from that moment the ‘fill and Flush’ virus affects her so much that she insisted the Dutch Lymphoedema therapists have access to and learn this technique.
‘Working together with Jane is a party! She inspires me and make me surpass myself over and over again.’
Candice Studied Physiotherapy at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and graduated in 2004. After 5 years, working mostly with orthopaedic and sporting injuries, she went on to work in the United Kingdom for 6 years. She was appointed as the Lead Oncology and Lymphoedema therapist at the BUPA Cromwell Hospital in London. She has completed training in Lymphoedema management and Oncology Rehabilitation. She has a special interest in Lymphoedema and complications associated with breast cancer treatment, as well as in Cancer Survivorship. She is currently working in private practice in Johannesburg, and is the Vice President of the Lymphoedema Association of South Africa.
Dibyendu is a member of the following:
Physiotherapist (WBUHS, India)
Member of Indian Association of Physiotherapist (MIAP)
Member of Indian Association of Sports Medicine (MIASM)
Certified Lymphoedema Therapist (Lymphoedema Training Academy, UK)
Cancer Rehab Physio ( Pinc and Steel International, New Zealand)