Scientific committee members

Susan Bermark

Susan is a Clinical nurse specialist in wound healing at Bispebjerg University Hospital in Copenhagen.

Together with Professor Finn Gottrup and other collaborators, she established the Copenhagen Wound Healing Center in 1996, the first multidisciplinary center in Denmark.

Education and research are the main topics Susan works on. Since 2003, she has been a course leader and teacher in a long-term continuing education for nurses with an interest in patients with wounds and for wound treatment.

Susan has, together with colleagues, got this education into the post graduate education for healthcare professionals in Denmark. Susan teaches on these modules.

In terms of research, Susan has worked with Skin tear, prevention of pressure ulcers both followed by implementing of prophylactic initiatives. 

Susan has been a board member of the Danish Wound Healing Society for many years and has been chairman of the association for the last 5 years.

Annette Høgh

Annette is a consulant in Vascular surgery and the head of a multi disciplinary wound center embracing patients with complex oedema issues. Annette is reprecenting the Danish Wound Healing Society where she has been a board member (selected treasurer) over the last 5 years.

Futhermore, Annette is the research Director of the Vascular research unit, HEM Viborg. Her main research area is screening for preclinical and manifest CVD, followed by implementing of prophylactic initiatives. 

Tonny Karlsmark

Tonny Karlsmark, MD, Assoc. Professor

Tonny Karlsmark is consultant and associated professor in Dermato-venereology working at Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen. As former head of the department for 15 years, he has experience as well as a diploma in National Health Service Management. He has held Honorary positions such as chairman of the Danish Dermatological Society 2003-2005 and chairman of the Danish Lymphoedema Framework (DLF) from 2010.

His main research areas include wound healing and treatment of chronic oedema. In 1990 he defended

his thesis about “Electrically induced dermal changes” – a morphologic study of porcine skin after transfer of low-moderate amount of electrically energy.

He has published more than 115 articles in international journals and acts as advisor for more than 10 Ph.D. degrees and made opposition (acting as critic) for 1 doctoral thesis and 9 Ph.D. degrees.

Tonny joined the ILF Board in June 2018.  

Christine Moffatt

Professor Christine Moffatt CBE FRCN PhD MA RGN DN

Christine is Professor of Clinical Nursing Research at the University of Nottingham School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy and holds other visiting chairs at the University of Glasgow and Cardiff University Medical School Wound Healing Institute. She is also nurse consultant at the Royal Derby Foundation NHS Trust Lymphoedema service in which she leads a research team as well as undertaking a clinical consultancy role.

Christine is currently the Chair person and Director of the International Lymphoedema Framework. She has been involved in wound healing research and practice for 25 years and Lymphoedema for 10 years. She has undertaken extensive research in this field using mixed research methods including running national and international clinical trials.

Her areas of research include compression therapy; service development and evaluation; psychosocial impact of disease; chronic wounds and lymphoedema. She has presented and published internationally.

She was awarded a CBE in the 2006 New Year’s Honours List and made a life fellow of the Royal College of Nursing that same year. She has received several life time achievement awards in recognition of her work, the most recent being presented by the World Union of Wound Healing Societies in June 2008. In December 2008 she received a Nursing Times Diamond 20 Award as one of the 20 most influential nurses in the last 60 years.

Susan Nørregaard

Susan Nørregaard RN, DH

Susan is a specialist nurse in wound healing and lymphoedema working at Bispebjerg University Hospital in Copenhagen. She graduated from Sankt Lukas Stiftelsens Nursing School in Hellerup in 1988. Together with Professor Finn Gottrup and other collaborators, she established the Copenhagen Wound Healing Center in 1996 working as staff nurse in the outpatient clinic, with clinical responsibility for the development of clinical guidelines for the treatment of venous leg ulcers.

Susan has 25 years of experience in treating chronic oedema and in 2006, she established the first multidisciplinary lymphoedema clinic in Denmark, at the Copenhagen Wound Healing Center together with Dr. Tonny Karlsmark and Dr. Bo Jørgensen.

Together with Dr. Tonny Karlsmark she established the Danish Lymphoedema Framework in 2010 and she has been an ILF board member since 2011.

Susan has been a teacher at postgraduate education for healthcare professionals in Copenhagen and has developed teaching programmes for nurses treating patients with compression therapy. She has coordinated several international research projects and has been author and co-author on scientific articles.

Isabelle Quéré

Professor Isabelle Quéré MD, PhD

Isabelle is a physician, Professor of Vascular Medicine at the University of Montpellier in France where she is Head of the Vascular and Lymphology Medicine Department.

Her main research areas include venous thromboembolism (VTE) disease, lymphatic and venous post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), and rare vascular diseases. She has published internationally. She also teaches in a range of other subjects at the University.

Isabelle has experience working closely with International Societies and Charities, some of which she has been a Chair or a an active member of.

Since 2011 Isabelle has been the Head of the French Lymphoedema Framework, Partenariat Français du Lymphoedème –(PFL). She was the organiser and President of the last ILF Conference held in Montpellier in 2012 where she also ran a one week camp for nine children and young adults with lymphoedema, from four different countries.

Melanie Thomas

Melanie  is  a  Chartered  Physiotherapist  and  is  the  National  Clinical  Lead  for  Lymphoedema  Services  in  Wales,  UK.  She  was  instrumental  in  developing  equitable  lymphoedema  services  in  Wales  and  now  manages  the  award  winning  Lymphoedema  Network  Wales.    Melanie  qualified  as  a  lymphoedema  teacher  in  2005  as  part  of  the  Macmillan  Lymphoedema  Education  Programme  and  leads  on  the  education  programme  in  Wales,  delivering  MLD  and  lymphoedema  advanced  update  courses.    Melanie  has  been  the  principal  investigator  in  numerous  research  trials  in  lymphoedema.  She  has  just  submitted  her  Doctorate  with  Swansea  University  on  the  lymphoedema  risk  reducing  recommendations  for  people  treated  for  breast  cancer.  She  has  presented  and  published  widely  in  delivering  innovations  in  lymphoedema  care.      Melanie  is  currently  the  Programme  Manager  for  the  delivery  of  the  Lymphatic  Venous  Anastomosis  super  microsurgery  development  and  the  national  Paediatric  Services  in  Wales.    In  2012,  Melanie  became  the  first  Macmillan  Cancer  Fellow.  In  2013  was  awarded  a  MBE  in  the  Queen’s  Birthday  Honours.  In  2014,  she  was  presented  with  a  Distinguished  Service  Award  by  the  Chartered  Society  of  Physiotherapy  and  in  2015  was  awarded  a  Fellowship  by  the  Chartered  Society  of  Physiotherapy.  Melanie  joined  the  Board  of  Directors  for  the  International  Lymphoedema  Framework  in  June  2018.    

Merete Wittenkamp

Merete Celano Wittenkamp, PT, MPH

Merete is a lymph therapist working with patients with secondary lymphedema at the Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev and Gentofte. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from 2002 and was certified as a Lymph Therapist in 2006 from the Scandinavian Forum of Lymphology. In 2010, Merete completed the Lymphedema Refresher Course held by the Foeldi College and the Danish Society of Lymph Therapists.

Together with other lymph therapist colleagues in the Capital Region of Denmark, Merete has been working on outcome measures for lymphedema applicable to a clinical setting, starting with volume assessment.

Merete graduated from the Master of Public Health programme at the University of Copenhagen with the thesis: Exercise in patients with cancer-related lymphedema in the lower limbs. Results from a feasibility trial on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with and without compression garments in January 2019. Previously, Merete has been involved in the PhD-project funded by the Danish Cancer Society: Progressive resistance training to prevent arm lymphedema in the first year after breast cancer surgery.

In 2019, Merete joined the board of the Danish Society of Lymph therapists.