Ilenia is the Consultant Psychiatrist and clinical lead for the National Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Unit at South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust. She has extensive experience treating and researching OCD and related disorders.

Chiara Toschi is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, where she studies the neural circuits underlying decision-making. Her research is driven by a deep passion for mental health and a desire to understand the brain mechanisms behind maladaptive behaviours. This work became profoundly personal to her during the pandemic, when she developed OCD. […]

Katherine is a comms strategist and mental health advocate, currently working for the University of Cambridge. She has lived with OCD since studying at university, but has only recently begun formal treatment for it.

Ana Maria is a cognitive neuroscientist, passionate about understanding the causes of OCD and developing personalised treatments. She works part-time as Fundraising and Communications Officer at Orchard and part-time as an OCD researcher, joining patient involvement and academic work. Ana Maria is always open to new research ideas, so do contact her!

Pete started out as a business writer and editor before moving into healthcare communications and later the tech start-up world. He was a founding team member of Raremark (Xperiome) and held numerous roles in its journey from rare disease start-up to scale-up. Pete lives with several chronic conditions, including lifelong undiagnosed OCD.

Margherita works for Orchard OCD and manages their communications and fundraising. She experienced severe OCD during her adolescence and young adulthood. She is passionate about Orchard’s work to collaborate closely with interdisciplinary professionals and progress in developing new and better treatments for patients suffering from OCD. If you have any communications or fundraising queries, please […]

Nick is a serial social entrepreneur with 15+ years experience in medical charities. Most recently, he founded and led a successful consortium developing a treatment for Black Bone Disease, an ultra rare genetic disease affecting his children. Nick is also an OCD patient.

Sean Fletcher has been broadcasting on the BBC, ITV and Sky for more than 15 years. His journalism includes the Panorama investigation, Kids in Crisis, which asked whether the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are fit for purpose. He also presents on Countryfile, Inside Out and Good Morning Britain. Sean’s son has OCD.

Naomi is a consultant psychiatrist with 20+ years experience in systematic investigation and treatment of OCD. Naomi serves on the UK’s NICE Guidelines Committee for OCD. She is also running an OCD specialist centre at the Hertfordshire Partnerships Mental Health Trust, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital.