AphA Annual Conference 2026
Save the date – Very Important Date for the Diary!
The AphA Annual Members Conference is coming your way on Thursday, 5th November 2026 at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre — and you won’t want to miss it! Non-members can register for £50 (this includes a 1 year AphA membership).
We will also be presenting the much awaited AphA awards for: AphA Data and Analytical Professional of the Year
AphA Data and Analytical Team of the Year
Please click below to make your nominations.
What’s in store?
Inspiring Speakers: Hear from industry thought leaders shaping the future of healthcare analytics. Our keynote speaker will challenge you to rethink your limits, navigate uncertainty, and find your own “oceans to cross.”
Dynamic Panel Sessions: Join discussions tackling the most pressing challenges and emerging trends in our field.
Meet the Board: Quiz your directors, share your ideas, and influence our collective direction.
Interactive Workshops: Gain practical skills, uncover fresh insights, and exchange best practices.
Awards Celebration: Cheer on our Data & Analytical Professional of the Year and Data & Analytical Team of the Year winners!
AphA Conference Gallery 2025
Keynote speaker
Dr Adam Baker
Navigating Uncertainty; Lessons from Extreme Endurance
Dr Adam Baker is a multi-award-winning, world record-breaking doctor who redefines what it means to operate at the edge of human capability. Based in the South West he combines frontline experience in Emergency and Palliative Medicine with some of the most extreme endurance challenges on the planet.
After completing a Masters in Extreme Medicine, he chose a path far from the conventional. With no prior rowing experience, Adam & his wife became the first married couple to complete the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, rowing 3,000 miles across the ocean and months later the first mixed pair to attempt a rowing circumnavigation of Great Britain. Most recently, he pushed human limits in the harshest conditions on Earth, completing official ice swims in both the Arctic Circle and Antarctica.
But his story goes far beyond records. Adam spends his professional life at the frontline of life’s most critical and vulnerable moments. This unique dual perspective, where high-performance meets human fragility, gives his work extraordinary depth and relevance.
Adam’s talks don’t just inspire; they equip you with the mindset and tools to set bold goals, navigate setbacks, lead with clarity, manage failure, redefine success and build resilience that lasts. Through gripping storytelling and honest reflection, Adam challenges you to rethink your limits, navigate uncertainty and find your own “oceans to cross.”
Workshop hosts
Mark Foy
Associate Director of Performance & Planning, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Associate Director of Performance & Planning at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), Mark also serves as the Associate Director of Professional Standards at AphA, where he has been a committed member for over a decade.
With more than 15 years of experience in healthcare, Mark has held a variety of analytical and operational roles, allowing him to bridge the gap between data-driven insight and frontline service delivery. His unique blend of expertise enables him to help teams and organisations understand complex challenges and co-create effective, sustainable solutions. At MFT, Mark plays a pivotal role in leading the Trust’s performance and planning agenda, overseeing strategic initiatives that improve patient access, reduce waiting times, and enhance service coordination—particularly across cancer and urgent care pathways
Within AphA, Mark has held several key positions including North West Branch Lead, Board Member, and currently Chair of the Professional Development Committee, where he oversees the professional registration process for healthcare analysts. His work supports the development of standards and recognition for the analytical profession across the NHS.
Carolyn (Caz) Cooper
Lead Advisor – Clinical Analytics
Katie Campbell
Strategic Coding Lead, Head of Coding & PbR Assurance, Kent and Medway NHS
Chandan Kaur
Head of Insight at NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB & NHS Herefordshire & Worcestershire ICB
20+ years’ experience in data & analytics | Engineering, Computer Science & Statistics background | Machine Learning & AI
Passionate about Healthcare Decision Intelligence—bringing together data, insight, evidence, evaluation and AI to help healthcare leaders make better decisions that improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and maximise value. Author of Healthcare Decision Intelligence
Himanshu Jagat
Information and Data Science Manager
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
A self-made, results-driven and forward-thinking healthcare leader with over 15 years of extensive experience across NHS Acute Trusts and international super-speciality hospitals. I combine strategic vision, operational excellence and transformational leadership with multidisciplinary expertise in Healthcare Strategy and Operations, Digital Transformation, Business Intelligence, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Corporate Performance Management and Advanced Analytics, complemented by experience in Supply Chain and Procurement Management, Management Information Systems (MIS), and Sales and Marketing.
I hold two MBA degrees, specialising in Strategy and Change Management from Warwick Business School, UK, and Hospital and Health Management from IIHMR, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences. I am currently pursuing an MSc in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at Northeastern University, London, further strengthening my expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning and AI-driven healthcare innovation.
Passionate about translating strategic vision into measurable outcomes, I utilise data and technology to enhance organisational performance and patient outcomes. As a collaborative leader, I empower teams, foster innovation, and build stakeholder relationships for sustainable transformations. Ambitious and committed to excellence, I aspire to be an executive leader within the NHS, focusing on strategic foresight and operational excellence. My philosophy centres on transforming vision into action and innovation into sustainable impact.
Panelists
Huw Davies
Davies Furlong Consulting, Trainer with the Consortium for Healthcare Analytics INtelligence (CHAIn)
Huw is a management consultant for Davies Furlong Consulting, Trainer with the Consortium for Healthcare Analytics INtelligence (CHAIn), and has worked with the data profession in health and care for the past 25 years. Acting as Commercial Director, Huw is also the Chief Operating Officer for the newly formed Data Observatory CIC. The brains behind the National Competency Framework for Data Professionals in Health and Care, Huw led the project to deliver Strategic Commissioning Training to the North East via the Growth and Health Accelerator Programme.
Recently awarded his PhD in Decision, Risk, and Analytics from Southampton Business School at the University of Southampton, Huw successfully evidenced his theory to reduce miscommunication in the NHS by 80% using systems thinking and phenomenology. Comic genius, former age grade rugby international and professional player and coach, and all-round legend. Terrible guitarist.
Dr Marc Farr
Chief Analytical Officer
NHS Kent and Medway
East Kent Hospitals NHS FT
Dr. Marc Farr is the Chief Data and Analytical Officer at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, bringing over 20 years of expertise in data science and health informatics to his role. With a PhD in Health Informatics from the University of Lancaster, an Honorary Professorship from UCL and a Senior Research Fellow Role at Canterbury Christchurch, Dr. Farr is renowned for his contributions in predictive analytics, inequalities analysis, and the implementation of advanced health information systems. He leads initiatives that optimize healthcare delivery and patient outcomes through innovative data strategies.
Beyond his role at East Kent Hospitals, Dr. Farr is a sought-after speaker at international conferences and a trusted advisor to governmental and private sector organizations. His influential research has been widely published, shaping both academic discourse and practical applications in healthcare analytics. Committed to education, Dr. Farr serves as an adjunct professor, nurturing the next generation of healthcare leaders in the fields of health informatics and data science.
Dr. Farr’s leadership and dedication continue to drive advancements in healthcare, ensuring data-driven insights are leveraged to their fullest potential for improving global health outcomes. In 2026 he was named as one of the top 100 most influential people in the NHS.
Neil Morgan
Chief Analytics Officer – Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU)
An informatics and analytics leader with over 25 years’ experience across government, health, and research, I am passionate about professional development and the responsible use of data and technology to improve service planning, quality, and population outcomes.
I am currently Chief Analytics Officer at Midlands & Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU), where I lead the strategic and operational design and delivery of business intelligence and analytical services for Integrated Care Boards. My role focuses on working collaboratively with clients, partners, and multidisciplinary teams to deliver innovative, high-quality analytical solutions that support insight generation and evidence-based decision-making at system scale.
Alongside my executive role, I serve as Director for Advocacy and Strategy on the Board of the Association of Professional Healthcare Analysts (AphA), championing the development, recognition, and professionalisation of the healthcare analytics workforce. I also maintain strong academic links through collaboration with the University of Manchester and contribute nationally as Deputy Chair of the Advisory Council for the National Health Data Observatory.
I am a Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS), an accredited FEDIP Leading Practitioner, and a Chartered Manager and Member of the Chartered Institute of Management (CMgr MCMI).
Lee Coulson
Data Science Manager, South Western Ambulance Service
Rachel McIlroy
System Implementation Lead
NHS England
Rachel has almost twenty years of NHS experience including nine years with NHS England. Her background is in healthcare analytics, data management and visualisation for decision making, and population health management.
She is a proud member of AphA and the CDAO network as well as a Chartered Statistician of the Royal Statistical Society. She has been working in NHSEs National Population Health Management team since early 2022 and is passionate about supporting teams to develop their data infrastructure and intelligence functions as well as promoting analytical workforce professionalisation and development across all system partners.
Rachel combines her statistical expertise with a deep understanding of population need, enabling the development of tailored interventions that improve outcomes and enhance patient experiences. Understanding that successful system transformation requires a comprehensive approach including social determinants of health, she works across sectors to address the unique challenges faced by diverse populations, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions about resource allocation and long-term sustainability.
Alexander Royan
Director of Strategic Planning, Digital and Intelligence
NHS Norfolk and Suffolk ICB
Jack Rodber
Associate Director of Finance
Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust
