NHIVNA Patrons
NHIVNA is grateful for the support and encouragment it receives from its patrons and proud that they are willing to be a part of the organisation.
Robert J Pratt RN RNT BA MSc FRCN
Professor of Nursing and Centre
Director
Robert Pratt is Professor of Nursing and Director of the Richard Wells Research Centre School of Research and Postgraduate Studies, part of the Wolfson Institute of Health Sciences, Thames Valley University. He gained a Diploma in Nursing at the University of London, a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and a Master of Science in Health Education at Chelsea College, University of London.
Robert has been associated with the nursing care issues associated with HIV disease since the very beginning of the global pandemic and has acted as an Educational Consultant to a variety of international organisations including the British Council, the UK Department for International Development and the World Health Organization, developing and implementing HIV-related training and education in Eastern Europe, West India, the Arabian Gulf and throughout Africa. In the mid-1980s, Robert worked closely with Richard Wells at the Royal College of Nursing, where they established the HIV Nursing Society and developed a variety of professional responses to the issues emerging out of the evolving UK epidemic.
Since his appointment to the Wolfson Institute in 1994, he has led a team of researchers and educationalists focused on research into communicable diseases and infection prevention. His group has a particular research interest in behaviours associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy and prevention of healthcare associated infections.
Robert and his colleagues continue to engage in an active international research and educational programme and, in 1999, were awarded the Robert Tiffany International Award from the Royal College of Nursing for their six year action research project in west India and the Arabian Gulf focused on developing clinical confidence in doctors and nurses to care for persons with HIV disease. This project has now been extended into west Africa.
Robert publishes widely and is the author of one of the best selling nursing textbooks in Europe (HIV and AIDS: A strategy for nursing care, fourth edition). This text has been published in several languages, including a special Arabic edition published by the World Health Organization, and is now entering its fifth edition. He is currently the editor of GUMonitor and a reviewer for several professional journals.
Robert was created a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing in 1998 for his international contribution to the promotion of sexual health and is a member of the Chief Medical Officer's 'Expert Advisory Group on AIDS' at the UK Department of Health. He is the Director of the Department of Health's 'epic' initiative, a long-term project to develop National Evidence-based Guidelines for the Prevention of Healthcare associated Infections. As well as being NHIVNA patron, he is also President of the UK and Eire National Infection Control Nurses Association.
Jon Iles
Jon Iles trained at Rose Bruford College, and has toured extensively with plays, including 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Macbeth', 'Relatively Speaking', 'A Murder is Announced', 'Bodies', 'The Robin Redbreast Murder', 'The Winslow Boy', and many more. He has also frequently worked in fringe theatre both as an actor and as a writer.
West End appearances include 'Dial M for Murder' (Vaudeville), and Narrator in 'The Jungle Book' (Adelphi).
From 1984 to 1991, Jon played Detective Constable Mike Dashwood of The Bill for some 250 episodes, which is still running on UK Gold and is seen abroad in over 25 countries.
In 1990, Jon took time out of 'The Bill' to star as Jay Gatsby in the world premiere of 'The Great Gatsby' which toured the UK. Since then, he has played Clive Winton in 'See How they Run', Jeff in 'Straight and Narrow', Captain von Trapp in 'The Sound of Music' (Lincoln Theatre Royal’s centenary production) and Harold in 'Murder by Misadventure' (Key Theatre, Peteborough).
Jon’s many other television credits include 'Law and Order' (Thames), '3-7-11' (Granada), 'Supergran' (STV), 'Cats Eyes' (TVS), 'Fresh Fields' (Thames), 'Never the Twain' (Thames), 'To the Manor Born', 'Crown Court' (Granada), 'The Dick Emery Show' (BBC), and 'Corbett and Forsyth'. Having won special editions of 'You Bet' and 'The Krypton Factor', Jon was delighted to donate the winnings to the Kit Wilson Animal Rescue Centre, of which he is Patron.
As well as promotional tours of Australia, Jon has also co-presented the 'New Zealand Telethon'.
Jon is delighted and honoured to be a patron of NHIVNA, and looks forward to helping in any way possible.