About Us
We Are A Strong Community Seeking A Better Solution
Our Founder
Melissa Kramer, PhD Candidate
Three years into her own journey with recurrent UTIs, Melissa began interviewing others with similar stories. Now she works with her team of passionate women’s health advocates to share crucial information in order to help others find better UTI testing and treatment.
The journey has resulted in an extensive network of researchers, clinicians and like-minded organizations, and Melissa is always happy to hear from anyone working to help solve the problem of recurrent UTI.
Read Her Story
The Team That Makes This Possible
Susy Peddie
Co-founder
Susy co-founded Live UTI Free with the belief there’s never been a better time to bring health issues like this out into the open. She’s fascinated with the way technology is revolutionizing the female health space. Her goal is to help empower others to understand their own bodies, so they can lead a strong and healthy life.
Read Her Story
Hannah Heffernan
Co-founder
Hannah’s love for an ambitious mission was more than enough to get her on board as a co-founder of Live UTI Free. Specializing in branding and digital design, she set out to prove that serious health sites need not be ugly. No stranger to an online symptom search (what modern female isn’t?), Hannah is adamant that good quality, well researched
Read Her Story
Saoirse Nash
Director, Ireland
Due to having suffered with recurrent, and eventually chronic, UTI for many years, Saoirse feels passionately about being able to help and support others dealing with this condition. She knows first hand how frightening and lonely it can feel to develop a condition and not have good access to answers and treatment. She found help through the Live UTI Free
Abbi Newlands, MSc
Associate Director of Research
Abbi’s passion for driving research that brings about real change in underserved areas, particularly for people living with long-term chronic health conditions, inspired her to join the Live UTI Free team. Currently pursuing a PhD in psychology at the University of Reading, Abbi is determined to lead high-quality research that places patient perspectives at the forefront. Her ultimate goal is
Josie Truong
Project Specialist
Josie discovered Live UTI Free while navigating her own struggles with recurrent UTIs. When the opportunity came up to support LUF’s projects, she was eager to apply her business and project management background to help promote the organization’s mission. Now, she works alongside a community of passionate women’s health advocates to facilitate further research on this condition, increase awareness, and
Marine Hardouin
Creative Lead
Marine has been part of Live UTI Free’s journey since the early days, helping to bring the team’s vision to life. She uses her deep understanding of online behavior and visual layout to create a welcoming and friendly experience for all who interact with the organization. Marine’s commitment to her own professional and personal mission ensures the information that Live
Katherine Finlay, PhD, CPsychol
Clinical Research Director
Katherine’s research interests focus on the challenge of maintaining quality of life in the face of chronic health conditions. Recognising the complexity of this challenge in chronic and recurrent UTI is what motivated Katherine to join the team at Live UTI Free. As a Chartered Psychologist at the University of Reading, Katherine specialises in developing interventions to support patients and
Melissa Wairimu
Video Editor
Melissa’s own journey with recurrent UTI really impacted her life and affected her overall productivity. She came across the stories of others on Live UTI Free, who had been through similar experiences and managed to break the cycle. She was motivated to help, and to use her skills in visual communication to spread awareness of an otherwise overlooked female health
Emil Lamprecht, BSc
Product Lead
Emil has co-founded, built and supported business and impact organizations in 30+ countries. He helped found Live UTI Free out of a profound frustration with gender inequality in health care, and a desire to support women suffering from curable diseases. As product lead Emil has led design and management of the Live UTI platform since day one, and continues to
Molly Bradbury, MSc. Psych
Senior Research Associate
Molly is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Reading, building on her background in MSc Health Psychology. She has a keen passion for increasing awareness around women’s health issues and reducing stigma associated with them. Alongside her PhD, Molly is gaining valuable experience at Live UTI Free, where she manages research studies and projects aimed at improving patient
Bianca Serio, MRes
Data and Patient Advocacy Specialist
Bianca is currently pursuing a PhD in cognitive neuroscience at the Max Planck School of Cognition in Germany, driven by a passion for advancing women’s health. Recognizing critical gaps in knowledge about the female body, she joined the Live UTI Free team to make a tangible impact through research and patient advocacy. Bianca’s work at Live UTI Free involves analyzing
Maša Ivin, PhD
User Research and Content Specialist
Maša found Live UTI Free while seeking resources for a friend struggling with infertility and chronic UTI. No stranger to an occasional UTI, and after years of coping with atypical PCOS (another often dismissed female health issue), Maša realized it was time to use her research mind, knowledge of biology, diagnostics and MedComms to contribute to the fight for better
Maria Galve Villa, MSc, BSc Physiotherapy
Research Coordinator
Dr. Maria Galve Villa is a dedicated Research Coordinator with a strong clinical and academic background, focused on driving healthcare innovation through strategic research. She specializes in bridging the gap between research development and clinical application, leading interdisciplinary teams to deliver impactful patient care solutions. An alumna of BioInnovate Ireland and a Research Fellow at the University of Galway, Maria
Issy Dexter
Junior Research Associate
Issy found Live UTI Free while pursuing a placement opportunity for her BSc in Psychology. She has a passion for health psychology, in particular women’s health, which led her to discover the impactful work conducted by Live UTI Free. Issy hopes that working with Live UTI free will provide her with more insight into the field of women’s health research,
Mollie Jones, BSc
Research Associate
Mollie is currently pursuing her MSc in Theory and Practice in Clinical Psychology. She became involved with Live UTI Free through her own research, which focuses on recurrent UTIs in older adults. Her interest in women’s health issues and their psychosocial impacts grew because of her work with the organization. Mollie is collaborating with the team to enhance understanding of
Maiwenn Person, MLs
French Content Manager
For Maiwenn, helping people is the most important aspect of a translator’s work. Working with Live UTI Free has allowed her to achieve this goal. Passionate about multimedia and audio-visual, she is thrilled to work with content from different media and adapt it for the French public. Maiwenn is proud to manage the French content team and to be able
Annett Borg
Patient Ambassador
You might recognise Annett as the face of Live UTI Free. Annett experienced recurrent UTIs for 15 years before finding a doctor who helped her pursue better testing and get appropriate treatment. She’s our number one ambassador and a pioneer for sustainability and ethical production in her own industry – fashion. We’re happy to say she’s now UTI free and
Read Her Story
Anne Freeman, Published Author
Author
Anne Freeman is an author and copywriter. In her creative writing practice, as in life, women-supporting-women is one of her favorite themes. Having lived with Type 1 Diabetes—an incurable autoimmune disease—for more than 20 years, she is acutely empathetic towards anyone living with chronic illness. Through experiencing healthcare that is often misguided or indifferent, and sometimes downright hostile, she knows
Auriane De Poorter, BA
French Content Translator
While seeking an internship during her master’s degree in translation, Auriane discovered Live UTI Free. She perceives translation from a feminist point of view and wanted the opportunity to have a positive impact on women’s lives. Translating for Live UTI Free allows her to spread awareness about a topic that is not discussed enough in France. Easy access to information
Kayleigh Maxwell, MSc
Author
Kayleigh stumbled upon the world of recurrent UTI during her MSc in Health Psychology. Having learnt about the immense impact of living with a chronic condition through her studies, her research interests are driven by the desire to improve patient outcomes in chronic illness. She has worked closely with Live UTI Free and partners to collect, analyse and publish patient-driven
Maylis Chernet, BLs
French Content Translator
Maylis wanted to do something meaningful during her master’s degree in Intercultural Communication and Translation. When she learnt about Live UTI free, she was eager to join the movement and make this valuable information available for French people. Maylis believes in feminism and equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their gender. A strong supporter of inclusive writing, she aims to
Madhu Gundlapally
Author
Madhu has always been a strong supporter for patient education and autonomy. She began writing for Live UTI Free to help promote accurate information and healthy discussion in doctor-patient interaction. Currently training as a doctor of medicine, she hopes to encourage women to educate and advocate for themselves in doctor’s offices.
Emilie Berman, BSc
Author
Emilie stumbled across Live UTI Free while searching for support with her own UTIs. As a Biology major and pre-Med student, she became enamored with the presented science backed information, that allows patients to advocate for themselves. Emilie is excited to be part of the solution by helping to raise awareness for UTIs and by giving others the tools to
Deanna Berman ND
Author
Dr Deanna Berman’s journey into natural medicine and her passion for helping women began with her own health issues, including Interstitial Cystitis. As a Naturopathic Doctor and Certified Midwife, she draws on her understanding of both the necessity for medication and the limitations of natural medicine, to write educational articles for Live UTI Free, particularly around UTI and pregnancy, and
Our Advisors
Justine Chrisment
MLs
French Content Strategist
Justine, a professional translator with a passion for foreign languages and cultures, wants to make women’s health a priority in France. She used her talent for languages to translate the Live UTI Free website into French and therefore enable French women to benefit from effective treatments. Informing women about medical developments is an important project that had been on her
Susie Masterson
BACP
Business Advisor
Susie started supporting the Live UTI Free as a business coach and sales strategy advisor a couple of years ago. As a passionate advocate of female founders and ethical startups, she is no stranger to gender bias. As a psychotherapist, Susie often meets women with undiagnosed chronic health conditions. She hopes that strengthening engagement across all groups within the UTI
Janet Alexandersson
LLM Human & Health Rights
Legal Advisor & Ethics Board Member
Janet loves working with teams who change the world, one issue at a time. Advising the team at Live UTI Free provides an opportunity for her to delve deeper into her specialties – health, sexual and reproductive rights. By successfully navigating the legalities and ethics of health empowerment and outreach, Janet allows the rest of the team to focus on
Catriona Anderson
MBChB, MRCGP, BSc(Hons), DFSRH, BMS cert menopause
Women’s Health Advisor
Dr. Anderson divides her time between NHS and private practice, and across multiple specialties including recurrent and chronic UTI, vaginal problems and menopause. Her scientific background affords her an in-depth understanding of chronic UTI, and she collaborates with several research organizations, including Live UTI Free. As Live UTI Free’s resident women’s health expert, Dr. Anderson channels her experience with established
Michael Hsieh
MD, PhD, FASTMH
Urological Research Advisor
Michael Hsieh serves as the Director of Transitional Urology at the Children’s National Health System and the George Washington University. His strong research focus and belief that the patient perspective is a crucial part of this research, prompted him to connect with Live UTI Free in its early stages. Dr. Hsieh runs a bladder biology research group and is developing
Lindsey Roberts
PhD
Director of Research & Innovation
Lindsey’s research mission is to improve people’s well-being by considering health through the ‘One Health’ perspective, which includes making the most of the medicines we have at our disposal (particularly antibiotics), reducing our waste and increasing sustainability globally. Lindsey believes that addressing inequalities and poor communication in healthcare is imperative, and is committed to researching current problems, designing and evaluating
Christine Kramer
BAppSc
Community Engagement
Christine’s background in applied science and medical diagnostics support provides an insightful basis for her work with the Live UTI Free community. Her strong belief that the right information at the right time can help empower patients towards a resolution stems from her own interest in women’s health and chronic illness. Christine helps ensure Live UTI Free’s readers are connected
Jess Price
education
Patient Involvement Advisor
Jess’ work with Live UTI free stems from a passion to transform the way female patients are perceived within their own healthcare experience. She brings a unique perspective to the team as she has witnessed firsthand the disconnect between patients and the medical community. Having a background in patient advocacy, she hopes to encourage open communication within the practitioner-patient relationship
Alan Wolfe
PhD
Scientific Research Advisor
Alan is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Graduate School in Chicago and provides guidance to the team at Live UTI Free on scientific topics related to his work. As the Co-Founder/Director of the Loyola Urinary Education and Research Collaborative (LUEREC), and the Founder of the Wolfe Lab, much of Alan’s research is centered around the female
Krystal Thomas-White
PhD
Scientific Research Advisor
Krystal’s passion for women’s health grew from her clinical research on the female urinary microbiome at Loyola University Chicago. The powerful patient stories and promising science led her to dedicate her career to changing the way UTIs are diagnosed and treated. Now at Stanford University, she investigates how uropathogens interact with the bladder to cause disease, and advises Live UTI
Recurrent UTIs Are More Common Than You Think
8 MILLION
women experience a UTI each year in the USA
26 - 44%
will have a UTI recurrence within 6 months
7Â OUT OF 10
don't believe their UTI treatment will work
ZERO
accurate standard testing options available
You are not alone. Recurrent UTIs affect millions of women, but the right information can lead to better testing and a permanent solution. That's where we come in.
How You Can Get Involved
Our Inclusive Policy
At Live UTI Free we strive for gender inclusive language and we aim to get this right wherever we can. Our site and the information on it are designed to be universally clear and friendly, with all users in mind. You can read more about our policy here.
Have You Taken Our Quiz?
We know the right information can be hard to find. Answering a few questions can help us send you straight to the information that is relevant to you. It also contributes to our ongoing research..
Take The UTI Quiz