Cristina Serrão joined the NHS in 2018 as London’s first musculoskeletal patient director based at University College London Hospitals. Since early 2020, she has been the Lived Experience Ambassador in the national experience of care team, in the experience, participation and equalities division of NHS England.

She nationally champions both the promotion of co-production and the active involvement of people using health and care services and their carers in all aspects of the planning, design, and delivery of care. Cristina has a strong passion for justice and health inequalities to be faced head on and believes we should treat the whole person, supporting their physical, mental health and social care needs.

On a personal level, she is a strong believer in supported self-management of both physical and mental health, because of her own multiple chronic health conditions and disabilities. She is now also an unpaid carer while having a carer herself. Cristina spent most of the last two years shielding due to being in the highly vulnerable to COVID list.

While shielding, DJ #LadyLXA emerged on www.lemonade.radio, a not-for-profit online radio station which Cristina founded. At night DJ #LadyLXA can be found discussing difficult topics on air around physical and mental health, including her triggered PTSD.

Internationally she is a member of the Global Patient Family Advisory Board (GPFAB) at The Beryl Institute (www.theberylinstitute.org) and is also a member of the Health Improvement Alliance Europe (HIAE) Equity Workgroup at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (www.ihi.org).