The Centre for the Alleviation of Human Suffering

We are a voluntary organisation looking to understand and alleviate the worst forms of human suffering over the long term

We are a volunteer-run organisation that convenes research, and seeks to influence public, community and charitable activities in order to better understand, prevent and alleviate human suffering

Who are we?

A new organisation

Alleviate is in its first year of operation.

At this early stage, we have opportunities to shape our mission and how we achieve it.

If you have experiences, are researching, or working in public services, charities or clinical services in an area that touches people with the most intense experiences of human suffering, we want to hear from you. Please get in touch at info@alleviagesuffering.org.uk

Roadmap

First 12 months:

Publish the State of Suffering, and connect to research, clinical, NGO and public service leaders in the process

First 2 years:

Develop a network supporting inter-disciplinary research activity around human suffering
Develop better data and measures of human suffering
Collect 100 stories of suffering, and publish this in ways that connect with citizens and leaders

Engage with the key services supporting or in a position to support people with intense experiences of suffering around priorities, best practices, training and support models

Our team

Tom Stocker

Tom was moved to help set up Alleviate after recovering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (twice!). It was a condition that left him in big doses of pain, struggling with sleep, with short term mobilities issues, and requiring him to dig deep to rehabilitate. The experience has stayed with him, and taught him a great deal about the health system - where he has worked for over 10 years in the UK to improve outcomes for patients and make caring simpler for clinicians. He currently runs a company supporting NHS clients called Care Cascades Ltd.

tom@alleviatesuffering.org.uk

Ephraim Berthold

Ephraim is engaged in a dual degree program, pursuing Medicine and Arabic & Islamic Studies in Germany. His academic journey reflects a profound curiosity for politics, diplomacy, global health policy, and cultural norms. Ephraim is particularly intrigued by understanding how these factors contribute to, mediate, or modulate human experiences of suffering and what can be done to alleviate them.

He has recently completed a short scientific research placement at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG) at the University of Oxford.

ephraim@alleviatesuffering.org.uk

Sean Summers

Sean has a background in bio-informatics, public health, and NHS planning. His family life has been affected by a close relative with Elhers-Danloss syndrome, and he is motivated to reduce the impact of these conditions on those that have them.

Sean@alleviatesuffering.org.uk