Sharron Whitehead
Role at ECA: Founder, Elite Clinical Academy (ECA)
Professional background: Sharron brings over 30 years of experience across the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, spanning senior roles in sales, marketing, and leadership. With a Master’s degree in Marketing and a qualification in adult education, she has built a career focused on improving patient access, supporting healthcare professionals, and driving service growth. Her work within fertility and wider healthcare markets has given her deep insight into both clinical pathways and the operational challenges faced by clinics today.
Contribution to ECA: As Founder of ECA, Sharron leads the strategic vision and development of the academy. She focuses on designing high quality, clinically relevant training programmes that bridge the gap between theory and practice. Her work centres on ensuring courses are commercially viable, professionally accredited, and aligned to real world clinical needs; helping to develop confident, competent practitioners who can deliver exceptional patient care.
Steph Pryor
Role at ECA: Clinical Director
Professional background: Stephanie is a registered midwife with over ten years’ experience across fertility, reproductive health, digital healthcare, and clinical governance. Her career spans NHS maternity services, HFEA-licensed fertility clinics, and senior leadership roles within rapidly scaling health organisations, giving her a broad and practical understanding of both frontline clinical care and system-level service development. She has extensive experience in fertility nursing and midwifery, including patient consultations, treatment coordination, cycle monitoring, early pregnancy support, and ultrasound scanning within fertility settings. Alongside her clinical background, Stephanie has led the design of referral pathways, governance frameworks, and quality assurance processes, ensuring services are safe, compliant, and patient-centred.
In senior roles at organisations such as Juniper, Fertifa, and Peppy Health, Stephanie has chaired governance panels, developed clinical oversight structures, supported regulatory compliance, and built strong partnerships with fertility clinics, consultants, and multidisciplinary teams. She has also contributed to education, training content, and professional forums, including her role as a member of the RCN Fertility Forum Committee.
Contribution to ECA: As Clinical Director of Elite Clinical Academy, Stephanie is focused on building a high-quality, supportive training hub that bridges the gap between informal in-house training and structured, clinically robust education. Her work centres on safe practice, professional development, and ensuring fertility professionals are confident, competent, and well-supported as they progress in their careers.As Clinical Director of Elite Clinical Academy, Stephanie is focused on building a high-quality, supportive training hub that bridges the gap between informal in-house training and structured, clinically robust education. Her work centres on safe practice, professional development, and ensuring fertility professionals are confident, competent, and well-supported as they progress in their careers.
Alison Ball
Role at ECA: Director of Ultrasound
Professional background: Alison is a HCPC‑registered Senior Sonographer with over 16 years’ clinical experience and extensive leadership expertise in driving quality, compliance and service excellence. With more than a decade in senior management, she has led large teams, supported successful CQC outcomes and delivered high‑performing ultrasound services across multiple specialties.
Alison’s background spans clinical governance, business development, education and partnership working with universities, fertility clinics and charities.
She is passionate about raising standards in ultrasound practice and developing confident, capable practitioners.
Contribution to ECA: AAs Director of Ultrasound, Alison provides strategic and clinical leadership to ensure the delivery of safe, high‑quality and compliant ultrasound courses producing competent and safe practitioners.
Alison leads our ultrasound education programs by maintaining regulatory and CQC excellence, and driving continuous improvement across fertility ultrasound and beyond. Through strong partnerships and operational oversight, she ensures our ultrasound courses are safe, patient‑centred and aligned with the highest professional standards.
Dr Mark Davies
Role at ECA: IT Director
Professional background: Mark is an NHS medical consultant by background having previously worked in the marketing and advertising sectors before going into medicine. With an MBA in General Management, and extensive experience supporting healthcare services to redesign and develop care pathways, he has contributed to the optimisation of patient outcomes both in the UK and Europe. Beyond ECA he works with a team of healthcare specialists who offer a range of services to optimise service models including digital platforms, educational initiatives and real world data analysis
Contribution to ECA: As IT Director, Mark leads on digitalising the vision and educational content for the ECA, focusing on ensuring user excellence in terms of access, navigation and learning experience. Mark combines this with his track record of working with Fertility service providers, with a deeper insight into wider staff and organisational requirements.