Meet the Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care team
Key members of the Chaplaincy and spiritual care team at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) include:
Jim Linthicum
Senior Chaplain (Anglican - Church of England)
Jim grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, USA where he was ordained in the United Methodist Church in 1981.
In 1992 he moved to England and served his first full-time healthcare chaplaincy post at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. Ordained into the Church of England in 2001, Jim has been chaplain to the Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust from 1998-2006 when he took up his post as Senior Chaplain at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
As well as being the London regional representative for the College of Healthcare Chaplains, Jim's particular areas of interest are in spiritual assessment, the spirituality of children, medical ethics and the role of research to create clearer understandings of, and methods for, delivering spiritual care in the healthcare setting, specifically in respect to the needs of families and carers of patients with healthcare needs.
Jim is in the hospital every weekday.
Dorothy Moore Brooks
Chaplain (Anglican - Church of England)
Dorothy was ordained in 1998 in the Diocese of London and has spent most of her ministry in healthcare chaplaincy, gaining a a postgraduate certificate in Healthcare Chaplaincy in 2006. After working in the chaplaincy team at GOSH from 2002-2008, Dorothy spent two years as a chaplain in an adult hospice in Hertfordshire.
Dorothy returned to GOSH in 2010 and her main focus is supporting patients and families in the cardiac and respiratory wards. As well as her chaplaincy work, she is an associate priest in a parish in Buckinghamshire.
Dorothy's usual working days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and alternate Wednesdays.
Penny Sherrington
Chaplain (Anglican - Church of England)
Penny joined the GOSH chaplaincy team in 2003. She was previously a nursery nurse. Penny’s chaplaincy experience includes many years as a volunteer chaplain in both East Surrey Hospital in Redhill and The Marie Curie Hospice in Caterham.
Penny has a BA in Applied Christian Theology and has recently been ordained as a priest in the Church of England. Penny combines her role as Chaplain at GOSH with her work as a Curate in Godstone, Surrey. Her main focus at GOSH is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the bone marrow transplant wards.
Penny's usual working days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and alternate Thursdays.
Rosa Pizer
Lay Chaplain (Jewish)
Rosa has been involved with the hospital for several years as a volunteer. She sits on the Research Ethics Committee. Rosa was appointed by the United Synagogue as Jewish Lay Chaplain in 2003.
Rosa is in the hospital on Wednesdays.
Jonathan Wittenburg
Chaplain (Jewish)
Jonathan has been the full-time rabbi of the New North London Synagogue since 1987 and has been a member of the GOSH chaplaincy team since 2005. He trained for the rabbinate at Leo Baeck College, London and in Jerusalem.
Jonathan was previously the co-ordinator of the multi-faith chaplaincy team at the North London Hospice. He has a special interest in both the literary and the pastoral sides of the rabbinate and has written extensively on Jewish traditions in bereavement and on the festivals.
Georgios-Athinagoras Athanasiou
Chaplain (Greek Orthodox)
Father Athinagoras is a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church who can be available to families when needed.
Fatima Kassam
Chaplain (Muslim)
Fatima was appointed as the first Muslim female chaplain at GOSH in 2009. She is available to support Muslim patients and families with their spiritual and religious needs. Along with the other Muslim chaplains, she visits all wards in the hospital. Fatima is also a trained community nurse.
Fatima is proficient in Gujurati, Urdu, Kiswahili and Kutchi.
Fatima's usual working days are Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Romana Kazmi
Chaplain (Muslim)
Romana combines her work at GOSH with working for the Muslim community as a female spiritual facilitator and as an Islamic counsellor. She works across across the hospital to support Muslim families.
Romana is proficient in Gujurati, Urdu, Kutchi and Punjabi.
Romana's usual working days are Mondays, Tuesdays and alternate Fridays.
Abu Sayeed
Chaplain (Muslim)
Abu has been a member of the GOSH chaplaincy team since 1999. He trained as both a teacher and Imam in his home country of Bangladesh in 1968.
Abu has been in the UK since 1978. His previous posts include serving as the Chief Imam at the East London Mosque, and Principal of the Islamic College of London until 1997.
Abu is currently the Chairman of the Islamic Sharia (jurisprudence) Council of the UK. He preaches in various mosques in London and beyond. He is proficient in Bengali, English, Urdu, Persian and Arabic.
Abu's usual working days are Mondays and Fridays.
Imam Abdul Aziz Patel
Placement Chaplain (Muslim)
Aziz works at GOSH on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He is proficient in Arabic, Urdu and Gujurati and his work is mostly with the families and children on Bumblebee and Butterfly Wards.
Imam Ghulam Shah
Placement Chaplain (Muslim)
Shah is at GOSH every Wednesday and assists with offering spiritual support to our Muslim families.
Catherine Gilligan
Chaplain (Roman Catholic)
Catherine is a Marist religious sister who joined the GOSH chaplaincy team in September 2005. Catherine has a broad background in nursing which includes midwifery, mental health and most recently leading a team of community nurses.
Catherine has completed an MA in Pastoral Theology and Chaplaincy, and recently an MA in Ethics. She supports Roman Catholic families across the hospital in addition to providing chaplaincy support in the neurology and neurosurgery wards.
Catherine's usual working days are Tuesdays, Fridays and alternate Thursdays.
Kathy Ramsay
Team Administrator
Kathy is responsible for administering the Book of Remembrance and organising our Annual Memorial Service.
