Elly Nott
Co-Founder
Elly established the foundation with David in 2015.
During her first tenure as Chief Executive, Elly led the expansion of the Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course and organised training in Turkey (for Syrian doctors), Iraq, Palestine, Bangladesh, Libya, Lebanon, Cameroon and Yemen. She also oversaw the scholarship programme which brought doctors from over 30 different countries to be trained in the UK on the Surgical Training for Austere Environments (STAE) course at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. She returned to the post of Chief Executive in November 2021.
Deeply committed to neonatal and obstetric care, Elly is proud to make the provision of better medical care for mothers and babies a priority. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the foundation was able to purchase two state-of-the-art obstetric simulators and has also financially supported three Systematic Management and Emergency Care in Obstetrics and Midwifery (SMEC-OM) courses, held in Gaziantep for Syrian midwives and obstetricians.
“It has been the privilege of my life to create an organisation that empowers doctors and serves communities in conflict.”
Elly Nott, Co-founder
Elly has built a sound financial footing for the charity including securing the first major grant, from the Open Society Foundations. With David, she was recognised on Foreign Policy’s Global Thinkers list of 2016 for training doctors working in war zones.
After graduating from the University of Oxford, Elly worked for a small social enterprise in south east London. Between 2010 and 2014 Elly worked for the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) as a Research Associate in London and Bahrain. She has BA in Modern History from St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and a Masters in International Relations from Exeter University. Elly is currently a PhD student in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London.
Stories by Elly
Two years of war and two years of attacks on healthcare
Two years have passed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the…
End of Year Reflection from our CEO
At the David Nott Foundation, we strive for a world where access to…
Our action in response to the Israel-Gaza war
As a humanitarian organisation delivering surgical training to…
This World Humanitarian Day
This World Humanitarian Day, we reflect on our commitment to the…
The Rt Hon. The Baroness Boothroyd OM, our beloved Patron
It was with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of our…
Merry Christmas from our Chief Executive
The end of the year provides us with a moment to reflect on what has…