About Tessa Jelen

Tessa Jelen is a nationally recognised Respiratory patient leader and advocate living with COPD. Following her diagnosis of emphysema, she has dedicated her work to strengthening support for people living with lung disease and ensuring that lived experience informs how services are designed, delivered and improved across the system.

Leadership and Community Impact

Tessa recently retired as Chair of Westminster Breathe Easy, an Asthma and Lung UK patient led support group she helped lead from its launch in 2011. Over more than a decade, she built and sustained a structured peer support community, delivering regular meetings, digital engagement and patient led initiatives that supported individuals living with lung disease.

Her work has created consistent, accessible support beyond clinical settings, helping patients build confidence, improve self management and feel less isolated in managing long term Respiratory conditions.

National and International Influence

Alongside her community leadership, Tessa contributes at national and international level across research, policy and advisory programmes. She has worked with organisations including NICE, The King’s Fund, the European Respiratory Society and the World Health Organization, ensuring that lived experience is embedded into decision making and service design.

She serves on multiple advisory and research groups, including NIHR, PCRS and Patient Participation Groups, contributing to discussions on care delivery, health inequalities and the wider determinants of Respiratory health.

What Tessa Brings to The Respiratory Network

At The Respiratory Network, Tessa brings a system level patient perspective shaped by years of leadership, advocacy and advisory work. She offers insight into how Respiratory services are experienced across the pathway and how patient voice can be embedded more effectively into service design, policy and decision making.