Kate Straughton

Kate is a qualified PA, graduating from the University of Birmingham in 2009 and completing her MsC in 2017 from the University of Worcester. She has over ten years experience including working in acute medicine and neurosurgery. She has been working in PA education since 2014, with a focus on work-based learning and clinical placements. Kate is currently the placement lead for the University of Birmingham PA course, and also oversees the MsC ‘top up’ for PAs who wish to carry out some further research.

Michelle Chapman

Michelle graduated from St Georges, University of London’s PA programme in 2014 and initially began working within elderly care medicine at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust. She has since gone on to specialise in acute medicine. Michelle is also the lead PA for KSS School of PAs, an HEE funded programme that was developed to support and provide advice to PAs, PA students, the new university programmes and employers across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Michelle has also been appointed as the HEE KSS PA ambassador, a role that was established in May 2019.

Dr Jamie Thoroughgood

Dr Jamie Thoroughgood is an ST4 in rheumatology and general medicine, having previously worked in Medway NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey and Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in these specialties. As well as daily clinical practice in the last couple of years he has been involved with teaching PA students at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, as well as medical students and colleagues. Dr Thoroughgood is keen to contribute to teaching as a passion alongside his specialty and hopes that to inspire people to consider careers in rheumatology – a diverse, exciting and fascinating specialty. Alongside medicine, he plays football for the Great Britain Medical Team and has captained them to win the last two world Medical Football championships; a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded people who love football and medicine!

Amy Tullin

Rosie Wright

Since qualifying as a physician associate in 2018 from the University of Birmingham, Rosie completed placements in North East Yorkshire and has been working on the hyper acute stroke unit at King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London. Rosie has experience in acute and ward-based settings, helping manage stroke calls in the emergency department and managing ward patients. Prior to training as a PA Rosie completed a BSC Hons in anatomical science at the University of Bristol.

Sam Hughes

Dr Sonia Sharma

Sonia trained at King's College London and started dermatology training in August 2018. Sonia is currently a ST5 level trainee and the current British hair and nail trainee representative.

Clare Barton

Clare is currently responsible for leading the programme to bring physicians associates and anaesthesia associates into the regulation of the General Medical Council. Clare has a background in education and regulation having worked at the University of Paisley and the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants. She joined the GMC in 2006 as head of applications, overseeing the teams that deal with applications from doctors all over the world to join the Register. She then became assistant director revalidation, licensing, and specialist applications. She was responsible for the process required for those doctors seeking to gain entry to the specialist and GP registers. She oversaw the revalidation team which receives recommendations from responsible officers and makes the revalidation decisions for all doctors registered with a licence to practise. She also had responsibility for the team that dealt with applications to leave and restore to the register and to give up a licence.

Frances Leach

Dr Derek Tracy

Derek Tracy is the medical director of West London NHS Trust. He is a senior lecturer at King’s and University College London, where he runs two MSc modules, and he has published over one hundred peer-reviewed scientific papers. He sits on the executive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists academic faculty and is a member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that advises the Home Office on drug harms. Derek is the editor for public engagement at the British Journal of Psychiatry and writes its Kaleidoscope and Highlights columns. In 2015 he was awarded King’s Teaching Excellence Award, and in 2019 the Royal College of Psychiatrists “Communicator of the Year” award. His work helping lead the establishment and running of the mental health team at the London Nightingale hospital for the covid pandemic was recognised with the RCPsych 2021 Team of the Year award.

Dr Chris Williams

Dr Chris Williams is emeritus professor of psychosocial psychiatry at the University of Glasgow and director of Five Areas Ltd. He is a past president of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies. His main work is in the development and evaluation of CBT approaches provide wider access to care. This includes the free life-skills course and wider work particularly with charities providing low-cost access to life skills resources.

Laura Chenevert

Laura is a US trained physician assistant who has worked clinically for over 10 years in both the US and the UK. Laura has worked in several specialities but is currently practicing as an emergency medicine PA at Columbia University Irving Medical Center at New York- Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She has a master’s in public health with an interest in quality improvement and PA workforce research. Laura is a member of the editorial board of the Future Healthcare Journal, reviewer for the Visual Journal of Emergency Medicine and involved in various research initiatives in the emergency department.

Debbie Jegede

Professor Anton Emmanuel

Professor Anton Emmanuel obtained his medical degree from London University. He is a professor of neuro-gastroenterology at University College London and consultant gastroenterologist at University College Hospital at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (Queen Square). His current clinical work encompasses being director of the GI physiology unit at University College Hospital as well as providing specialist gastroenterology service for patients with neurological illness. His areas of research interest include: · gut neurophysiology · the aetiology and management of functional gastrointestinal disorders of upper and lower gut · management of gut symptoms in neurological and muscle disorders · use of in vitro gut organoid studies as a model of developing new therapies. He currently supervises five postgraduate research fellows. He was appointed as editor in chief of Clinical Medicine and Commentary (the journals of the Royal College of Physicians), having served a similar role for eight years at Frontline Gastroenterology. He is deeply committed to developing the journals as a valued asset for members of the College. On a personal basis: father of four, immigrant of African-Asian origin, Londoner, multiple amateur (guitarist, homebrewer, record collector)

Dr Tahir Akbar

Tahir Akbar is a consultant gastroenterologist with an interest in intestinal failure and nutrition at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He graduated in 2009 from St Barts and the Royal London Medical School and has completed his registrar training in Wessex. Tahir took on his consultant post in 2019 and is the clinical director for speciality medicine at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Tahir was awarded an MSc in medical leadership with the Royal College of Physicians and is the physician associate advocate for Health Education England South East.

Tom Addison

Dr Pawan Randev

Pawan is a GP and GP trainer with a principal role as a cancer lead in the East Midlands Cancer Alliance. Pawan has a passion for teaching and training professionals about earlier diagnosis of cancer. Currently he is on a six-month sabbatical to set up a primary care cancer training academy in the East Midlands. Life in his practice is generally busy as it is for everyone, but he is fortunate to be supported by two very capable physician associates. Pawan believes that all clinicians should have access to high quality training about diagnosing cancer earlier for our patients. When Pawan is not working, he enjoys running and attempting to train his recently acquired dog - or is she training me?

Dr Shamil Haroon

Dr Navjeet Mangat

Dr Navjeet Mangat graduated from Newcastle University in 2004 and attained his MSc from UCL 2008. He has been a partner at Swanswell Medical Centre since 2016 where is also lead for GSF, QoF, ECG, COVID-19 and also a finance partner. Additionally, he has been a non-scalpel vasectomy surgeon since 2018. During COVID-19 he was keen to help out where possible and worked on the front line. When the existence of long COVID began to be more evident, Navjeet was keen to learn more about it and, again, help where he could. When the opportunity came to be part of the service in Birmingham and Solihull, he jumped at the chance. Navjeet is presently one of two clinical leads for Birmingham Solihull, the first such service in the country.

Dr Tanveer Khalid

Thalia Picton Scott

Mr Wal Baraza

Mr Wal Baraza is a consultant colorectal surgeon in Manchester with a specialist interest in early rectal cancer and pelvic floor surgery. He is currently the clinical lead for physician associates at the Trust. Wal is actively involved in advising the GMC on regulation for physician associates.

Dr Anja Weidmann

Dr Anja Weidmann came to the North West to start her medical degree in Manchester in 1998 and never left! Her first experience of dermatology was as an undergraduate and she remembers thinking that it was a specialty that she’d like to work in (one of several she considered along the way). Currently Anja works in hospital and community settings doing a bit of everything; surgery, skin cancer, paediatric dermatology and general adult clinics and is proud to think of herself as a general dermatologist. She is the only consultant dermatologist in her local service with a special interest in treating children. Anja has always been interested in medical education and has completed various qualifications, but now she tends to focus more on practical delivery to anyone who asks.

Hannah Tapping-Upton

Prior to becoming a physician associate, Hannah completed a BSc in biomedical sciences. She then went on to do a PGCE in secondary science and taught for two and a half years. Applying for the North West consortium in 2018, Hannah began physician associate studies at UCLAN and later qualified in 2020. Hannah began working during the COVID pandemic on a 12-month rotational preceptorship, doing six months in adult renal medicine and six months in orthopaedics. She began working in NICU at Saint Mary's in May 2021 and has been there for nearly six months.

Eleanor Adams

Prior to qualifying as a physician associate, Eleanor completed a BSc in biomedical sciences and later a MSc in physician associate studies. She qualified in September 2019 as a physician associate and did some work as a phlebotomist prior to starting work as a PA. Eleanor began working in NICU in March 2020.

Dr Duncan Shrewsbury

Duncan (he/him) is a queer general practitioner in Brighton, and senior lecturer at the medical school where he is deputy lead for curriculum development, and lead for clinical and community practice. Some of his pioneering work in health professions education has been around inclusive, or anti-exclusive, clinical education and practice. Research interests include cancer risk in trans people, and queering healthcare (as well as education and training) to address health inequalities facing the LGBTQIA+ community. He is the co-chair-elect of the Society for Academic Primary Care. Until the annual scientific meeting in July 2022, he will be co-vice chair with Dr Rupert Payne, before taking handover from incumbent chair, Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham. He champions inclusion and excellence across the spectrum of scholarly work and teaching in primary care, to benefit patients and colleagues.

Ben Goude

Ben graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2020 and began working as physician associate in general practice in November 2020. His undergraduate degree was in psychology and he subsequently studied a master’s in clinical neurology. Ben was the first physician associate in the Rushcliffe Primary Care Network and is based at East Bridgford Medical Centre in Nottinghamshire. Ben works alongside GP partners, a salaried GP, several registrars, nurses, and HCAs. The feedback from the role has been hugely positive and a further PA has now been recruited to the PCN, with more expected in the future. Ben has a broad range of clinical interests including transgender health and sexual health and is currently undertaking the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health Diploma (DFSRH).

Respiratory speaker TBC

Dan Woosey

Daniel is the lead physician associate for medicine at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust. He graduated in late 2011 from the University of Birmingham and initially began working in respiratory at St Helier Hospital. In 2013, he moved to East Surrey Hospital as one of their early physician associates, again working in respiratory. In 2020 he was appointed as the lead physician associate for medicine at East Surrey Hospital. He has a specialist interest in simulation and is a massive F1 and Aston Villa fan.

Respiratory speaker TBC

Dr Anita Bannerjee

Anita Banerjee is an obstetric physician, general medicine physician and diabetes and endocrinology consultant. She is an honorary reader in obstetric medicine, at King’s College London and deputy director of medical education at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She is the secretary of the MacDonald Obstetric Medicine Society. She is one of the central physician assessors for the UK Confidential maternal deaths enquiry. She has published articles, guidelines and book chapters on a wide variety of medical conditions in pregnancy. She is one of the leading authors of the RCP Acute Care Toolkit on managing acute medical problems in pregnancy. She is on the steering committee for mMOET, as the lead advisor for medical problems in pregnancy. Her main interests are high risk pregnancies, the management of the deteriorating pregnant woman and education.

Dr Laura Rickett

Laura was previously a trainee in obstetrics and gynaecology in Yorkshire before moving in academia. Now working as obstetrics and gynaecology lead and lecturer on the physician associate programme at the University of Birmingham.

Dr Andrew Goddard

Dr Andrew Goddard is the president of the RCP, and a consultant physician and gastroenterologist at Royal Derby Hospital. After gaining an MD from Cambridge University, Dr Goddard trained in Nottingham and was appointed as a consultant physician and gastroenterologist in Derby in 2001. His main clinical and research interests are bowel cancer screening, H. pylori, iron deficiency anaemia and inflammatory bowel disease. He is chair of the British Society of Gastroenterology gastroduodenal section. He was director of the RCP's Medical Workforce Unit for 5 years until being appointed RCP registrar in 2014. In this role, he oversaw professional and clinical affairs, both in the UK and internationally. His main policy areas were workforce, healthcare funding, the future of general medicine, the medical registrar and ‘keeping medicine brilliant’. In 2018 he was elected the 121st RCP president, the youngest for 400 years and first from the East Midlands. His priorities as president are the three Ws: workforce, w

Mohammad Hussain

V-Lin Cheong

Patrick Thies

Patrick spent eight years as a special forces medic in the US Army Special Operations Command. Patrick is a US Army trained physician associate graduating in 2001 with honours on the surgical boards. He spent nine years as the battalion surgeon for 218th Field Artillery and 16 years at Hope Orthopedics in Salem, Oregon working in sports medicine and adult reconstruction. He has spent the past five and a half years at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Birmingham specialising in complex and revision hip and knee replacement.

Jamie Saunders

Dr James Matheson

Dr Richard Ayres

Lottie Lewis

Lottie Lewis was the first physician associate (PA) within interventional radiology in the country. Lottie qualified from St George’s University Hospital with an MSc in physician associate studies in September 2017. Following qualification, her first job was as one of the first trauma PAs at St Thomas’ Hospital. After a year at St Thomas’, a position in A&E at St George’s Hospital became available. She successfully transferred to A&E at St Georges in October 2018 to become one of the first PAs in A&E at that Trust. After enjoying the practical work which came with A&E, the IR post at St George’s seemed a tangible challenge. Lottie made the positive move into the IR department in January 2021.

Dr Mike Gonsalves

Pauline Weir

Pauline has worked as a physician associate (PA) in primary care since qualifying from St George's in 2016. Pauline is the lead PA for her organisation that employs 10 PAs and annually hosts around 12 PA students from Anglia Ruskin. She has also worked as a PA ambassador for HEE East of England since 2018. This involves trying to ensure that PAs are included in the workforce planning for the future as well as offering support to local employers considering taking on PAs. They also network and offer teaching and CPD to the students and PAs working in the area and try to ensure they are being well supported. Pauline was a diabetes dietitian for 15 years before re-training as a PA and worked in acute trusts and community settings. She was a DAFNE Educator (Type 1 education programme) and DESMOND Educator (Type 2 education programme) for many years and truly believes that long term conditions are managed best when the treatment is collaborative with the person.

Dr Michael Mulcahy

Sophie Helyer

Sophie practices as a specialist safeguarding children’s nurse offering guidance to frontline professionals and coordinating discharges for children with complex safeguarding needs. She delivers training within the hospital environment to health practitioners and regularly lectures at universities on her specialist subject, adverse childhood Experience. She has a background in A&E, forensic psychiatry, and social care.

Harriet Lewis

Dr Sinead Henderson

David Round

David is a policy officer at the GMC working in the Standards and Ethics team. The team is responsible for developing and implementing guidance and providing advice to doctors and others on how the GMC’s guidance applies to real life situations. The main focus of his work has been on helping to develop the interim professional standards for PAs and AAs, in particular producing a range of case studies which bring the principles in the interim guidance to life. He developed the case studies in partnership with PAs, AAs and the doctors who work with them, conducting in-depth one-to-one interviews to understand what their day-to-day practice looks like. David’s been at the GMC for almost 10 years and before joining the Standards team worked in a range of roles in the GMC’s Fitness to Practise directorate.

Howard Lewis

Howard is the GMC’s regional liaison adviser (RLA) for the South East, which includes Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The GMC Regional Liaison Service (RLS) enables the GMC to listen and understand the needs of doctors, patients, medical students and other key interest groups. RLAs help people to get involved in shaping the GMC’s work through consultations and discussing changes that could affect them. They promote the standards the GMC sets for doctors and explain what happens if a doctor falls short of these. The RLS engages at every level of the healthcare system, which helps the GMC make sure their approach to regulation is well informed and meets the changing needs of the health services in England. Before joining the GMC, Howard worked in the public and voluntary sectors for over 30 years, in roles he hopes helped people to have a voice.

Neil Howie

Steve Sager

Steven graduated in 1992 from the physician assistant programme at the University of Nebraska in the United States. He completed a master’s degree with emphasis in emergency medicine in 1998. He retired from the military with twenty-one years of active service in 1999 and has practiced in emergency medicine and primary care since graduation. He also has over 16 years of experience as a PA educator and has been lecturing at Ulster University's PA programme since its inception in 2017. Steven’s role as a senior lecturer and clinical placement lead has afforded him the opportunity to develop the PA role in Northern Ireland. Steven is also a member of the Physician Associate National Exam review committee.

Heather Gray

Alex Chase

Dr Adesh Ramsewak

Dr Bassam Alchi

Dr Bassam Alchi has been a consultant nephrologist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital for the past 10 years. He qualified in 1991 from University of Mosul in Iraq. Bassam was granted a scholarship by the Japanese Ministry of Higher Education allowing him to complete his PhD in Niigata University in 2006. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the Renal Association. He has a strong interest in teaching.