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Clinical and Academic Advisors
Clinical and academic expertise is at the heart of all the work we do to raise awareness and improve care for everyone with osteoporosis. Our Clinical and Academic Advisors include healthcare and allied healthcare professionals, academics, scientists and researchers with an interest in osteoporosis. Our Advisors provide insight and advice across many areas of the charity’s work.
For any queries about the Clinical and Academic Advisor role, please contact us healthservices@theros.org.uk
Elaine Dennison
Specialism: Musculoskeletal Epidemiology; Rheumatology
Professor Elaine Dennison is Professor of Musculoskeletal Epidemiology and Honorary Consultant in Rheumatology within Medicine at the University of Southampton. Having worked as a Principal Investigator of the Hertfordshire Cohort Study for many years, her research interest centres around musculoskeletal aging. Based at the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, she is particularly interested in how events early in life interact with adult lifestyle factors to determine how we age. In recent years she has served as Chair of the National Osteoporosis Society Grants Committee, and as a member of the National Osteoporosis Society Clinical and Scientific Committee.
Neil Gittoes
Specialism: Endocrinology
- Graduated from University of Birmingham with honours in medicine (MBChB(Hons)) and anatomical studies (BSc)Hons))
PhD in molecular endocrinology. - Awarded the Goulstonian Lectureship at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), London.
- Head, Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners.
- Member of Council of the Society for Endocrinology, Vice-chairman of Specialised Endocrinology Clinical Reference Group, NHS England and West Midlands Clinical Senate member.
- Consultant Endocrinologist and Metabolic Bone Physician at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, and Birmingham Children's Hospital.
- Associate Medical Director for Clinical Partnerships at University Hospitals Birmingham.
Celia Gregson
Specialism: Clinical Epidemiology / Geriatrics
Celia Gregson is a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, a Consultant Orthogeriatrician and a NIHR Global Health Research Professor of Healthy Ageing, leading the Global Health and Ageing Research Unit at the University of Bristol, UK. She chairs the UK National Osteoporosis Guideline Group.
Geeta Hampson
Specialism: Clinical Biochemistry and Bone Metabolism
Geeta Hampson is Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Bone Metabolism at Kings College London (KCL) and a consultant in Chemical Pathology and Metabolic Medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital NHS trust (GSTT). She has been one of the lead consultants in the metabolic bone disease and osteoporosis service at GSTT for over 25 years. Her research focuses on the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and metabolic bone diseases and includes cellular and clinical studies on the effect of nutrition, autocrine/endocrine factors in the maintenance of bone health. She has also conducted studies on the pathogenesis of Chronic Kidney Disease- mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) and management of osteoporosis in CKD. She is Chief and Principal Investigator for several clinical trials in the field of osteoporosis and metabolic bone diseases. She has supervised a number of undergraduate and post-graduate research degrees in the area of bone metabolism and osteoporosis. She is a member of the editorial board of BONE. She has published over 140 items including original research papers and review articles.
Nick Harvey
Specialism: Rheumatology
Nicholas Harvey is Professor of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Southampton and Director of the University’s MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre. He is President of the International Osteoporosis Foundation; a Board Member of the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases; a UK Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) former Trustee and was inaugural Vice-Chair of the ROS Research Academy. He is a Fellow of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. He has won many national/international prizes, most recently the International Osteoporosis Foundation Olof Johnell Science Award and the UoS-UHS David Barker Research Prize. He is an NIHR Senior Investigator and Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher; he has published over 500 articles and is a member of many national/ international committees, including as MSK lead for UK Biobank Imaging Study.
Zaki Hassan Smith
Specialism: Endocrinology
Dr. Zaki Hassan-Smith is a Consultant Endocrinologist at University Hospitals Birmingham and holds academic roles at Aston and Birmingham Universities. His clinical expertise includes metabolic bone and calcium disorders. His research focuses on the endocrinology of ageing, including sarcopenia and frailty. He is principal investigator on a number of studies and has published extensively. He served as the Editor of Osteoporosis Review, the journal of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. He has sat on European and International Consensus Committees and Taskforces for Parathyroid disorders. He trained in London and Birmingham on a clinical academic track, completed his PhD at the University of Birmingham and held NIHR and European Research Council funded posts. He has held awards from the EPSRC and NIHR WM CRN.
Christina Heaton
Specialism: Nursing
Sue Lanham-New
Specialism: Nutrition
Susan Lanham-New is Professor of Human Nutrition and Head of the Discipline of Nutrition, Exercise, Chronobiology & Sleep at the University of Surrey. Her research has focused on nutrition and bone health for over 35 years and she has won a number of Awards including the 2018/2019 British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) Prize and the 2021 Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow Medal for her work on nutrition, vitamin D and bone health. She led a successful Nutritional Sciences at Surrey application for the 2017/2018 Queen’s Anniversary Prize and is a Member of H.M. Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) which is responsible for setting the UK’s Nutrient Requirements. She is also a Member of the E.U.’s European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Committee on Vitamin D Safe Tolerable Limits. In addition, Professor Lanham-New is Editor-in-Chief of the Nutrition Society (NutSoc) Textbook Series and first Editor of Nutritional Aspects of Bone Health. Professor Lanham-New has supervised 30 PhD students, published over 240 peer-review publications and raised >£15M in research income. She is a Trustee of the BNF and has been given Fellowship status of Association for Nutrition and was Honorary Secretary of NutSoc (2017-2023). Susan led on a highly-cited Vitamin D / COVID-19 Consensus Paper published in the Br Med J (NHP) and has contributed to media pieces for the New Scientist, the FT and NYT and other media outlets on Vitamin D and the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well as undertaking the Guardian Podcast on Vitamin D and working on SACN and NICE Reports on Vitamin D, COVID-19 and Acute Respiratory Tract Infections.
Monica Martins
Specialism: Nuclear Medicine
Sunil Nedungayhil
Specialism: GP
Dr Sunil Nedungayil is the Senior Clinical Lead for the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit programme (FFFAP), is a GP, GPwER and Clinical Director of the MSK services in East Lancashire. Formerly an orthopaedic surgeon, he has over 25 years of experience across primary, community, and secondary care, including leadership roles. His area of interest is osteoporosis, fragility fractures and Bone health and has expertise in service development and improvement projects in bone health, in primary care, regionally and nationally. He has served as Medical Director for the Northern Health Science Alliance, member of NHS England's Osteoporosis, Falls, and Fragility Fracture Working Group, as NHS England outpatient transformation advisor and a member of the Clinical & Scientific Committee member at the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Zoe Paskins
Specialism: Applied health services research
Zoe is Professor of Rheumatology at Keele and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist, leading the Midland Metabolic Bone Centre (Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust). She holds a National Institute for Health and care Research Clinician Scientist Award, and British Society for Rheumatology Michael Mason Award. Her applied health research investigates the determinants of, and solutions to the osteoporosis care gap; she has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles and secured £5.9million research grant income. She established and leads the Keele Osteoporosis Research Group, is a member of National Osteoporosis Guideline Group and leads the Musculoskeletal Research Advisory Group for Versus Arthritis.
Fouz Rahme
Specialism: Rheumatology
I have been working at the University Hospitals Dorset for the last 25 years after finishing my training through the Wessex Rotation. I lead the regional Osteoporosis MDT meeting and advise other specialities about Osteoporosis management. I am also an adviser for Osteoporosis Dorset.
I run special interest clinics, including connective tissue clinics, Osteoporosis , and Early inflammatory arthritis clinics, taking part in research, audits, teaching and Primary care education increases the awareness and the knowledge about Osteoporosis.
Katie Sheehan
Specialism: Rheumatology
Katie Sheehan is a Professor of Rehabilitation at Bone & Joint Health, Queen Mary University of London. Her research focuses on improving access to- and delivery of- evidence based rehabilitation to improve outcomes of fragility fractures. She brings expertise in the use of routinely collected data to reduce variation in rehabilitation and developing interventions to optimise outcomes of fragility fractures. Professor Sheehan Chairs the Scientific Committee of the Global Fragility Fracture Network and the Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme. She partnered with the ROS on research, supported engagement activities, and serves on the Research and Innovation Grants Assessment Panel.
Mashood Siddiqi
Specialism: Rheumatology
Consultant at Liverpool University Hospitals and Hon lecturer at Liverpool School of Medicine. Started the Metabolic Bone Disease unit at Aintree University Hospital over 20 years ago. This now also includes a new vertebral fracture service including vertebroplasty. Attended and presented at many regional, national and international meetings. Research interests include Osteoporosis, Paget’s disease, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Vitamin D and Vertebral fractures.
Inder Singh
Specialism: Geriatrics and Gerontology
Louise Statham
Specialism: Pharmacy
Louise Statham is a Senior Lecturer in clinical pharmacy at the University of Sunderland and works as an honorary specialist pharmacist in the metabolic bone clinic in Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She runs regular outpatient clinics where she assesses, reviews, and prescribes for patients who have osteoporosis and other metabolic bone conditions. She has a background in hospital pharmacy, including many years in orthopaedic trauma, and has experience of reviewing osteoporosis patients in a GP setting. Louise also supports the delivery and development of undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy programmes and is involved in osteoporosis research.
Jon Tobias
Specialism: Rheumatology
Jonathan Tobias is Emeritus Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Bristol. In an NHS career spanning 40 years, he established osteoporosis services at St George’s Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Southmead Hospital, contributed to the development of NICE national guidelines on osteoporosis, and co-founded the Oxford training course on osteoporosis. He has played a leading role in UK bone research, having served as president of the Bone Research Society, and led research projects into the causes and treatment of osteoporosis supported by grants from the Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Versus Arthritis and National Osteoporosis Society. He is currently chair of the Research and Innovation Grants Assessment panel of the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Stephen Tuck
Specialism: Rheumatology
I am a consulant rheumatologist In Middlesbrough since 2004 and an Honrary Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University. I undertake research and have publsihed over 100 peer reviewed articles and grants totalling £2,787,500. I am best known for my work on male osteoporosis having obtained my MD thesis on this subject. I undertake peer reviews including the NOGG guidance. I have been involved with the ROS committees: current vice chair of the research and innovation grants committee, all party parliamnetary group, former editor of Osteoporosis Review, the clinical committee, patron of the Teesside and Hambleton and Richmondshire National Osteoporosis Society support group. I also chair the North East regional bone group. I set up a fracture liaison service in my area in 2010. Outside work I am learning to play the harp, build model railways and play table tennis.
Sarah Hardcastle
Specialism: Rheumatology
Dr Sarah Hardcastle is a Consultant Rheumatologist at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath where she co-leads the osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease service. As well as her clinical work, she is also actively involved in bone disease research including as local principal investigator for a number of clinical studies. She took part in the Royal Osteoporosis Society’s aspiring leaders programme in 2020/21, and was also a member of the ROS’s 2023 conference committee.
Jennie Walsh
David Reid
Specialism: Rheumatology
Sarah Allison
Specialism: Scientific Advisor of Clinical Exercise Physiology
As a Scientific Advisor to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, Dr. Sarah Allison contributes her academic expertise to help deliver the charity’s ambitions. She is an Assistant Professor at Northumbria University, specialising in bone and exercise physiology, and holds an honorary academic position at the University of Surrey. Her research focuses on finding better ways to prevent and manage osteoporosis, especially through lifestyle changes and novel techniques. Her PhD research has received multiple awards, including the New Investigator Award from the Royal Osteoporosis Society. She also worked on research funded by the Royal Osteoporosis Society before leading research projects as a principal investigator.
Colette Anderson
Specialism: Clinical Nursing
Hello my name is Colette Anderson and I am a clinical Nurse Specialist and nurse lead for my Trust. I have worked in the field of Osteoporosis for over 15 years. I lead on an Osteoporosis service with a team of nurses that perform Bone densitometry scans, co-ordinate parenteral therapy clinics for patients with osteoporosis and run nurse led metabolic bone clinics. I am a non-medical reporter for bone densitometry and working towards becoming a non-medical prescriber. I have been connected to the Royal Osteoporosis Society for many years and have enjoyed being part of the training expert panel for bone densitometry. I enjoy my role and look forward to further association with the charity.
Katherine Brooke-Wavell
Specialism: Skeletal Physiology, Exercise and Ageing
Katherine Brooke-Wavell is Professor of Skeletal Physiology, Exercise and Ageing based at the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (EM) Loughborough University. Her research focusses on understanding the types of exercise needed to benefit bone and joint health. She has led a number of randomised controlled trials of exercise interventions in different populations. She has worked with the Royal Osteoporosis Society and other experts on exercise recommendations for osteoporosis and supported in the creation of exercise resources.
Nicola Peel
- A consultant in metabolic bone medicine for more than 20 years.
- Graduated with honours from the University of Nottingham Medical School in 1984.
- Awarded Doctorate of Medicine in 1994 for studies on osteoporosis in steroid-treated rheumatoid arthritis.
- Clinical lead for the Metabolic Bone service at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, instrumental in developing and evaluating innovative models of service delivery.
- Has a long affiliation with the charity with many roles, including previous editor of our journal for healthcare professionals, Osteoporosis Review.
