Meet the team
OUR PRESIDENT
Professor Karen Middleton CBE
Karen graduated in physiotherapy in London in the mid-1980s and initially specialised in MSK. She has since worked in a wide variety of clinical and managerial roles.
She was made a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) for advancing the physiotherapy profession, developing leadership capacity and promoting professionalism through her role as Chief Allied Health Profession Office at NHS England, before joining the CSP as Chief Executive in February 2014.
Karen is no stranger to SOMM. She became a Fellow of the then Society of Orthopaedic Medicine in the 1990s, and has taught physiotherapists and GPs on a national and international basis. She is a visiting professor at Leeds Metropolitan University.
Karen is the CSP’s first woman chief executive, and also the first to be a member of the physiotherapy profession.
OUR CHAIR
Dr Elaine Atkins MBE
Elaine trained as a physiotherapist at St Thomas’ Hospital, where Dr Cyriax’s seminal approach to the assessment, diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal conditions was founded.
She joined the then Society of Orthopaedic Medicine in 1981, becoming a Fellow in 1990, and has taught the approach widely since. She has collaborated with different brilliant author teams towards the publication of the fifth edition of the textbook to accompany the courses – Monica Kesson, Jill Kerr, Emily Goodlad and Sharon Chan-Braddock.
Elaine developed the first MSc Musculoskeletal Medicine in 2000, with Middlesex University, and remained as its Programme Leader until the programme moved to Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh in 2018. She has completed a doctorate in professional studies and was made a Fellow of the Charted Society of Physiotherapy in 2014, for services to physiotherapy education. She was subsequently awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to physiotherapy.
Our Team
Darren Collin
Module Coordinator
Darren is a physiotherapist based in the north west working in the NHS as a First Contact Practitioner. He has been a SOMM fellow since 2018 and teaches on the foundation courses.
Dr Duncan Reid
Course Tutor
Duncan qualified in Medicine 1987 at Edinburgh University and has worked as a GP in Colinton SW Edinburgh since 1991. A passionate football fan he became club Dr to Hibernian FC in 1998.
Graeme Searle
Module Coordinator
Graeme Searle is a physiotherapist based in the NHS in North Hampshire. He has worked in a variety of settings within the NHS, private practice and local sports.
Jack Dixon
COURSE TUTOR
Jack is a physiotherapist working in private practice, based in Greater Manchester. Alongside his clinic work, he is active in elite sport and charity sports events.
Johnny Smith
Module Coordinator
Johnny has been part of the SOMM teaching team since 2007 and did his MSc with SOMM in 2008. Now running his own private practice, he used to work as an Extended Scope Practitioner and specialised in hips, knees and hands.
José Marcelino
Course Tutor
José became a Fellow of SOMM in 1992 and remains an active tutor. His particular area of interest is the effectiveness of clinical reasoning.
Nick Worth
Course Tutor
Nick currently works as a Consultant Physiotherapist and as an ESP Physiotherapist in a variety of locations around the North West, and teaches extensively both in the UK and abroad.
Ruth Bradley
COURSE TUTOR
Ruth is a private practice physiotherapist based in Edinburgh. Ruth has worked in a number of clinic and rehab settings alongside sports and in particular rugby. Ruth’s treats a variety of Musculoskeletal conditions.
Dr Sharon Chan-Braddock
Module Coordinator
Sharon works as an Advanced Practice Practitioner and First Contact Practitioner Physiotherapist in the interface MSK service and Primary Care in Central Manchester. She is also an independent prescriber, guest lecturer for Universities and National Trainer for the supervision and verification training of the HEE MSK FCP Roadmap. Her clinical interests are spinal disorders, persistent pain management and injection therapy. She has been teaching for SOMM for over 10 years, and currently module co-ordinator of Injection Therapy and Developing Professional Practice module.
Dr Stephen Miller
Course Tutor
Stephen is a GP with a specialist interest in Musculoskeletal Medicine and a Sports & Exercise Medicine Physician, working across a number of roles in the NHS, Armed Forces and private practice.
Matt Daly
APP and FCP Clinical Lead
Matt is an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner and First Contact Practitioner (FCP) Clinical Lead with East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. He has 25 years’ experience, 22 of which have been in the field of musculoskeletal physiotherapy. He has worked for the Trust since 2003 and has been in an advanced practice role since 2010 due to his knowledge, skills and post graduate education and training. He has worked across many of his local Orthopaedic pathways delivering assessment and treatment in triage services and supporting the physiotherapy team. He completed a PG Diploma in MSK Ultrasound in 2016 and then introduced the innovative idea of physiotherapists utilising ultrasound imaging into their practice to the Trust through a series of workshops. He has run injection workshops for GPs and educational sessions for patients on managing long term conditions.
Previously, he has been ESHT Clinical Lead for the musculoskeletal service, providing supervision and mentorship to grow their current AP team, together with providing clinical governance and pathway development. Matt completed his SOMM Training in 2006, and has previously been the Communications Officer and Secretary for the MACP.
Amanda Hensman-Crook
Consultant Physiotherapist; PhD candidate
Amanda qualified as a physiotherapist in 1991 and has specialised in MSK for 30 years. Amanda has a SOMM diploma and injection therapy qualification and has supervised trainee injectors and provided education around IT in primary care for over 16 years. Amanda developed MSK, paramedic, dietetic, podiatry and occupational therapy First Contact practitioner roles, underpinning training pathways and supervision structure and led the development of the UK MSK advanced practice standards. Amanda is a visiting lecturer at University of Winchester teaching MSK on Masters’ modules and is a clinical subject matter expert for NHSE BestMSK. Amanda is passionate about education, workforce transformation and quality improvement.
Dr Simon Morris
Sport and Exercise Medicine Doctor and GPwSI Musculoskeletal Medicine
Simon has worked as a GP with Special Interest in Musculoskeletal Medicine and has extensive experience of working in Elite Sport for over 23 years nationally and internationally, with Team Doctor positions in Football, Cricket and Motor Racing.
Over the years, Simon has taught doctors, physiotherapists of all grades, and a whole range of multi-professional MSK students. He has pioneered MSK Teaching sessions to Clinical Staff in the local GP Practices to upskill those Primary Care workers at the coal face. For the last 6 years, he has also performed therapeutic and diagnostic injections, aspirations, and hydro dilatations under USS guidance.
Dr Niall Corroon
GP and GP Partner
Niall is a GP and GP partner working in Sheffield, who has a special interest in Musculoskeletal Medicine. After qualifying as a GP, he developed his MSK practice with SOMM and has completed the Foundation Course and Injection Therapy course. Niall is passionate about advancing musculoskeletal management within a General Practice setting and the benefits it can give to patients within primary care management.
Helen Welch
Consultant Physiotherapist; Professional Doctorate candidate
Helen Welch is currently a consultant MSK physiotherapist and FCP lead overseeing first contact physiotherapy provision in West Belfast Federation providing expert assessment and management of MSK conditions. Helen has done additional training to act as a non-medical independent prescriber and to perform joint and soft tissue injection. As well as post graduate training in physiotherapy, Helen is a CASE accredited MSK sonographer, trained in the provision of ultrasound guided injections. Helen has been active within the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapy (MACP), recently stepping down as Chair of the organisation. Helen recently co-chaired the MSK partnership group acting as project lead for the development of the UK MSK advanced practice standards. Helen is a lecturer on the post graduate MSK provision for the University of Ulster, and is currently undertaking Professional Doctorate in Health at University of Bath looking at management of complexity in primary care.