Committee A members

Biography

Radha is a consultant medical oncologist at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care in Newcastle. She completed her medical training and general medical experience in Newcastle. Following this she began her medical oncology training at the Christie Hospital in Manchester and then completed the majority of her training In Newcastle during which she completed a PhD in the molecular biology of Soft Tissue Sarcoma.

She is an NHS consultant medical oncologist in Newcastle looking after patients with breast cancer and sarcoma. She was the lead for the Acute Oncology Service from 2014 to 2021 and was the Research Lead for sarcoma from 2016 to 2020. She is a Training Programme Director for the medical oncology trainees in the Northern Deanery. She was previously a consultant medical oncologist in Aberdeen.

Biography

James graduated from the University of Sheffield and following a PhD in performance measurement using routine healthcare data in renal services was funded by a National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) fellowship to improve outcomes for people on dialysis for kidney failure.

He works between the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the University of Sheffield. A consultant in renal medicine since 2015, James has published across a range of areas within kidney disease and co-authored guidelines. He has ongoing funded research by the NIHR evaluating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of kidney disease treatments.

Biography

Peter is a public health physician, the director of the Global Health and Development Group, Imperial College London, the deputy director of the international Decision Support Initiative, an honorary public health consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and a fellow of the UK's Faculty of Public Health.

His research and public health work has focused on bringing together the health and economic professions, methods, data and analysis in order to improve the use of evidence in priority setting in health, for Tower Hamlets’ Local Authority, the NHS, Public Health England, the UK’s Department for International Development and also overseas in South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Zambia and Ethiopia.

Biography

Richard is an Axolotl partner and digital health engagement advisor. Educated in law, economics, and psychology (with dual defence and finance background), he travelled widely as both military liaison officer and strategic consultant (with non-exec and trustee roles on several think tanks, company boards, and university councils).

He remains active across the British and European health sectors, roles include Chelsea and Westminster Hospital public governor, London Clinical Senate PPV Group past chair, useMYdata Advisory Group member, and fellow of both the European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation and the Royal Society of Medicine’s Medicine and Society Council.

He draws on extensive lived family experience of British, French and American healthcare systems, including family advocacy and care coordination. Having sustained a traumatic brain injury during his doctoral studies, Richard has particular interests in those with invisible disabilities and in the challenges facing both ex-military and diverse communities.

Biography

Dr Ian Bernstein trained first as a GP in 1992, became a GP Trainer in 2002 and sirector of medical education at CLCH Trust in 2020. Ian trained at the London College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1993 and completed his MSc in Osteopathy and Musculoskeletal medicine at University College London in 1999.

Ian was the clinical director for musculoskeletal health improvement at NHS England, London Region and co-chaired the musculoskeletal work and health subgroup until June 2023.

Ian is currently a clinical advisor to NHS North West London ICB. Ian’s clinical role is as a musculoskeletal physician employed by Connect Health Ltd in the Herts Valleys NHS Integrated Musculoskeletal Service, working in the community pain service.

Ian is also working in primary care as a GP with extended role supporting the NHS North West London opioid reduction programme.

Ian was a member of the NICE low back pain and sciatica, and chronic pain guideline committees, chair of the NICE head injury guideline committee (2020-2023) and is the chair of the NICE neurorehabilitation guideline committee (2021-2024).

Biography

Craig is the head of research and innovation at Siemens Healthineers Great Britain and Ireland, responsible for the growth, strategic direction and focus of regional research collaborations. His passion is to foster and promote clinical research with the goal of adoption of new technologies developed together with academic/clinical partners across all imaging, diagnostics and digital (artificial intelligence) streams.

Craig has been a reviewer for the MRC Confidence in Concept panel, invited to sit on various advisory boards (EU ITN, EPSRC-MRC Centres for Doctoral Training and the STFC Network+), co-supervised industry/academic PhD projects and is the industry lead for two multi million pound Innovate UK funded research programmes.

He has previously held posts in academia, the last at the University of Cambridge looking into high resolution imaging of multi-phase multi component systems, and in industry integrating new imaging technologies.

Biography

Andrew is the assistant director of clinical effectiveness at the Welsh Heath Specialised Services Committee, the body responsible for commissioning specialised health services in Wales.

Andrew has worked in the NHS for almost 30 years, covering a wide range of research and managerial roles. After completing his PhD in radiation oncology in 1997, Andrew was appointed deputy programme coordinator for the National Specialist Advisory Group for Cancer. Here he managed implementation of improving outcomes guidance across Wales.

A strong interest in evidence based medicine led to Andrew's next appointment in 2003 as director of the NICE National Collaborating Centre for Cancer. In this role, he established a centre of excellence that developed over 25 separate NICE clinical guidelines. In 2016, Andrew left us to take up his current role at the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee, where he is now embedding an evidence-based decision making approach across the organisation.

Biography

Justin is a consultant paediatrician at North Middlesex University Hospital in North London. As well as being a general paediatrician, he has interests in paediatric HIV and paediatric dermatology.

Justin is a trustee of the Lullaby Trust, a charity that supports families who have lost a child due to sudden infant death syndrome.

Biography

Patrick is a consultant pharmaceutical physician and senior medical director at Incyte Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company. He holds a CCT in pharmaceutical medicine, an MBA from Imperial College and Medical Degree from the University of Nottingham.

Before joining the pharmaceutical industry, Patrick worked as an anaesthetic and intensive care physician in the NHS. 

Biography

Ana is a research fellow in health economics at the Centre for Health Economics, University of York (UK), since 2012. She holds an MSc in Health Economics from the University of York, and a Pharmacy degree from the University of Lisbon.

Her research focuses on the application of decision analystic models to inform Health Technology Assessment (HTA). Ana has contributed extensively to our technology appraisal programme in her capacity as member of the York independent evidence review and assessment group, and collaborated with HTA agencies in Portugal and Colombia.

Her research interests also include the economic evaluation of diagnostic and prognostic tests.

Biography

Steven is the director of health technology assessment, BMJ Technology Assessment Group.

He leads one of the health technology assessment groups, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, to conduct independent research to support health policy decision making.

Since 1999, Steven has been involved in exploring methods for evidence synthesis and health economic evaluation. His primary research interests relate to making best use of the available evidence for decision making, with an emphasis on the appropriate design and conduct of studies, aggregation of clinical data, and their use in economic modelling.

Steven is an honorary lecturer in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a member of the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group, and the statistics advisor for diagnostic test accuracy systematic reviews for the Cochrane Skin Group. Until April 2018, Steven was a member of the our diagnostics advisory group.

Biography

Mohamad is a senior managing supporting pharmacist at Cohens Chemist. He supports the company to ensure they are achieving goals to deliver the best patient centred clinical care. He has worked in various sectors of the NHS including community pharmacy and primary care. He has also gained experience in academia, teaching pre-registration pharmacy students on clinical aspects of pharmacy.

After attending various Technology Appraisal Committees as a public observer. Mohamad built a special interest in the process of Health Technologies Appraisals and how new interventions are assessed. This desire encouraged him to further study this process.

Mohamad holds a Master’s of Science (MSc) in Health Economics and Health Policy from the University of Birmingham. In addition to this he also has a Master’s of Pharmacy (MPharm) from Liverpool John Moores University. Mohamad remains registered on the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Biography

G.J. is a professor of clinical and social epidemiology and director of the Peninsula Technology Assessment Group at the University of Exeter, one of 9 research units in the UK providing expert advice on the clinical and cost effectiveness of new drugs to NICE. He holds first degrees in nursing and health economics as well as a doctorate in social epidemiology.

His primary interests in health technology assessment relate to applications of network meta-analysis, as well as the use of health technology assessment in public health and complex interventions.

Biography

Pratheeban is a consultant paediatric anaesthetist at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London. He trained in medicine at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and undertook specialist training in anaesthesia in Cambridge, Norwich, Ottawa and London. Following a Medical Research Council (MRC) fellowship to investigate the persistent effects of anaesthetic agents on the developing nervous system, he was appointed as a consultant at GOSH in 2017.

He is a member of the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists Scientific Committee. Pratheeban has a strong interest in education and simulation. He is the GOSH lead for simulation development and director of the University College London intercalated BSc in Paediatrics and Child Health.

Biography

Youssof is a public health physician with an interest in the development and deployment of digital health technologies and digital clinical services. He is an advocate for equity-conscious, patient-value-focused, and outcomes-based approaches in the design and implementation of clinical and digital services, including post-deployment assurance through real-world evidence generation.

Currently, Youssof primarily serves as a senior clinical fellow at NHS England. In this role, he acts as the clinical digital innovation lead for the National Digital Therapeutic Programme, provides regulatory assurance for NHSE-manufactured software as a medical device (SaMD) products, and contributes clinical and public health expertise to the NHS AI Lab.

Youssof also holds additional roles as a digital health consultant at curistica (a radical clinical innovation consultancy), a technical expert to the NHS Consortium for Global Health (NHSC), an honorary clinical teaching fellow at University College London and a senior public health specialist at London Borough of Sutton.

Biography

Hugo is a statistician working within the Population Health Sciences department at the University of Bristol, where he conducts research into methods for meta-analysis and their use in technology appraisals. He is a member of the our Technical Support Unit, providing technical expertise to support the development of clinical guidelines. He previously worked as a statistician at the National Guideline Alliance, where he contributed to our guidelines on a range of topics. Whilst working in these roles, he has developed and taught on a range of courses on evidence synthesis and other statistical methods.

Hugo has an MSc in Medical Statistics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a BSc in Neuroscience from University of Edinburgh and Uppsala University. He sits on the Medical Advisory Council of the British Menopause Society as a statistical advisor. Through his involvement with the Science Media Centre and The Royal Statistical Society, he supports communication of statistics and data literacy to journalists and the wider public.

Biography

Becky is a health economist at the School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield. Becky is a member of the Decision Support Unit and her research interests are methods for cost-effectiveness analysis. Becky is undertaking a National Institute for Health Research fellowship researching the inclusion of carer health-related quality of life in economic evaluation.

Becky has previously worked for us in developing guidelines, and in consultancy with pharmaceutical companies.

Biography

Dominic is UK market access director for AbbVie Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company. He leads a team focused on enabling patient access to innovative medicines. Dominic has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 15 years, gaining experience across a range of therapeutic areas. He started his career in commercial roles before moving into the field of patient access and health technology assessment (HTA).

Dominic holds an MSc in Economic Evaluation for HTA from the University of York, a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Sciences from the University of East Anglia. 

Biography

Dr Ramessur is an academic consultant dermatologist at West Hertfordshire NHS Trust and lecturer at the St John’s Institute of Dermatology (King’s College London).

His clinical and research focus lies in inflammatory skin diseases and translational medicine, encompassing both national and international collaborations. He also maintains a significant interest in guideline development and implementation, aiming to bridge the gap between research findings and clinical practice.

His professional background spans the clinical, academic, and health technology sectors, where he has been involved in various roles including pharmacological research, genetics, epidemiology, personalised medicine, and health technology development.

Ravi actively participates in national committee work, serving as a member of the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) therapeutics and guidelines committee (2023-), national audit committee (2021-), AI working party (2023-) and the BAD research committee (2019 to 2023).

His clinical and research interests encompass:

• investigating the impact of lifestyle factors such as diet, weight loss, and exercise on the treatment of psoriasis
• exploring the connections between inflammatory skin diseases and other health conditions (comorbidities), such as heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and stress
• identifying biological markers and predictive factors for the development of other health conditions in psoriasis, as well as assessing the responsiveness of psoriasis to treatment.

Biography

Mohit is currently a consultant in healthcare with Public Health England, where he advises the NHS from a population perspective. He is also an honorary senior clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford and has worked with the Cochrane Collaboration, and the Department of Health. He has also been a NICE Scholar.

Prior to moving into public health, Mohit worked as a surgeon for a number of years in India and in the NHS.

Biography

Fiona is an NHS GP currently working in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. She has worked in many primary care settings and represented her practice as a member of South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group.

She is interested in tackling health inequality and has held roles in safeguarding vulnerable adults and children and in schemes promoting global health. She is also interested in medical education and has worked for Bristol University and with the Prescribing Safety Assessment.

Biography

Min is a clinical pharmacist in a general practice and clinical director for the local primary care network. He was trained at the Welsh School of Pharmacy and subsequently completed an International Masters in Health Technology Assessment and Management under the Ulysses Programme. He spent 2017 to 2018 as a NICE Scholar and is currently a NICE medicine and prescribing associate.

Min has an interest in evidence based medicine and decision making.

Biography

Alan was a teacher and headteacher for 15 years before joining the Royal Air Force as a training officer. He had a 23-year military career, including tours in Northern Ireland and the Ministry of Defence. He then spent 3 years with a private aviation company as a training specialist.

In ‘retirement’, Alan has become deeply involved in patient/lay roles within the NHS. He was lead governor of an acute trust in Gloucestershire for 9 years and performs lay roles for the National Patient Safety Committee, the National Medicines Safety Programme Board, as well as other NICE committees. He is also a Mental Health Act Manager in Gloucestershire and contributes as a lay member to the University of Bristol Medicine Assessment Group. He is a member of the People in Health West of England’s Steering Group.

Finally, Alan continues to use his training expertise as a lay/patient facilitator on two MA programmes for the University of Bristol, as well as for a couple of NHS England training programmes. These all aim to improve public contributions to NHS programmes.

Biography

Jaqueline is currently a registered dermatology specialist nurse, who supports and monitors patients that take systemic and biologic medications for the management of their skin dermatoses.

Jaqueline has spent many years campaigning to raise awareness of alopecia. She has been a champion of support and research and has been actively involved in improving the lives of those with the condition.

Prior to nursing, Jaqueline had a successful career in publishing with Cambridge University Press.

Biography

Mario is a Consultant Neurosurgeon with an expertise in the management of traumatic brain injury and spinal disorders, and is the Lead for Adult Neurotrauma at Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT.

Besides a long and successful neurosurgical training in Italy, France, and Canada, he has nurtured a scientific interest for innovation and new technologies, which led him to pursue two PhDs, one in Nanotechnology and one in Biomedical Engineering. He has complemented them with a sound understanding of the business environment through taught courses in Entrepreneurship, Global Leadership and Organizational Strategy at London School of Economics and in Management of Biotech Medtech and Pharma Ventures at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland. Mario has also been Global Clinical Scholar at Harvard Medical School and Visiting Researcher at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Mario is a lifelong learner and, following on this initial path, he completed his advanced studies by graduating with distinction from the Global Master of Business Administration at Oxford Brookes University and from the Master of Laws in Medical Law and Ethics at the University of Law.

At Oxford University Hospitals he has served on multiple clinical, managerial and educational roles, including: Clinical Governance Lead for the Department of Neurosurgery, Deputy Training Program Director for Neurosurgery for the Oxford Deanery and Educational Lead in the Thames Valley Spine Network. On a national level, he has been appointed by NHS England as Clinical Lead for the Neurosurgery Transformation Program for the South-East Region, and sits in the Surgical Specialty Board for Neurosurgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Mario is the Chair of the Ethico-Legal Committee of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies, and serves as examiner for the Global Spine Diploma and for the European Board of Neurological Surgery.