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The SCI Priority Setting Partnership has been managed by a steering group, led by an independent Chair from the James
Lind Alliance. The Steering Group includes people with SCI as well as representatives of patient/carer groups and
clinicians.
Patient & carer organisations:
Spinal Injuries Association (SIA)
Cauda Equina Syndrome UK Charity (CES UK)
Transverse Myelitis Society (TMS)
Clinical organisations:
British Association of Spine Surgeons (BASS)
Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS)
UK Spine Societies Board (UKSBB)
Multidisciplinary Association of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (MASCIP)
British Association of Spinal Cord Injury Specialists (BASCIS)
Support and Guidance:
The James Lind Alliance (JLA)
Stoke Mandeville Spinal Foundation (SMSF)
Lind Alliance. The Steering Group includes people with SCI as well as representatives of patient/carer groups and
clinicians.
Patient & carer organisations:
Spinal Injuries Association (SIA)
Cauda Equina Syndrome UK Charity (CES UK)
Transverse Myelitis Society (TMS)
Clinical organisations:
British Association of Spine Surgeons (BASS)
Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS)
UK Spine Societies Board (UKSBB)
Multidisciplinary Association of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals (MASCIP)
British Association of Spinal Cord Injury Specialists (BASCIS)
Support and Guidance:
The James Lind Alliance (JLA)
Stoke Mandeville Spinal Foundation (SMSF)
Representatives:
Mr Dave Bracher, Vocational Support Manager - SIA
Ms Christa Dyson, Trustee - SIA
Mrs Ann Glover, Chair of Trustees - CES UK
Mr Lew Gray, Secretary - TMS
Mr Andrew Uttridge - Independent Carer Representative
Mr Sashin Ahuja, Orthopaedic surgeon, Research Officer - BASS & SBNS
Prof Jeremy Fairbank, Orthopaedic surgeon, Chair - UKSBB
Dr Angela Gall, Consultant rehabilitation medicine, Past Chair - MASCIP
Prof Wagih El Masri, Consultant rehabilitation medicine, Emeritus Chair - BASCIS
Ms Katherine Cowan, Consultant - JLA
Dr Joost van Middendorp, Research Director - SMSF
Steering Group
Joost van
Middendorp
commenced his
role as the Stoke
Mandeville
Spinal
Foundation
Research Director in March
2012. He started his Medical
and Scientific career in the
Netherlands and continued
conducting clinical research in
Brisbane, Australia. He
currently is a Research Fellow
of the Harris Manchester
College, University of Oxford.
Katherine
Cowan is
Senior Adviser
to the JLA and
chair of the SCI
PSP. Her
professional
background is in social
research, with a focus on
civic inclusion and
participation. She is co-author
of the JLA's Guidebook and
chairs a number of PSPs,
including for Parkinson's
disease, palliative care and
childhood neurodisability
Christa Dyson is
C4/5 incomplete
spinal cord injured
following a spinal
stroke in 1993.
Having lived,
raised a family
and worked
overseas in The Netherlands,
Oman and the USA she returned
in 2010 to live in the UK. She
now works from a platform
called Focus Forwards to
mentor and support the spinal
cord injured community. She
recently became a Trustee for
the Spinal Injuries Association.
Annie has been a
sufferer of Cauda
Equina Syndrome
for over 3 years
now. In October
2011 Annie
founded Cauda
Equina Syndrome
UK Charity (CES UK) to support
those affected by CES and to
raise awareness of the
condition, after coming to realise
what little help and information
was available in the UK. Annie,
the Founder & Chair Trustee of
the charity offers support and
advice to a growing membership
of sufferers and carers and
works to increase public and
professional awareness.
Angela Gall
has been a
consultant in
the London
Spinal Cord
Injury centre
Stanmore
since 2002.
She is the clinical research
lead in the centre. She
recently completed her term
as chair of MASCIP, and is
representing MASCIP for the
PSP.
Andy has been
helping to care
for his
tetraplegic
partner,
Marrianne
Rooprai, since
she was injured at C3/4 level
in 2004. Andy is also the Co-
Founder of The Rooprai
Spinal Trust, a 100%
voluntary organisation which
helps individuals to partake in
active based physiotherapy.
RST is honored to be a ‘key’
supporter of Spinal Research
UK and annually donates
thousands of pounds to the
fight to reverse paralysis
Dave Bracher
became a
paraplegic in
October 2008,
after a
combination of
Guillain-Barre
Syndrome and
Acute Disseminated
Encephalomyelitis resulted in a
spinal cord injury at T10. He
has completed the last three
London Marathons in his
ordinary wheelchair and was a
Torchbearer in the London 2012
Paralympic Torch Relay. Dave
served as a Trustee of the
Spinal Injuries Association
between 2011 and 2014 and
was recently appointed to the
role of Vocational Support
Manager for the SIA.
Lew is co-
Founder and
Secretary of the
Transverse
Myelitis Society.
TMS provides
information and
support for over 1200 people
in UK with TM and also
related conditions ADEM and
NMO. Lew had TM in 1984 at
age 36, but was able to return
to work after 6 months,
running an IT company. Lew
is a part-time wheelchair user.
Trained at Guys
hospital, London,
Oxford, Stoke
Mandeville and in the
USA between 1971
and 1982 . Obtained
1st accreditation in
Spinal Injuries and in
General Surgery from
the RCS in the UK. Appointed
Consultant Surgeon in Spinal Injuries
& Director of the MCSI at the RJ & AH
orthopaedic hospital in 1983. To date
treated over 10,000 patients with SCI.
Developed an “injury to end of life
holistic service”, the first community
liaison service in the UK and the first
phone back manned service for
patients, carers, GPs & health care
professionals in the community.
Lectured worldwide and contributed
with about 130 publications. Currently
Clinical Professor of Spinal Injuries at
Keele University.
Jeremy
Fairbank MD
FRCS is
Professor of
Spinal Surgery
at the Nuffield
Orthopaedic
Centre, Oxford
University
Hospitals. He is Chair of the
United Kingdom Spine
Societies Board (UKSSB),
which represents UK based
specialist spine societies.
Sashin Ahuja
works as a
consultant
spinal surgeon
at University
Hospital of
Wales &
University
Hospital Llandough, Cardiff.
He is on the executive of the
British Association of Spinal
Surgeons as the Chair of the
Research committee.
