Mr Michael Dooley - Women's Clinical Lead, Harmony Lead, and College Trustee
Michael Dooley is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Dorset County Hospital. His special interest is reproductive endocrinology with particular expertise in infertility, menopause, premenstrual syndrome and sports gynaecology. In 2024, Mr Dooley was made Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset. He has attended three Olympic Games as British Team Doctor. Mr Dooley has established The Poundbury Clinics as centres of excellence providing an integrated approach to women’s health. He is also a College Trustee.
Professor Dame Donna Kinnair DBE RGN HV LLB MA – Nursing Lead
Donna is a Non-executive Director at East London Foundation Trust. She was the General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) until June 2021.She was responsible for delivering the RCN’s strategic and operational plans and promoting patient and nursing interests on a wide range of issues. Donna held various roles, prior to joining the RCN, including clinical director of emergency medicine at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust; Executive Director of Nursing, Southeast London Cluster Board; Director of Commissioning, London Borough of Southwark & Southwark PCT. She was the Strategic Commissioner for Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Health Authority’s Children’s Services. Donna advised the PM’s Commission on the future of Nursing and Midwifery in 2010 and served as nurse/child health assessor to the Victoria Climbié Inquiry.
Dr Bogdan Chiva Giurca – Junior Doctors Lead
Bogdan is an award-winning undergraduate medical student with a strong passion for medical leadership and innovation. He was the National Student Champion for Social Prescribing, having recently graduated from his medical degree he is now the Lead for Junior Doctors, and the founder of the newly established National Social Prescribing Student Champion Scheme. The scheme has been created to enable medical students - the generation of today, and the future doctors of tomorrow - to get involved in learning about, teaching, and promoting Social Prescribing within their region. In the past, the medical school curriculum has been established with little involvement from medical students. Bogdan is hoping that medical students can stand up and request to be taught concepts that will be key to their future practice. Bogdan is looking forward to collaborating with as many medical students nationally to put this puzzle together and to attempt introducing Social Prescribing into the undergraduate and postgraduate medical school curriculum.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Lead for Sustainable Fishing
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and his concern for the environment. He has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books, as well as campaigning documentary series such as Hugh’s Fish Fight, Hugh’s War on Waste, Britain’s Fat Fight and, his latest, War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita. His broadcasting has earned him a BAFTA as well as accolades from Radio 4, The Observer and the Guild of Food Writers and his award-winning books, include the best-selling River Cottage Cook Book and River Cottage Veg Every Day. His latest, Eat Better Forever, is due out in December 2020. He continues to work as a journalist, writing occasionally for the Guardian, Times and other national newspapers. He is a vice president of Fauna & Flora International and a patron of Switchback, a charity that helps young offenders find opportunities in the catering industry.
Dr William Bird MBE – Nature Lead
Dr William Bird is a GP with more than three decades’ experience in physical activity, nature and health. He has been instrumental in setting up nationally recognisable schemes such as Green Gyms and Health Walks (now called wellbeing walks). William is co-editor of the recently published Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health and BBC Wildlife magazine voted him one of the top 30 influential conservationists in the UK. As CEO and Founder of Intelligent Health, he has developed Beat the Street, a physical activity intervention programme delivered in towns and cities across the UK and Europe. In 2010, he was awarded an MBE for his services towards physical activity and health. William is an honorary professor at The University of Exeter and chair of Active Essex, and is also a Council Member of the College of Medicine.
Professor David Peters – Lead for Practitioner Resilience and Wellbeing
I am Clinical Director in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Westminster where I direct the Centre for Resilience. The Centre is researching ways of measuring resilience, and improving it through lifestyle change, biofeedback, mindfulness, positive emotion and self-care. https://resiliencefordoctors.com/ I am particularly interested in doctors’ wellbeing. My clinical work (as a musculoskeletal physician) is informed by my time in general practice as well as by osteopathy, acupuncture and body-oriented psychotherapy. I have a specialty in health problems where resilience has broken down (including PTSD), or where pain and fatigue overlap, and in aspects of self-care for long-term conditions (for which we developed the online Self Care Library) http://selfcare-library.info Since the early 1990s I have led on a series of projects bringing non-pharmaceutical treatments (including osteopathy and acupuncture) into the NHS. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework I was awarded a 4 star rating for my impact in this field of work. I am Editor in Chief the Journal of Holistic Healthcare. https://bhma.org/item/journal/
Dr Mike Cummings – Lead for Acupuncture within Medicine
Mike is Medical Director of the British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS). This is a full time post that involves running the BMAS London Teaching Clinic (LTC), co-ordinating and lecturing on BMAS courses in Western medical acupuncture, acting as an associate editor for the Medline-listed journal Acupuncture in Medicine, and representing the BMAS at various academic and political meetings. Mike is an Honorary Clinical Specialist at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, which is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where he supports acupuncture services. His principal academic and clinical interest is musculoskeletal pain, and in particular, needling therapies in the treatment of myofascial pain syndromes. After completing his medical degree at Leeds, and several hospital jobs in the north of England, Mike joined the Royal Air Force for a six and a half year short service commission. A substantial portion of the workload for a general duties medical officer (GDMO) in the RAF is musculoskeletal medicine. Mike came across acupuncture by accident whilst working as a GDMO. He followed his interest in musculoskeletal medicine and acupuncture on retiring from military service, and finally found himself occupied full time in the field of acupuncture (see start of the piece).
Simon Mills MA FCPP FNIMH – Lead for Self-Care
Simon Mills is a University of Cambridge medical sciences graduate who has been a herbal practitioner in Exeter UK since 1977. Among many accomplishments he co-founded the world’s first University centre for studying complementary health at Exeter, was Special Adviser to the House of Lords report on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and coordinated a national Department of Health project ‘Integrated Self Care in Family Practice’ which pioneered many of the elements of ‘social prescription’. He is an acknowledged and widely published authority and teacher on the use of plants in medicine and is a Council Member at the College of Medicine.
Dr Simon Lewis – Bodymind Faculty Lead
Simon is a child and adolescent psychiatrist working in paediatric liaison at University College London Hospitals focussing on young people with complex presentations. He is passionate about the unity of the bodymind in his work and teaching; and how this approach can lead to a more collaborative and compassionate doctor/patient relationship. Simon led an NHS inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit in North London for more than 20 years. He lectures at UCL, teaching medical and other students. Simon is a trustee for an environmental charity (Global Generation), a keen cyclist and photographer.
Mr George Ampat – Lead for Musculoskeletal Faculty
Mr. Ampat works as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust and as a Clinical Teacher at the School of Medicine, University of Liverpool. Though a surgeon by training and practice, Mr Ampat now specializes in treating people with spine, feet and other musculoskeletal problems without surgical intervention and with lifestyle modification.
Dr Lucy Pollock – Lead for Care of the Elderly
I’m a consultant geriatrician. I love high quality patient-centered care of older people. We will all become old if we are lucky – older people are just the rest of us, grown up. I enjoy meeting and teaching students and AHPs, and watching our trainees learn what it is about geriatric medicine that is so irresistible. I am also made happy by family and friends, birds, plants, reading, music, slow running and even slower swimming. I trained at Cambridge, Barts and several London hospitals before moving to Somerset in 1997. I chaired our clinical ethics committee for 10 years and I’m proud to have contributed a tiny part of the Medicine for Older People syllabus for Bristol University Medical School, which I confidently believe to be the most comprehensive, effective and popular undergraduate training in geriatric medicine in the world. The Book About Getting Older (2021) and The Golden Rule (2024) are both published by Penguin Random House. @lucypollock | Linktree
Heather Mason - Lead for yoga
Heather Mason is the founder of The Minded Institute, an organisation that develops and researches innovative treatment programs for chronic mental and physical health problems based on a fusion of yoga therapy, mindfulness, psychotherapy, and neuroscience. The Institute’s main activity is training yoga teachers and health professionals to use evidence-based mind-body skills with clinical population. Heather holds an MA in Buddhist Studies, and MA in Psychotherapy, an MSc in Medical Physiology, and has undertaken extensive academic training in neuroscience. She is also a yoga therapist, 500 registered yoga teacher, and holds an MBCT training certificate from Bangor University. Previously, Heather created and taught a class at the Boston University School of Medicine on mind-body medicine to first and second year medical students, developed and delivered a mind-body science course for the first MSc in yoga therapy in the USA at The Maryland University of Integrated Medicine, and has lectured on Harvard Medical School’s mind-body medicine course. She is actively involved in bringing collaboration to the UK yoga community, including organising national conferences and community events, lecturing on the science of yoga in the UK and beyond, and regularly speaks at the APPG on bridging the world of yoga and medicine.
Dr Naveed Akhtar - Lead for NLP & Hypnotherapy
Dr Naveed Akhtar has been a principal GP for over 10 years, with Special Interests in Minor Surgery, Musculoskeletal Medicine and Mental Health. He is a Master NLP Trainer, a Hypnotherapist and a medical Acupuncturist.
Prior to becoming a GP, Dr Akhtar trained as a surgeon completing his MRCS in 2007. As a specialist in hand surgery, he was an advisor to the Royal College of Surgeons developing guidelines for the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Dr Akhtar is also a Commissioner and Clinical Lead at West Essex CCG, Royal College of General Practitioner’s tutor and a parish councillor.
Whilst at medical school, He developed a keen interest in the workings of the human mind and its remarkable ability to self-heal, which led him to complete a B.Sc degree in Neuroscience. Having trained in NLP and clinical hypnosis and using these techniques to help his patients, Dr Akhtar started to train these principles to doctors and other health professionals. Together with Dr Toh Wong, they co-founded Neurolinguistic Healthcare Ltd and organised the UK’s first Integrative Health Convention.
Professor Jonathon Gray - Lead for the Commonwealth
Jonathon has an academic, medical and executive background, developed across several health systems internationally. Jonathon’s career has included: medical training and PhD in Scotland; Clinical Genetics training, consultant, clinical director and Public Health Director roles in Wales; Health Foundation/IHI improvement Fellowship in Boston USA; Master’s in Public Health from Harvard; Executive Director of Innovation and Improvement in New Zealand at Counties Manukau District Health Board; CEO of the Academic Health Science Network in SW England; Director of Transformation, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board; Director of the Dragons Heart surge hospital development during Covid; Director of the newly established Commonwealth Leadership Institute -role established within University of Wales Trinity St Davids Jonathon is particularly proud to play a small part in the Centre for Healthcare Innovations amazing work in Singapore, as a contributor to the CHI Innovate conferences, and as a support for the CHI Faculty and young leaders in FLYING. He is also a Council member for the College of Medicine, and Director of the Commonwealth Institute.
Patrick Holden CBE - Lead for Sustainable Farming
Patrick is the founder and chief executive of the Sustainable Food Trust. Patrick’s extensive advocacy work centres on the importance of transforming our food and farming systems to address climate change, reverse biodiversity loss, and improve public health. This work includes regular broadcasts and talks at public events. After studying biodynamic agriculture at Emerson College, Patrick established a mixed community farm in Wales in 1973. His farm is now the longest established mixed organic dairy holding in Wales, producing an-award winning raw milk cheddar-style cheese, Hafod, from the milk of 90 Ayrshire dairy cows. Patrick was the founding chairman of British Organic Farmers in 1982, and director of the Soil Association from 1995 and 2010, during which time the organisation led the development of both organic standards and the market for organic foods. He is a Patron of the UK Biodynamic Association and, in 2005, he received a CBE for services to organic farming. In 2022 he was awarded an honorary doctorate for international work in sustainable agriculture from the University of Wales Trinity St David, bestowed upon him by the then Prince of Wales.
Dr Clare Bailey Mosley - GP Lead for Nutrition
Dr Clare Bailey has been a general practitioner for over 30 years and has supported hundreds of patients to lose weight, stabilise their blood sugar, feel better and in many cases put their diabetes into remission. She worked closely with her late husband Dr Michael Mosley. Her passion is to help people to live long, happy and healthy lives and to improve their metabolic health. Clare has written the recipe books for The Fast 800 weight loss program, as well as incorporating the 5-2 Diet, including The Fast 800 Keto Recipe book, as well as the latest – the Fast 800 GLP Recipe Book. Clare is also a director of the Fast 800 Program. As well creating the program, she has also been instrumental in a major research program, the Diamond trial DIAMOND with Oxford University, led by professor Susan Jebb, similar to the Fast 800 program, showing that a combination of low-carb, Mediterranean-style diet and some calorie restriction over 8 weeks, based in general practice was able to demonstrate significant weight loss over one year, reduce blood sugars can and put diabetes into remission. Media expertise Clare is passionate about using a lowish Mediterranean-style diet and intermittent fasting to improve health, maintain a healthy weight and counteract the slide towards chronic diseases such as diabetes, raised blood pressure, poor metabolic health, cardiovascular disease, cancer and fatty liver. She is a global commentator on: • The Mediterranean-style diet • Intermittent fasting • Type 2 diabetes • Weight loss • Gut health • Healthy food and lifestyles • Encouraging healthy eating for children and families
