The PPA Executive Committee
| Joint Chair: | Rachel Stovell Rachel is currently combining work with travel, succeeding more at the latter. She was the lead physiotherapist in the Facial Pain Team at the Eastman Dental Hospital and an Advanced Practitioner Physiotherapist at University College London Hospital Pain Management Centre. Qualifying in 1993 from Manchester Rachel specialised in MSK working in the NHS, industry – Occupational Health and the private sector, including having her own private practice. The recurring challenge of persistent pain led her search many sources and attend numerous courses before undertaking an MSc Pain Science and Society at King’s College London. It was following this that she moved to specialist NHS pain services. Rachel maintains a particular interest in facial pain, the role of movement in pain experiences, as well the neuroscience of pain. She is committed to furthering the work of the PPA in research, the dissemination of knowledge and in supporting physiotherapists, other healthcare professionals, those living with persistent pain and the wider population with the complexities and challenges that come with pain. |
| Joint Chair: | Clair Jacobs  Clair, MSc, BSc is the Physiotherapy Lead in the INPUT Pain Management Centre, Guys and Thomas’ NHS Trust. INPUT offers a number of group pain management programmes using an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach. Psychologically informed physiotherapy is used across the service and Clair specialises in the delivery and management of complex chronic pain conditions including pelvic pain; helping patients increase function and manage the impact of the pain. She also works as a senior lecturer in Physiotherapy Professional Practice at Brunel University contributing to the Advanced Clinical Practice modules in Pain and Clinical Leadership and work-based learning. Clair holds a MSc in Pain Management and has studied the graduate certificate in Narrative Medicine, Columbia Uni. She is interested in Narrative Based Approaches and in supporting training and peer supervision to multi-professional groups. Clair was the Education Co-lead for the PPA since 2019 and now holds Co-Chair PPA. She is interested to support the development of Physiotherapists working with people living with pain, work with patient-partners and to collaborate across Professional Networks. She holds the Vice-Chair role of the Pain and Trauma Special Interest Group for IASP and has worked internationally supporting rehabilitation including in Libya and South East Asia. Clair has published articles and presented at conferences including British Pain Society, Hong Kong Pain Society, IASP SIG. She has run workshops and training courses on Psychologically Informed Collaborative Conversations PIC-C, Conversations Inviting Change – Narrative Based Approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Narrative Medicine. She has undertaken training in ACT, Compassion Focused therapy and CBT for pain. Twitter/X: @Clairjacobs15 |
| Secretary: | Hannah Wilson |
| Treasurer and British Pain Society Liaison Officer: | Elsje de Villiers  Elsje is team lead physiotherapist for for the Pain Service at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She specialises in pain management for people living with persistent pain - both individually and in pain management programmes - using psychologically informed practice. Elsje has an MPhil and has been involved in clinical research on virtual reality for the management of chronic pain, and is developing a clinical research career with focus on management for people living with fibromyalgia. |
| Research Officers: |
 Selina Johnson Dr Selina Johnson works as a clinical research fellow at the University of Liverpool, with 60% clinical work based within the pain department at the Walton Centre NHS Trust, Liverpool. As part of her clinical role, she works on the various pain management programmes provided at the Walton Centre and provides individual physiotherapy support for chronic conditions including CRPS, and pelvic pain within the pain clinics. Within her research role she is exploring biopsychosocial approaches for the management of persistent pelvic pain and early management of wrist fractures to prevent persistent pain and CRPS. Within the role of research executive for the PPA she is keen to promote and support the research curious, research naive and further research into pain research and the role of physiotherapy. Twitter: @sillyeena  Leila Heelas Leila, MSc, BSc, PG Cert, is the Consultant Physiotherapist in the Optimise Pain Rehabilitation Unit and also contributes to the Physiotherapy Research Unit at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. The Optimise service offers a number of group programmes including, a pain management programme and a Compassion-Focused group for persistent pain. Psychologically-informed physiotherapy is used across the service. Leila has a personal interest in offering treatment to people who may have psychological barriers to group work. Leila holds an MSc in Pain Management and has studied the graduate certificate in Psychology. She is interested in how to promote the benefits of pain management as a specialism and as such is the Research Officer of the Physiotherapy Pain Association and has recently commenced a part-time PhD with UCL Social Biobehavioural group. Leila has published articles and presented at conferences, including The British Pain Society Scientific meeting. She is an honorary lecturer at Brookes University and has received training in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy as part of an Oxford University trial and has undertaken training delivered by psychologists in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion Focussed Therapy, Motivational interviewing and CBT for pain. |
| Equality, Diversity & Belonging Officer: | Nidheesh Veluru
|
| Public Relations and Website Officer: |
 Jamie Watson Dr Jamie Watson works as Lead Pain Physiotherapist at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS FT. He is part of the leadership team for their multidisciplinary Integrated Musculoskeletal Service and leads their Community Pain Management Service. The pain service offers multidisciplinary ACT based Live Well with Pain Programmes, 1-1 physiotherapy and psychology. Jamie has a keen interest in pain science education, psychologically informed rehabilitation, research, health coaching, acceptance and commitment therapy, and leadership. Jamie completed his Ph.D. titled The effectiveness and experiences of pain science education for adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain at Teesside University. He has published multiple articles in the field of pain and presented at the CSP annual conference. Jamie is also a member of an EFIC-endorsed, international, interdisciplinary, team of Pain Science Education researchers known as PETAL (Pain Education Team Aspiring Better Learning). Please email Jamie for general PPA queries, if you would like to write a blog for the PPA, or have any website suggestions. Please direct all matters related to education/CPD to the education officers. Twitter @ThePainGuide |
| Journal / Newsletter Editors: |  Chris Seenan Chris Seenan holds the position of Senior Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University. He came to GCU in 2010 as a Lecturer in Physiotherapy after completing his PhD at Queen Margaret University and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2017. Over the past 13 years, Chris's research has been dedicated to exploring the lived experiences of individuals with long-term conditions, with a particular focus on Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), Intermittent Claudication (IC), Diabetes, and Chronic Pain. His work has resulted in the development,
 Michael Mansfield Michael is employed as an Assistant Professor in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He is co-editor in chief of the Pain and Rehabilitation journal. His research interests include the detection, interpretation and assessment of nociception and pain, through psychophysics and evidence synthesis methodologies, and how this may influence or interact with function, disability and prognosis across a range of patient populations and diseases. Twitter:@MM_Physio Research profile: https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/en/persons/michael-mansfield |
| Education Officers: |
 Claire Campbell Claire is a lead advanced practice physiotherapist in the NHS Fife Pain Management Service. She has sought opportunities to support people to engage in meaningful activities through voluntary and professional posts. She has worked clinically in a range of acute and community services including a regional cancer centre, critical care, neurological rehabilitation, and a crisis response team which focused on prevention of inappropriate admission to hospital and end of life care in people’s homes. Claire is passionate about inclusive healthcare and supporting healthcare professionals across specialities to develop skills in person centred care. Twitter @ClaireC_PT
Clair Jacobs Twitter @Clairjacobs15 |
Student & Early career physiotherapy representatives: | Charlotte Hayers Charlotte qualified as a Physiotherapist in 2020 from the University of Brighton. She completed rotations on Medical and Stroke wards and in the Community and is now an MSK Physiotherapist working in the NHS for Sussex Community Foundation Trust. Charlotte has a keen interest in spinal pain and supporting people throughout their journey with pain management. She searches for new and creative ways to help facilitate people to live well with pain so they can have the best quality of life. She also taken on new roles including the Wellbeing Champion and CSP steward as these roles will aim to help her meet her other passion for supporting new Band 5's and colleagues within the workplace. Charlotte aims to work with the Pain Association to help raise awareness and engage with students and Band 5's so they have the best support at the start of their careers.
 Carl Wong Carl qualified as a physiotherapist from the University of East Anglia in 2021 with a MSc in Physiotherapy and have been working as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist since then. He is currently a band 6 senior musculoskeletal physiotherapist at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in a secondary care setting. Previously, he worked in primary care outpatient setting in East Norfolk and East London. Carl has a strong clinical and research interest in the assessment and management of musculoskeletal conditions, especially in chronic low back pain. He is aspired to become the bridge between junior physiotherapist and specialist pain physiotherapist to encourage, promote and facilitate interchange of thoughts and ideas. He is motivated to pursue a clinical academic career and develop standards of practice and support research relevant to the assessment, intervention and outcome of the physiotherapy management of painful conditions. |
| Patient Representatives: | Tim Atkinson Tim is the author of two novels (Writing Therapy and The Glorious Dead) as well as several works of non-fiction. He was born in Colchester, brought up in Yorkshire and now lives with his wife and family in Lincolnshire, working part-time as a teacher. Tim has won several awards, worked with top international brands and appeared on national radio and television. He is a freelance contributor to a variety of newspapers, journals and magazines including the Guardian, Reader’s Digest, Irish Times, Daily Mail and Times Educational Supplement. His memoir 'Where Does It Hurt?' - about life with chronic pain - was published in 2021. He is Vice-Chairman of the Patient Voice Committee of the British Pain Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Louise Trewern Louise has lived with pain of varying degrees since childhood, but didn’t get a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia until she was in her thirties. The pain worsened over time and she was prescribed opioid pain medication. Louise took this medication for 13 years and over this time, her condition deteriorated further and she was also diagnosed with Osteoarthritis. She believed the Fibromyalgia was getting worse but discovered that she was experiencing side effects of long term use of opioids. Due to the impact of opiod side effects, Louise was admitted to hospital for rapid tapering and and since that time her life has been transformed. Some of the best advice she received during her recovery was from Physiotherapists and she attributes much of her ongoing improvement to that advice! Lousie is now volunteering with the NHS Pain Service that helped her, as a patient expert and Chair of the Involve Giving Something Back Committee. Louise is a member of Live Well With Pain, chair of the Footsteps Festival, and was previously Vice Chair of the British Pain Society’s Patient Voice Committee. She is passionate about helping others find ways to live well with their pain. Louise has featured in a short film detailing her experience of stopping opiods and she has also blogged about her experience through the COVID-19 Lockdown. |
Executive Committee Members: |
 Jen Ford Jen is an Advanced Practice Physiotherapist and Therapy Lead for the Bath Centre for Pain Services & the Bristol Paediatric Pain Clinic. The Bath Centre for Pain Services has a international reputation for providing treatment to people of all ages with complex pain associated disability and associated mental health difficulties; this includes children, adults and their families. She works within an interdisciplinary team delivering a range of specialist interventions aimed to encourage patient participation and behavioural change towards a more values led and age appropriate lifestyle. She is passionate about promoting the importance of Physiotherapy in Chronic pain rehabilitation and supporting all health care professionals working in this challenging field. |
Membership Secretary: |
Emma Padfield |
| Chair of PPA North: | Claire Campbell |
| PPA North Committee Members: | Chris Seenan |