Oxford Health Policy Forum is a not-for-profit community interest company established in 2016.
Since its inception in 2016, OHPF has quickly established itself as a driver in health policy change, working in collaboration with medical and policy experts and supported by a team of specialists in communications, editorial service and project management.
Governance
Professor Gavin Giovannoni
Chair of Neurology at the Blizard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London.
Ruth Bentley
Ruth helped to establish Oxford Health Policy Forum as a non-profit community interest company and continues to support several policy initiatives.
Dr Graham Shelton
Graham brings policy expertise from his involvement as a patient representative in a local clinical commissioning group in Oxfordshire and as an elected Governor of the Oxford University Hospitals Foundations Trust.
Dr Chris Winchester
Chris is also an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford.
OHPF Management
Gavin Giovannoni (Chair)
UK
Gavin Giovannoni
Professor of Neurology
Blizard Institute
Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry
UK
Professor Gavin Giovannoni is a neurologist based in London, UK. His current research and clinical interests are focused on multiple sclerosis (MS). Gavin is also an avid reader, blogger, runner and lover of technology. He has been involved in the development and validation of several innovations to communicate complex information to people with MS and their families (see clinicspeak.org). Gavin has a vision of the future where patients and healthcare professionals will meet in a hybrid world that is transformed by technology (see MS-connect).
Gavin Giovannoni was appointed to the Chair of Neurology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London in November 2006. He did his undergraduate medical training at Wits, where he graduated cum laude in 1987. He moved to the Institute of Neurology, UCL, Queen Square, London in 1993 after completing his specialist training in neurology in South Africa. His clinical interests are multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system. He has recently become the co-director of the Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Population Health.
Farrah Mateen
USA
Farrah Mateen
Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, MA
USA
Dr. Mateen leads a clinical trial funded by the National MS Society on MS medication adherence. Currently, she is the principal
investigator of several multi-country studies.
Helmut Butzkueven
Australia
Helmut Butzkueven
Van Cleef Roet Professor of Neuroscience
Head, Department of Neuroscience
Central Clinical School
Monash University
Director of Neurology
Alfred Health
Australia
Professor Helmut Butzkueven is an academic neurologist specializing in the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) and real-world MS outcomes research. He is The Van Cleef Roet Chair of Neuroscience at the Central Clinical School, Monash University and Director of Neurology at Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia. Helmut is the Managing Director of the MSBase Foundation (www.msbase.org), a global online MS cohort study that commenced in 2004, with more than 74 000 patients enrolled from 130 centres to date.
His overarching research theme and clinical interest is the use of registry data, clinical MRI data, cognitive testing, genomics and patient self-monitoring devices and applications to evaluate treatment strategies and trial methodology to optimize benefit, safety and discovery of MS therapies.
Jelena Drulovic
Serbia
Jelena Drulovic
Clinic of Neurology
University Clinical center of Serbia
Faculty of Medicine
University of Belgrade
Serbia
Professor Jelena Drulovic, is Professor of Neurology at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine and Head of the MS centre at the Clinic of Neurology, University Clinical Center of Serbia in Belgrade. Since 2014, she has been the president of the Multiple Sclerosis Task Force of the Serbian Society of Neurologists. In 2018, Jelena became the president of the neurological advisory board of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia.
Jelena’s main field of research interest is neuroimmunology and multiple sclerosis, and she is a member of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Subspecialty Scientific Panel on Multiple Sclerosis and the EAN Subspecialty Scientific Panel on Neuroimmunology.
Jeremy Hobart
UK
Jeremy Hobart
Consultant Neurologist Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Professor of Clinical Neurology and Health Measurement
Plymouth University
Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry
UK
Professor Jeremy Hobart is a Consultant Neurologist at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, and Professor in Clinical Neurology and Health Measurement at the Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, UK. His clinical sub-specialist interest is the diagnosis and management of people with multiple sclerosis. His medical training was at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School and neurology training was undertaken predominantly at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, both in London, UK. He is also President of the South Devon branch of the MS Society.
Jeremy’s research interest is rating scales for measuring health outcomes. By a combination of chance and design, his training means that Jeremy is one of only a handful of clinicians formally trained in rating scale science. He has led the development of a number of rating scales, has published widely in this area and holds over £20 million in research grants.
Jiwon Oh
Canada
Farrah Mateen
Medical Director, Barlo Multiple Sclerosis Program
Staff Neurologist, St. Michael’s Hospital
Scientist, Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute
Assistant Professor, Division of Neurology, University of Toronto
Canada
Dr Oh’s research focuses on developing advanced MRI techniques in the spinal cord and brain for use in clinical settings. She is leading the Canadian National Progression Cohort, a prospective cohort study investigating progression in MS.
Jodi Haartsen
Australia
Jodi Haartsen
Executive Manager Client Engagement and Wellbeing
MSL
Australia
Jodi Haartsen’s current role is Executive Manager Client Engagement and Wellbeing at Multiple Sclerosis Limited (MSL) in Australia. Jodi has over 20 years’ experience in working with people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions, and holds the post-graduate qualifications of a Diploma of Advanced Neuroscience Nursing and Master of Nursing and Pharmacology.
Jodie’s special interests within in MS include policy development, health promotion and women’s health. Before joining the MSL team, Jodi was a Manager and MS Nurse Practitioner at Eastern Health MS Clinical Service, Box Hill, Australia. Jodi led the development of the service from 2002 and focused on innovative solutions and a patient-centred model of care. Jodi has had various roles throughout her career including researcher, nursing clinical and graduate educator, staff development officer and clinical nurse consultant.
Julia Pakpoor
UK
Julia Pakpoor
Trainee Neurologist and Researcher, Oxford University Hospitals
UK
Dr Pakpoor’s research is focused on using population-based data to explore risk factors for MS and the burden of neurodegenerative diseases on the health service.
Juzar Hooker
Kenya
Juzar Hooker
Consultant Neurologist, Clinical Teacher and Honorary Faculty, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi
Kenya
Dr Hooker’s interests include movement disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, neurological infections and neuroinflammatory disorders, with a focus on MS. He is taking part in a research collaboration that aims to characterize the population of patients with MS at Aga Khan University Hospital and is also involved in setting up a local registry of patients with MS.
Laura Airas
Finland
Laura Airas
Professor of Neuroimmunology, University of Turku
Finland
Professor Airas’s main interest is in pathological mechanisms of progressive MS. She was among the first in the world to apply PET imaging to the study of neuroinflammation in MS.
Mitzi Williams
USA
Mitzi Williams
Board-Certified Neurologist and Fellowship trained
Multiple Sclerosis Specialist
Founder & CEO of the Joi Life Wellness Group Multiple Sclerosis Center
Newnan
USA
Dr Mitzi Joi Williams is a board-certified neurologist and fellowship-trained multiple sclerosis (MS) specialist who serves as the Founder and CEO of the Joi Life Wellness Group MS Center in Newnan, GA, USA. She is considered a subject matter expert in neurology, multiple sclerosis and health disparities, and has over 15 years of experience in the field of MS. Mitzi received her Doctor of Medicine Degree from Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, and she completed her Internal Medicine Internship, Neurology Residency, and Multiple Sclerosis Fellowship at Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly MCG) in Augusta, GA, where she received numerous accolades and served as Chief Resident of the Neurology Residency Program.
Through collaborations with national and international committees, she advocates for people living with MS to share in the decision-making process with their healthcare teams to combat this disease. Mitzi has spearheaded and participated in multiple steering committees and working groups to further research in underserved populations with MS, with a focus on the African American population. She has joined efforts to increase diversity in clinical trials and educate the community about the importance of research participation. She continues to live out her mission to provide personalized multiple sclerosis care delivered with expertise, compassion and joy.
Noriko Isobe
Japan
Noriko Isobe
Professor and Chairperson, Department of Neurology, Kyushu University
Japan
Dr Isobe’s current research interests include genetic susceptibility to MS, genetic determinants of disease progression in MS and T-cell receptor repertoires in MS.
Reem Bunyan
Saudi Arabia
Reem Bunyan
CEO, Center for Improving Value in Health
Saudi Arabia
Dr Bunyan is an expert in paediatric MS. She completed a clinical fellowship in MS and autoimmune neurology at the Mayo Clinic, USA, and was National Lead of the Chronic Disease System of Care and Director of the Model of Care in E1 Cluster in Saudi Arabia. Dr Bunyan’s main interest is the enhancement of the national health system in Saudi Arabia to improve health and healthcare.
Saúl Reyes Niño
Colombia
Saúl Reyes Niño
Chair of Neurology, Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá
Colombia
Honorary Clinical Lecturer, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, UK
Dr Reyes’ research is focused on vaccination strategies in MS, the role of neurofilaments in clinical practice and the impact of social capital on the health outcomes of people with MS.
Stanca Potra
Romania
Stanca Potra
Founder of SMile Center
MS Ambassador for EMSP (European Multiple Sclerosis Platform)
Member of MS in the 21st Century Steering Group
Romania
Stanca Potra is a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS) from Romania. Stanca received her diagnosis in 2013 (at the age of 30) and ever since, has been involved numerous MS initiatives, with a desire to regain control of her health. Stanca founded SMile Center, a counselling and support group for people with MS, in her home town, with the main purpose of helping others to cope with this chronic condition, especially at the time of receiving their diagnosis.
Stanca is an MS Ambassador for the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform and a member of the MS in the 21st Century Steering Group, a group of healthcare professionals and people with MS, formed with the main goal of improving communication between them.
Tjalf Ziemssen
Germany
Tjalf Ziemssen
Director of the Center of Clinical Neuroscience with its Multiple Sclerosis Centre (MSC)
Neuroimmunological lab (NIL) and autonomic lab (ANF)
Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital
Dresden
Germany
Professor Tjalf Ziemssen is Director of the Center of Clinical Neuroscience with its Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Neuroimmunological Laboratories and Autonomic and Neuroendocrine Function laboratories at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital in Dresden, Germany. He obtained his medical degree from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, in 1998 and completed his doctoral thesis in 1999 at its Institute of Clinical Chemistry. He then underwent training as a Fellow of Neurology at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital and as a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried, Germany.
Tjalf’s research interests include collecting real-world data in neurology and the development of new eHealth tools. In addition, he is interested in the autonomic nervous system in health and disease. He is involved in clinical studies and has published over 330 papers and has received several awards, including awards from the European Charcot Foundation and the German Ophthalmological Society. He is an active member of several neurological societies, including the German Neurological Society, the European Academy of Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology and the European Federation of Autonomic Societies.
Tomas Kalincik
Australia
Tomas Kalincik
Associate Professor and Head, Clinical Outcomes Research Unit, University of Melbourne, Australia and Head of the Royal Melbourne Hospital MS Centre, Australia
Professor Kalincik’s research uses advanced statistical methods to study outcomes in MS and neuromyelitis optica, individualized therapy, prognostics, epidemiology and utility of volumetric magnetic resonance imaging.
Tyler Campbell
USA
Tyler Campbell
Inspirational Speaker and MS Patient Advocate
USA
Tyler Campbell received an American football scholarship to San Diego State University (SDSU), CA, USA in 2005. While attending SDSU, he was a consistent scholar athlete and contributed mightily on the gridiron for the Aztecs. The tides of life came rolling in during his junior year when he received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. At the age of 21, Tyler became the first individual to play division one college football with the disease. After graduating from SDSU in 2009, Tyler moved to Texas, where he lives with his wife Shana, along with their three children. An entrepreneur in his own right, Tyler travels the country as a professional speaker delivering empowering and inspiring messages of self-worth. Coining the phrase “TC Speaks”, Tyler hosts his own radio show, Real Lyfe Reel Talk, every Saturday on The Horn 104.9 FM in Austin, TX. The inspirational show is the most popular weekend show on the network.
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