MAB Members

 Name 

Occupation/Qualification

Dr Kim Lawson BTech (Hons)., PhD

MAB Coordinator

Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, Sheffield Hallam University                                                                                               

Kim has broad experience of Drug Discovery Research, gained in both multinational pharmaceutical industries and academia. National and international recognition for his work in fibromyalgia and in potassium channel pharmacology resulting in regular invitations as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry & affiliated organisations, to talk at public events & scientific conferences and to write expert opinion articles for scientific journals.

Current research projects include 'Fibromyalgia: diagnostic and therapeutic approaches' and 'Neuropathic pain and potassium channels'.  Kim has published in excess of 70 publications in international scientific journals and has also been invited to contribute to media articles.

Dr Ernest Choy MD FRCP

Ernest joined the FMA UK Medical Advisory Board (MAB) in August 2007 and is a valuable asset to our Association.  Ernest is Consultant Rheumatologist and Reader in Rheumatology in the Academic Department of Rheumatology, King’s College London. He is also Director of the Sir Alfred Baring Garrod Clinical Trials Unit. His major research interest is the treatment of rheumatic diseases focusing on the efficacy of new treatment strategies.

Dr Choy is currently chairman of the Arthritis Research Campaign Clinical Trials Collaboration that funds multi-centre clinical trials in rheumatic diseases in the UK. He is also a member of the European League Against Rheumatism Standing Committee for International Clinical Studies Including Therapeutic Trials.

Dr Choy chairs the European League Against Rheumatism Taskforce on developing recommendations for management and classification criteria for fibromyalgia. He is co-chairman of the International Working Group on standardising outcome measures that should be used in clinical trials in fibromyalgia.

Dr Alan Edwards 

Allergy Specialist 

Anne Johnson 

Acting head of occupational therapy.

Phillipa Newton-Cross 

Senior physiotherapist & clinical lead in FM

Alice Theadom BSc, MSc, C.Physchol 

Research Fellow and Chartered Health Psychologist at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Alice has been involved in psychological research into fibromyalgia syndrome for over 5 years. Her particular interests lie in the effect of sleep on fibromyalgia symptoms and how patients adjust to their diagnosis and self manage their condition. Alice is actively working on involving patients with fibromyalgia syndrome on developing research proposals. Working within a thriving medical school Alice has been asked to present on fibromyalgia syndrome at research seminars for local general practitioners and at international and national conferences.

Alice has co-written several publications including "Dysfunctional beliefs, stress and sleep disturbance in fibromyalgia syndrome", "Exploring the Role of Sleep and Coping on Quality of Life in fibromyalgia", "Pilot study of a 4-week pain coping strategies (PCS) programme for the chronic pain patient" and "Unraveling the mystery, illness perceptions, coping and pain in fibromyalgia syndrome".

I qualified from the University of Liverpool with a Bachelor in Dental Surgery in 1996.  Then spent the next four years working in hospital practice in Liverpool and Preston gaining experience in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Facial Injuries, dental Phobia and special needs dentistry.  I then moved into general practice in 2000 where I've remained ever since.  I was introduced to Fibromyalgia when my Mum was diagnosed in 2001.  I've since gained a cohort of about 10 patients with fibromyalgia who keep me up to date with some of the latest protocols and always make me smile. 

HCPC registered Occupational Therapist

Specialist in Hypnosis & Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy

Dr Raj Lal Sharma qualified in medicine from Charles University, Prague in 2003. After practising medicine, he pursued his main interests in Integrative and Complementary Medicine, with a focus on Hypnosis and Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy.

He was awarded an MSc in Hypnosis from the Psychology Department, University College London, and whilst training at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM), he founded the first and only Medical and Clinical Hypnosis service within the National Health Service in 2007.