Prof Ahmet Fuat

Honorary Professor of Primary Care Cardiology, Durham University, GP Appraiser and GPSI Cardiology, County Durham

Professor Ahmet Fuat has recently retired as a GP in Darlington, Co.Durham after 37 years in the same practice and 41 years as a qualified doctor. He will continue to work as a GPSI Cardiology running a genetic lipid service for County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust, and take up a role as Medical Director for OBEROI Consulting.

He has been a GPSI Cardiology for 26 years having undertaken a Postgraduate Diploma in Cardiology at Bradford University graduating with distinction. He started the first one stop diagnostic and integrated heart failure clinic in the UK in 2002 with local colleagues.

He has a PhD in research in heart failure diagnosis and management, which includes work on natriuretic peptides and has generated several publications that influenced guidelines and led to his recognition as an Honorary Professor at Durham University.

He holds various roles in CVD and research including the past President and past Education & Research lead for the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society (PCCS) which he was instrumental in reforming and GP Research Engagement lead for NENC CRN.

He has a passion for medical education and remains an active lecturer, tutor and researcher. He is a peer reviewer for most high impact Cardiovascular journals, BMJ, BJGP and research bodies. His work in community cardiology has been recognised with Fellowships from the RCGP, RCP London and RCP Edinburgh and the PCCS.

Dr Jim Moore

Past President of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society, GP, GPSI Cardiology, Gloucestershire

Dr Moore is a GP in Gloucestershire with a special interest in Cardiovascular Medicine and Past President of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society, spearheading significant changes in this organisation. He lectures extensively across the UK.

He has been heavily involved in National CVD advisory groups, guidelines and working parties. He was a member of the NICE Chronic Heart Failure in Adults Guideline committee (2016-2018) and was a board member of British Society for Heart Failure.

Dr Moore has provided cardiovascular clinical support to local commissioning organisations for over two decades and more recently to Cardiac Networks in the South-West. He is currently Clinical Co-Lead (Primary Care) for the West of England Integrated Cardiac Clinical Network.

Dr Moore is the National Clinical Co- Lead (Primary Care) for the National Cardiac Transformation Programme which has included working closely on NHSE initiatives such as Managing Heart Failure @Home and more recently chaired a group that developed the National (NHSE) guidance for the Virtual Ward care for people with heart failure (in publication).

He has been involved in the establishment and subsequent development of the community-based Gloucestershire Heart Failure service since its inception in 2003 where he continues to work as a GPSI.

Prof Raj Thakkar

PCCS President and CKD representative, Primary care cardiovascular society, GP Primary care cardiology lead, Oxford HIN Honorary Visiting Professor, Cardiff University Medical School, National EAGs for lipids and HF/HVD, NHSE National primary care workstream co-lead - cardiac transformation programme, NHSE UK Clinical Director, Healthy.io and Board observer, British Society of Heart Failure

Raj trained at University College London where he achieved a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and completed his medical degree in 1999. He went on to a GP training programme in the Oxford deanery during which time he completed postgraduate membership exams of both the Royal College of General Practitioners and Physicians. Raj went on to win the national GP enterprise award in his division. He also completed an enhanced GP registrar post in cardiology.  

Raj’s varied roles have included working as a GP partner since 2004, Clinical Commissioning Director in planned care, Cardiac Lead for Thames Valley Strategic Clinical Network, primary care cardiology lead for the Oxford Health Innovation Network (HIN) and atrial fibrillation champion for NHSIQ Thames Valley. He is also on the national expert advisory group for heart failure and valve disease and is currently the national primary care workstream co-lead for the cardiac transformation programme (NHSE). Raj sits on the editorial board for the British Journal of Cardiology.  

Raj has worked as a presenter on BBC Radio and is a medical writer, lecturer, speaker, and advisor. He has written and published over 200 articles and several books including the MIMS consultation guide which won the BMA book of the year award in the category of medicine in 2012. He has achieved two atrial fibrillation pioneer awards, was a national finalist for GP of the year in 2017 and a national HSJ finalist, 2019 for his work in atrial fibrillation. 

Michaela Nuttall

Independent Cardiovascular Nurse Consultant

Michaela, is a cardiovascular nurse specialist with a unique and varied experience across the NHS and beyond. She developed her passion from prevention over 20 years ago and has worked within it ever since. In 2016 she left public health after working in the field for 16 years and now focuses on 3 main areas, as a Director for Smart Health Solutions, Associate in Nursing for C3 Collaborating for Health and Deputy National Lead for CVD Prevention.

She is the Chair of the Health Care Committee of Heart UK and an invited member of both the Nurses and The Guidelines and Information working party of the British Hypertension Society, elected member of the Association of Cardiovascular Nurses and Allied Health Professional Education working party,  on a variety of editorial boards and the Global Cardiovascular Nursing Leadership Forum. Being a Trustee at PoTS UK keeps her firmly rooted in the challenges patients face in living with life altering conditions.

John Campbell

PCCS Council Member and Nurse Practitioner with special interest in Cardiology, Woodbridge Medical Practice

John works as a nurse practitioner with specialist interest in cardiology in a busy primary care practice in Teesside. As well as providing acute minor ailments service, John maintains a role with patients with a range of long-term cardiac conditions and has special interest in atrial fibrillation.

John spent 6 years as a nurse consultant developing nurse-led services including thrombolysis in Accident and Emergency, Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic, and Nurse-led Myocardial Perfusion Service, and contributed to the national development of extended nurse prescribing from its introduction in 2002.

John has worked in primary care since 2012 and was a member of the national guideline development group with the updating of the NICE guidelines for Atrial Fibrillation that were published in June 2014.

Helen Williams

National Clinical Director for CVD Prevention, NHSE and Consultant Pharmacist for CVD, SE London ICB and UCL Partners

Helen is the National Clinical Director for CVD Prevention at NHS England and is working on delivery of the national CVD ambitions for AF, Blood Pressure and Cholesterol in the NHS Long Term Plan. Helen has worked as a CVD specialist for more than 25 years across all care settings. She was clinical adviser to the national AF programme and developed the pharmacist-led virtual clinic model to optimise uptake of anticoagulation in AF, which has now been spread nationally. Helen has recently been appointed as one of the long term conditions lead for South East London Integrated Care System and is also working at UCLPartners on the implementation of proactive care frameworks for long-term conditions to support primary care in the post COVID-19 environment.

Alison Warren

Consultant Pharmacist for Cardiology, Sussex Clinical Commissioning Groups and University Hospitals Sussex

Alison is a Consultant Pharmacist in Cardiology working in both primary and secondary care in Sussex. She qualified as a pharmacist from Bath University and has over 20 years of experience in cardiology. She has an MSc in Cardiology (Sussex University) and as an independent prescriber manages patients across a range of cardiac conditions. She is passionate about improving the prevention and care of people living with heart conditions.

She has published on topics in clinical pharmacy and cardiology. She was a member of the NICE Hypertension Guideline Group (2019). She worked as an educational facilitator with CPPE for the first wave of the NHS England pharmacists in GP practices and teaches at Brighton Universities on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Alison is Fellow and a Faculty Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Dr Paul Ferenc

GP Partner, GPSI, Worcestershire and PCCS Treasurer

Graduated from Birmingham and completed foundation years in the North West., where I undertook a cardiology house job. Moved to Worcestershire to undertake GP training. Since 2015 I have been working at the local hospital in the cardiology department. Throughout this time, I have been heavily involved at primary care level in the improvement of cardiovascular disease monitoring and treatment, especially the use of anticoagulation and detection of AF.

I am lead for IHD, AF and heart failure within the practice, but also CVD lead in the PCN. I am currently a CVD Clinical Advisor for the local AHSN with the aim of improving outcomes for cardiovascular disease in the region. I also run local education sessions in cardiovascular disease.

Prof Julia Newton

Medical Director, Health Innovation North East North Cumbria

Julia became Medical Director of the Health Innovation Network North East North Cumbria in 2017. She graduated from Newcastle University Medical School in 1990 and since then has worked in a range of roles in the North East of England. She became a Consultant Physician with an interest in Geriatric Medicine in 2000, and Clinical Professor of Ageing & Medicine at Newcastle University in 2008.  

In 2023, the Health Innovation Networks in collaboration with the AAC launched the Innovation for Healthcare Inequalities Programme (InHIP).  Each ICB in England had the opportunity to bid for funds to support programmes of work that aimed at harnessing evidence based innovations to address health inequity.  In NENC, the focus was on Cardiovascular Disease and working with Communities in Middlesbrough a programme of work was developed which aims to understand using behavioural insights the challenges faced by Afro-caribbean, South Asian and white disadvantaged communities engaging with annual CVD checks.  Using this data, potential solutions were co-designed and co-delivered with the communities.   

Prof Michael Norton

PCCS Secretary, Consultant Community Cardiologist, Visiting Professor of Community Cardiology and Deputy Medical Director, Dept of Community Cardiology, Sunderland and North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Professor Michael Norton is a Consultant Community Cardiologist and Visiting Professor of Community Cardiology based in the North East of England. Michael runs the Dept. of Community Cardiology in Sunderland. He is also the Deputy Medical Director of the North East Ambulance Service and is clinically active in pre-hospital emergency medicine. Michael has significant experience in syncope and related disorders having worked for over eighteen years (six as head of Department) within the Falls & Syncope Service at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary. Michael’s main clinical and research interests are cardiovascular risk reduction, neuro-cardiovascular syncope and cardiac arrest. He is a director and national council member of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society. He is also the co-founder of Cardioproof, a community interest company, which aims to improve survival from cardiac arrest by increasing bystander CPR and use of public access defibrillators.

Dr Kevin Fernando

FRCGP FRCP Edin. FAcadMEd MSc Diabetes

GP Partner North Berwick Health Centre, GP with Specialist Interest in CVRM & Medical Education.

Kevin is a part-time GP Partner working at North Berwick Health Centre, near Edinburgh. Kevin is also Scottish lead of the Primary Care Diabetes Society, Content Advisor for WebMD Medscape Global & UK and a co-founder of GoggleDocs.

Kevin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2000 and holds both MRCGP and MRCP(UK) qualifications and has completed a Master’s degree in diabetes which he passed with distinction.

Kevin has been elected to Fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and also the Academy of Medical Educators for his work in diabetes and medical education.

Prof Nick Linker

National Clinical Director for Heart Disease, NHS England

Professor Linker trained in Manchester and St George’s Hospital, London and was appointed Consultant Cardiologist in Middlesbrough with an interest in cardiac electrophysiology in 1998.  His practice is currently focused on arrhythmia and syncope management plus cardiac implantable electronic devices.

He has extensive experience in teaching and developed an MSc in cardiac care with the University of Teesside for which he was made an honorary Professor.

He has undertaken research on arrhythmia management related to cardiac devices and was awarded an MD for his work on congenital long QT syndromes.

Professor Linker was President of the British Heart Rhythm Society from 2014 – 2017 and Honorary Secretary of the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) from 2017 – 2020 for which he was awarded a Fellowship of the BCS in 2022.  He was integral in developing standards for implantable cardiac devices, electrophysiology, lead extraction and developed guidelines on MR scanning in patients with cardiac devices, peri-operative management of cardiac devices and end of life care pathways for cardiac device patients.

He was appointed National Clinical Director for Heart Disease for NHS England and Chair of the Cardiac Services Clinical Reference Group in 2019.  He leads on implementation of the elements of the Long Term Plan for heart disease and development of specialised cardiac services.  In 2021 he established 15 cardiac networks in England to support delivery of integrated cardiac services.  He also provides oversight of the National Cardiac Audit Programme and leads on the Cardiac Clinical Commercial Council looking to reduce unwarranted variation in the costs of cardiac devices.

Prof Derek Connolly

Consultant Cardiologist and Director of R&D at Birmingham City Hospital

Derek is a Consultant Cardiologist at Birmingham City Hospital, Birmingham UK and holds a honorary academic positions at both the University of Birmingham Institute of cardiovascular sciences and at Aston University medical School. Derek trained in Cambridge, London, Edinburgh and San Diego where he was a Carnegie Scholar. Derek has a first class degree in Pharmacology from the University of Edinburgh where he was the Brunton medallist and Keasbey Bursary holder. Derek’s PhD in molecular cardiology is from the University of Cambridge. Derek is the Chief or Primary Investigator of multiple large trials in Cardiovascular medicine. Derek developed one of the UKs first primary angioplasty programmes, and one of the UKs largest cardiac CT programmes. He has been a council member of the PCCS since it's refoundation.

Dr Benoy N Shah

Consultant Cardiologist, University Hospital Southampton

Dr Benoy Shah is a consultant cardiologist in Southampton General Hospital.  His areas of subspecialist interest are echocardiography and heart valve disease. He is the immediate Past President of the British Heart Valve Society (2019-2022) and established the multi-disciplinary Wessex Heart Valve Clinic in Southampton in 2018.

Prof John Deanfield

Professor of Cardiology, Director, National Centre for Cardiovascular Prevention and Outcomes, University College London

John Deanfield CBE is Professor of Cardiology at University College London (UCL) and Director of National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) which incorporates the national databases for cardiovascular outcomes.

Deanfield undertook his training at Churchill College, Cambridge, the Middlesex, Hammersmith and Great Ormond Street Hospitals, London. His principal interests are vascular medicine, opportunities for lifetime management of cardiovascular risk and large scale cardiovascular outcomes research. He has been at the forefront in describing the impact of obesity, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and other risk factors on health in later life, through coordination of multiple large longitudinal cardiovascular studies in population throughout lifetime.

He Chaired the Joint British Societies (JBS3) National Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (2014) and led the development of the public facing Heart Age Tool (2015). He was awarded the British Cardiac Society McKenzie Award, the John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital Decades of Service Award in 2017 and was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2021. He Chaired the UK’s National Health Check Programme Review (2021) and is currently Chairing the development of the new JBS4 Consensus Guidelines. In 2023, Deanfield was appointed as the UK’s first ever Government Champion for Personalised Prevention to develop a set of evidence-based recommendations for a modern, personalised cardiovascular disease prevention service.

Professor Deanfield serves on many international advisory boards and is a member of the editorial boards of several major CV journals. He has published numerous articles in leading medical and scientific journals. Papers published: >553 Citations: >181K H index: 151.

Beverley Bostock

PCCS President Elect, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Mann Cottage Surgery and Editor in Chief, Practice Nurse Journal

Beverley is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in general practice in Gloucestershire and an Editor in Chief of Practice Nurse journal.  She qualified as an RGN at St George’s Hospital London and gained a BSc in Professional Nursing Studies after completing 2 years of an advanced clinical practice MSc at Wolverhampton University.  She is an Independent Nurse Prescriber and holds an MSc in Respiratory Care and an MA in Medical Ethics and Law.

Beverley’s other qualifications include a Post Graduate Award in Diabetes Therapeutics from Warwick University. 

Beverley has extensive educational experience developing modules in diabetes and CVD for an Open University-affiliated organisation and is an Expert Witness for a clinical negligence company.  She has been a Queen’s Nurse since 2015, a title which is given to nurses who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to patient care and nursing practice.

Beverley is a council member for the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society and has worked on the Implementation Steering Group of Public Health England’s CVDPREVENT project and Oxford AHSN’s ‘Prevention of CVD during the pandemic’ guidance.  She has also been a Visiting Lecturer in behaviour change at Imperial College London for the MSc in Preventive Cardiology. 

Liz Mallett

ICB General Practice Nurse Lead and ICS CVD Lead for Primary Care for Bristol, North Somerset & South Glos CCG

I am a Registered General Nurse currently working as General Practice Nurse (GPN) lead for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, CVD Primary Care champion for the Integrated Care System as well as lead research nurse for Pier Health Group in Weston Super Mare.

I first developed my interest in CVD when employed in medical cardiology at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. I then went on to become Senior Staff Nurse in cardiac surgery at what is now the Bristol Heart Institute. Much of my time was spent in providing education and cardiac rehabilitation. I have worked as CVD lead practice nurse in Primary Care since 2005 and provide clinical and strategic leadership to nurses within my role as GPN lead.

I have a BSc in community practice and a PG Cert in Public Health. I am passionate about improving CVD outcomes and reducing health inequalities in our populations as well as proactively encouraging health.

Dr Sarah Zaidi

I am the clinical lead Ageing well steward for MSE ICS- and also Clinical lead for Frailty & urgent care Essex Partnership University Trust for the last 10 years

Having developed the core principles of MSE FRAIL plus framework and the 7 high impact actions approach for Frailty To improve upon a Population health management approach for people with frailty. For improved outcomes, reduced inequalities and reduced avoidable harms

Dr Sundhya Raman

PCCS Lifestyle Medicine Representative, BSc (hons) MBBS DPhil (Oxon) Dipl IBLM/BSLM

Dr Sundhya Raman is a medical doctor (Guys, Kings and St Thomas’s, 2007) with a BSc in Pharmacology & Physiology, a PhD (DPhil) in Genetics/Epigenetics is qualified in Lifestyle Medicine with the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine and the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.

She began her career as a clinical scientist, and aside from her DPhil at Oxford she worked in labs around the world including at Yale, University of Sydney and at the Wolfson Centre for Age Related Diseases, London.

Dr Raman is the founder and director of a lifestyle medicine health consultancy (My Wellness Doctor) which provides advice and support to educate and empower individuals to prevent illness, reverse disease, and optimise mental and physical wellbeing using evidence-based lifestyle modalities.

She has created a programme using lifestyle change to lower cholesterol in a primary care setting, and is the lead for virtual group consultations for diabetes at Plant Based Health Online.

Dr Raman regularly presents talks and teaching on lifestyle medicine and healthy ageing to both medical professionals (GP registrars, medical students, MIMs Learning Live, PCN training events) as well as to the lay public, including a focus on specific risks and solutions for BAME groups. She authored the diet section for JBS4 and co-authored the section on physical activity. She contributes to media publications on lifestyle advice to prevent chronic disease.

Dr Janaka Karalliedde

Clinical Reader in Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, School of Cardiovascular Medicine & Sciences at King's College London, Consultant Physician in Diabetes and Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital London

Dr Karalliedde is a Clinical Reader in Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in the School of Cardiovascular Medicine & Sciences at King's College London and Consultant Physician in Diabetes and Endocrinology and Internal Medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital London.  

He graduated with a distinction in medicine from the University of London. He was awarded MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship and PhD for research on the pathophysiology and treatment of cardiovascular disease and renal disease in diabetes. 

Janaka has a clinical research programme focussing on new treatments to prevent diabetes related renal and cardiovascular complications. In parallel he is an active clinician with specialist clinics for patients with renal and cardiovascular complications of diabetes at Guy’s Hospital and in the community in Lambeth, south London. 

Dr Janine David

GP Partner

Janine David is a GP partner and trainer in Porthcawl.  She is also an associate specialist in andrology at The Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend.  She has a special interest in male and female sexual dysfunction, with a particular interest in testosterone deficiency and erectile dysfunction. She is medical director of Men’s Health Wales, founding member and secretary of The Primary Care Testosterone Advisory Group (PCTAG) and secretary of The British Society for Sexual Medicine (BSSM).  She is a faculty member for the Postgraduate International School of Men’s Health (PRISM) and a regular speaker both nationally and internationally. She is a Fellow of the European Committee for Sexual Medicine (FECSM) and a member of the Androgen Society. Audit, research and publication writing have been a large part of her career; her most recent work includes chapter contributions to “Men’s Health and the Primary Care Physician; Men's Health 4e. (2021). United States: CRC Press” and “Testosterone in cardiometabolic and other diseases, Edizioni Minerva Medica, 2022, ISBN: 978-88-5532-113-6”.  She is also a co-author of the recently published British Society for Sexual Medicine Guidelines on Male Adult Testosterone Deficiency, with Statements for Practice (World J Mens Health Published online Feb 22, 2023).  She loves her Corgi - Basil and playing tennis in her spare time.