Trustees

Rhoda Allison

Rhoda is the Deputy Chief Allied Health Professional at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.

She has held leadership positions in acute and community care, commissioning, and system wide bodies. As an expert clinician in stroke care, she provided professional advice to NICE, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the CQC, the Royal College of Physicians, and co-authored national clinical guidelines.

She is committed to using patient experience and co-design as a key element of quality improvement.

Rhoda was awarded an MBE in the 2022 New year’s honours list for her services to physiotherapy.

Maurice Darding (Lay Trustee)

Maurice is head of research funding at Barts Charity, an East London-based healthcare charity. Prior to working for Barts Charity he worked in research funding at Cancer Research UK. Maurice has a PhD in cancer research from the Institute of Cancer Research in London and has worked as a post-doctoral researcher at University College London investigating biological processes implicated in cancer and inflammatory diseases.

David FitzGerald (Lay Trustee)

David, MBS, is international director with CPA Ireland. For 25 years he worked in senior commercial roles in the international food industry. He is former chair of the Marketing Society of Ireland, and GS1 Ireland, and a former board member of the National Dairy Council of Ireland. He has served on the boards of two Irish State commercial companies. David has been treasurer, and chair, of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and a Trustee of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), which awarded him an honorary fellowship. He is a trustee of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) and chair of the ASI Audit and Risk Committee.

Chris Garcia (Vice-Chair and Lay Trustee)

Chris’ career has spanned a wide range of leadership roles, from KPMG partner to taking forward the rollout of digital technologies for government, as well as chief executive of his family company operating nationally with a range of blue-chip customers. A qualified Scottish Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Companion of the CIPD, he was chief executive of one of England’s largest LEPs with an investment pipeline of £750 million in infrastructure, innovation and skills. He is also a trustee director for the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. He has an honorary doctorate in business from the University of Plymouth.

Jane Hislop

Jane is the director of a PG Certificate in Simulation Based Clinical Education at the University of Edinburgh. Jane has extensive experience in physiotherapy education including having been programme lead at Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University on their MSc (pre-registration) programmes. Jane works part-time as a clinical education lead in musculoskeletal physiotherapy in NHS Fife. Jane completed her PhD in accelerometry measurement of physical activity in pre-school children. Her current research interests are around pedagogical research including simulation methodology. Jane is the chair of the CSPCT’s Education Awards Panel.

Jo Jackson (Chair)

Jo is the director of research and professor of physiotherapy in the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences at the University of Essex. She was previously the dean of health at the University with responsibility for contracting and commissioning activities with Health Education England in the Midlands and East. She represents the university on the Local Workforce Advisory Board for North East Essex and Suffolk and is a governor at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust. Jo is currently undertaking research in the areas of women’s health and gait and falling in older people.

Clare Kell

Dr Clare Kell is an independent higher education (HE) consultant with significant experience as an academic, strategic leader, health and higher education pedagogic researcher and mentor. A physiotherapist by background, with experience working across healthcare, HE and college-based settings, Clare is passionate about empowering critical curiosity and authentic practice enhancement across the education sector. Clare is an experienced research ethics and project reviewer, doctoral examiner and supervisor, journal reviewer and pedagogic research mentor.

Adrian Mallows

Adrian is a senior lecturer in physiotherapy and deputy director of education for the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences at the University of Essex, UK. Adrian has extensive experience in relation to musculoskeletal health and currently leads the MSc (pre-registration) physiotherapy programme at Essex. He is also chair of the CSPCT's Scientific Panel.

Dr Sivaram Shanmugam

Shiv is a senior lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University. He was the founding programme director for an innovative integrated preregistration physiotherapy doctorate programme. He is the university’s vice-chair of the assessment regulations sub-committee and chair of the Anti-Racism Curriculum Group. He also leads the Education Research Group within the School of Health and Life Sciences.

Shiv serves as a non-executive director and board member at a third sector educational company, delivering family and systemic therapy, lay adviser at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and board member for the Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education.

Rekha Soni

Rekha’s first role after graduating in physiotherapy from King George’s Medical College, Lucknow, was in Armed Forces medical services in India where she trained Afghanistan army officers in physiotherapy. She is currently employed as a specialist respiratory physiotherapist at Whittington hospital in ITU, where she is also a CSP steward. Rekha represents the Disability network at South East region trade union council meetings and has spoken at CSP Annual Representative Conferences and National Trade Union conference. Rekha is a trustee of a charity in India and also teaches junior doctors, physiotherapists and nurses there on a voluntary basis.

Tom Wainwright

Tom is a professor in orthopaedics and deputy head of the Orthopaedic Research Institute at Bournemouth University, and a research physiotherapist at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. He has a broad range of orthopaedic and musculoskeletal-related research interests. He is internationally recognised for his work on enhanced recovery after surgery pathways. He has a proven track record of leading research and professional practice, with over £2.5 million of grant income as CI, over 100 peer-reviewed publications in the past five years, and he is a frequently invited to be an international keynote speaker.