We advance Community Pharmacy sleep services to improve patient outcomes in Primary Care.

David graduated in 1991 from the University of Bradford and was a practising community pharmacist until July 2016. In 1998, David completed his PhD on the value of providing clinical pharmacy services to care homes and became a full time lecturer in pharmacy practice.  David is now Head of School of Healthcare, at the University of Leicester. Having moved from the University of East Anglia as one of the founding members of staff who set up the first new school of pharmacy in the UK for over 30 years in 2003.

David is a clinical trialist with expertise in the evaluation of complex interventions. His interest is in the improvement of pharmaceutical care through the process of medicines optimisation.

Nicola Barclay, PhD, is a Sleep Scientist and Psychologist, with extensive experience of sleep research, research design, big data and education. Nicola is founder of Sleep Universal Limited, a research consultancy company which provides corporate training, and the development of research in sleep/circadian rhythms in multiple populations across the lifespan.

She was a Lecturer in Sleep Medicine at the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, University of Oxford from 2016 to 2021, training clinicians in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of sleep and circadian disorders.

Prior to this appointment, Nicola was Associate Director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK from 2011 to 2016.

In 2011, she completed her PhD at the University of London, focussing on Quantitative and Molecular Genetic Approaches to Understanding Sleep Quality and Diurnal Preference, where she was awarded the ‘Rising Researcher’ award, 2011. She has more recently worked as a Data Scientist in industry and academia, exploring the use of big data to understand trajectories of health and disease.

Nicola has published over 50 peer-reviewed publications on sleep, and has extensive experience of educating clinical
professionals in sleep medicine and research, as well as expertise in statistical methodologies and research study design.

Michael is a Professor of Clinical Psychology and a clinical psychologist specialising in the treatment of sleep disorders across the lifespan.

He has published over 120 scientific papers on sleep, including clinical trials of novel sleep therapies for infants, pre-schoolers, school-aged children, teenagers and adults.

Dr Caroline Copeland is a senior lecturer in Pharmaceutical Medicine at King’s College London, and Director of the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths.

Caroline’s broad research aim is to improve healthcare strategies for people who use drugs. Current projects range from the development of a wearable skin sensor to protect against opioid overdose, to the identification of drug-drug interactions between licensed medicines and illicit substances to prevent adverse effects. Caroline also examines how national and international drug policy influences drug-related death trends.

Caroline also sits on the Home Office’s Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs Novel Psychoactive Substances (ACMD NPS) Sub-Committee, and Welsh National Implementation Board for Drug Poisoning Prevention (NIBDPP).

Sara McNeillis is a Consultant with interests in Sleep disorder management and Anaesthesia. She has been working at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital sleep department since 2005; and as a Sleep Consultant since 2011. She became interested in Sleep disorders during her Anaesthesia training rotation. She could see that there are many overlaps in how the upper airway functions in natural sleep and during anaesthesia. She is interested in managing patients with general sleep disorders and sleep apnoea.

She graduated from Kings College London, after which, she went on to complete a few junior surgical posts before specialising in Anaesthesia in the North London Central Rotation training scheme, becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists in 2005 She completed her training in 2008 and gained specialist registration in Anaesthesia.

She was appointed as a Consultant in Anaesthesia with an interest in Paediatrics at the Royal Free Hospital and Buckinghamshire. With her increasing interest in Sleep disorders, she was then asked to join the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital Sleep unit as a Sleep Disorder specialist. Sara McNeillis has been involved in developing and expanding the sleep unit to provide a comprehensive sleep service at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.

Jon Whitehead is currently Professor of Biomedical Biochemistry in the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln. He has published over 90 papers, received research funding from various organisations (including Fellowships from the Wellcome Trust and the Australian National Health & Medical Research Council), and supervised over 20 PhD students.

Over the last few years his research interests have extended beyond the molecular and cellular features of the oft maligned adipocyte (fat cell), the function of which is typically compromised in and contributes to the aetiology of most 21st Century diseases, to include a broader landscape.

Rapid socioeconomic changes have created a misalignment between our hunter-gatherer origins, finessed by natural daily rhythms, and the technologically advanced environments we now inhabit.

Notwithstanding, the triumvirate of health and wellbeing have remained constant. Adequate food (diet), activity (exercise), and sleep are still essential to maintain both mental and physical health across the lifecourse.

Reflecting this, future research aims to identify, support, and develop molecular (medical) or societal (behavioural) opportunities to reduce the burden of 21 st Century diseases at the level of the individual and the community.

ORCID

Gareth is a community pharmacist with a special interest in weight management. His extensive work in community pharmacy weight management services has been recognised in a peer reviewed observational study, published in 2020 (MDPI Pharmacy – https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/8/1/22 [new tab]

Spreading his work across community pharmacy, his pharmacy based weight management company Waistaway, and consultation work for Howard Foundation Research (Lipotrim pharmacy programme) Gareth is dedicated to improving the foundations of our public’s health. A chance conversation with sleep medicine pioneer Adrian Zacher (CEO) has now extended Gareth’s interest into sleep disorders, and is now routinely offering OSA screening and signposting appropriately, and a HSAT where required.

Adding sleep disorders to his range of pharmacy services made sense being commonly linked with obesity both incorrectly perceived more of a nuisance rather than conferring serious morbidity and increased mortality risk.

https://www.waistawayuk.co.uk/snorer-sleep-apnoea/ [new tab]

Professor Williams has had a long interest in Sleep Medicine dating back to research into the sudden infant death syndrome conducted at Harvard University.

Subsequently he was appointed at UCLA and developed what was to become the largest sleep service within the Veterans Administration while at the same time co-directing the UCLA Sleep Disorders Centre.

He was one of the early clinicians boarded in Sleep Medicine and has published widely in that field including early contributions recognising that systemic hypertension could in part be related to obstructive sleep apnoea.

In the UK he has helped develop the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Sleep Disorders Centre into the most active in the U.K.

He is a founding member of the Sleep Section of the Royal Society of Medicine, is one of Europe’s few recognised Somnologists, as well as having been awarded the UK’s first Chair in Sleep Medicine

Edward Grandi served as executive director of the American Sleep Apnea Association from 2004 to 2014. During his tenure, he was recognized as a nonprofessional subject matter expert on the diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

He co-authored several articles for peer-reviewed journals and a contributor to trade publications in the sleep field.  He was an invited speaker nationally and internationally to lay and professional groups.

Ed is active on social media (LinkedIn) commenting on current developments in sleep medicine and population health in general.

https://sleepapneaed.blogspot.com/ [new tab]

Adrian is a sleep medicine pioneer helping pharmacists resolve the sleep disorder epidemics.

A passionate sleep patient advocate / patient-perspective leader. Adrian’s background is in oro-maxillofacial surgery and dental sleep medicine. Adrian cofounded the British Society of Dental Sleep Medicine, ran Zacher Sleep Appliances for over a decade and later worked in the corporate CPAP world.

He is also Chief Information Officer for the European Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.

Privately, he runs Snorer.com the place for independent sleep business expertise. Snorer.com provides free online CPD and a turn-key service for pharmacists interested in helping ‘snorers’ and their partners.

https://snorer.com/pharmacist/ [new tab]

Louise Berger is a qualified Occupational Therapist, who has been specialising in sleep medicine for over a decade. She established the Insomnia Service at the Royal Surrey County Hospital Sleep Clinic (NHS) in 2012, and under her leadership, it has grown in reputation and size, now treating hundreds of patients every year. The Insomnia Service was honoured to receive the hospital’s award for Clinical Team of the Year, in 2018.

Louise has a background in psychology and coaching and has a passion for seeing lives change for the better.  She loves to use her understanding of the science of behaviour change and natural inclination for out of the box thinking, to create novel ways of delivering behavioural sleep treatment and enhancing CBT for Insomnia.

Alongside her NHS role, Louise provides sleep coaching to clients across the globe and is also working for a TechBio company, contributing to the development of digital therapeutics, which include a sleep product. Louise is committed to raising the profile of sleep treatment and increasing access for those who need it.

Dr Lizzie Hill RPSGT EST is a Course Tutor in Sleep Medicine at the University of Oxford [new tab].

Lizzie’s background is in Healthcare Science, having worked as a Clinical Physiologist in adult and paediatric sleep medicine services in Edinburgh for over 20 years.

Lizzie is passionate about promoting healthy sleep via education, health promotion and public engagement, and her PhD focussed on diagnosis and treatment of OSA in adults with Down syndrome.

As well as her role within the Oxford Online Programme in Sleep Medicine, Lizzie is currently the Education Lead for the British Sleep Society, President of the European Society of Sleep Technologists and a member of the European Sleep Research Society’s examination committee.

https://www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk/study-with-us/graduate-students/online-programme-in-sleep-medicine [new tab]

Rod graduated with a degree in pharmacy and a PhD in analytical chemistry from Bradford University. He is a pharmacist with over 30 years’ experience in different areas of pharmacy practice and is currently an independent researcher and writer focusing on dermatology.

He developed his interest in dermatology while working in prison and established clinics for patients with skin problems and in 2003 won the RPS Pharmaceutical Care award for primary care for his dermatology clinics and in 2006 was a member of the dermatology Care Closer to Home group. He later trained as an independent pharmacist prescriber and in 2007 worked for an intermediate care dermatology in East Yorkshire. Rod was also a member of the group that developed the NICE psoriasis guidelines.

While working in community pharmacy, in 2011 Rod became a part-time visiting researcher with Robert Gordon University where his work has focused on exploring the role of pharmacists in supporting patients with skin problems and he has published 20 peer-reviewed papers on his work. For the last 5 years, Rod has been a visiting lecturer at Bradford University where he teaches dermatology to undergraduate pharmacy and clinical science students.

Rod is a member of the editorial board of the journal, Dermatology Nursing where, for the past 6 years he has written a regular “Ask the pharmacist” column, based on questions submitted by readers. He is project guardian for the Centre for Post-graduate Pharmacy Education (CPPE) dermatology module for specialist pharmacists and has written many educational articles on dermatology published in Pharmacy Magazine, the Pharmaceutical Journal and The Pharmacist. More recently, Rod has developed the content for an on-line dermatology educational website for primary care health professionals.

Breege qualified as a clinical physiologist in 2005 and gained the international RPSGT sleep qualification in 2008. Then completed a CPD in Behavioural Sleep Medicine in 2012 (University of Glasgow). Breege also worked as a senior sleep physiologist and was manager of Clinical Physiology, Mater Private Hospital, Dublin until Feb 2020.

In 2013 Breege founded the first ever dedicated insomnia clinic in Ireland. The clinic has locations in Dublin and Cavan, as well as an online service.

Breege is a member of the executive committee and former Treasurer of The Irish Sleep Society, a member of AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) and the Society of Behavioural Sleep Medicine.

https://www.insomniaclinic.ie/ [new tab]