About Us

Welcome to SOMM

The Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (SOMM) approach is based on the seminal work of Dr James Cyriax (1904-1985), for many years Honorary Consultant Orthopaedic Physician to the Department of Physical Medicine, St Thomas’ Hospital, London.

The Society was formed in 1979 to continue to develop and integrate the approach into musculoskeletal practice through its educational courses – and ultimately to benefit patients.

The SOMM provides a complete pathway of postgraduate courses for physiotherapists and medical practitioners that run primarily throughout the UK. Invitations from further afield are always considered though and in recent years we have been invited to run courses in Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Malta, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong.

The Society has a committed team of tutors who have many years of experience practising musculoskeletal medicine in many different arenas – NHS, sport, private practice and the armed forces. This brings diversity and interest to the courses and ensures a stimulating and varied learning experience.

Our course programme is continually developed and advanced in the light of new evidence and research by our committed and highly experienced team of tutors and researchers.

Organisation
Communications

The Society is governed by a Board of Trustees and has an active Education Committee which organises the course programme, monitors quality and oversees the whole educational pathway.

The Society is also supported by the Research Committee which conducts audit and research activities, as well as supporting research projects and our students’ publications.

A Conference is organised annually, enabling current and past students to maintain contact and an academic journal, ‘International Musculoskeletal Medicine’, is published four times a year in conjunction with other musculoskeletal medicine groups.

The day to day activities, social media updates and administration are supported by our friendly admin and marketing team.

Meet Our Team

Dr Sharon Chan-Braddock

Module Coordinator

Sharon works as an Extended Scoped Practitioner and First Contact Physiotherapist in the MSK and primary setting. She is also an independent prescriber. Her clinical interests include injection therapy, complex spinal disorder & chronic back pain. Sharon is a tutor for both SOMM Foundation & Injection Therapy courses.

Certified by NHS

Mrs Emily Goodlad

Module Coordinator

Emily is the Module Coordinator for the Foundation in Musculoskeletal Medicine module and Joint Programme Leader for the MSc Musculoskeletal Medicine at Queen Margaret University (QMU). Emily is a Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, with special interests in knees, tendinopathy and clinical reasoning.

Certified by NHS

Mr Paul Hattam

Module Coordinator

Paul is a physiotherapist based in private practice in Sheffield, UK. He has many years of clinical experience having also worked in the NHS in an advanced practitioner role.

Certified by NHS

Mrs Jill Kerr

Module Coordinator

Jill is a Musculoskeletal Specialist Physiotherapist with a clinical caseload and Director of a private multi therapy clinic in Edinburgh.

Certified by Private

Mr Johnny Smith

Module Coordinator

Johnny has been part of the SOMM teaching team since 2007 and did his MSc with SOMM in 2008. Now running his own private practice, he used to work as an Extended Scope Practitioner and specialised in hips, knees and hands.

Certified by NHS

Dr Elaine Atkins MBE

Retired Tutor, Author, Chair of Council

MSK physiotherapist Elaine has a doctorate in Professional Studies and has been awarded a Fellowship of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. She was awarded an MBE is 2018 for services to physiotherapy. She has co-authored four editions of the course textbook ‘A Practical Approach to Musculoskeletal Medicine’.

Certified by NHS

Ms Jane Cohen

Course Tutor

Jane is an advanced musculoskeletal practitioner in orthopaedics and rheumatology. Her special interests are shoulder pain and Musculoskeletal injections.

Certified by NHS

Darren Collin

Course Tutor

Darren is a physiotherapist based in the north west working in the NHS as a First Contact Practitioner. He has been a SOMM fellow since 2018 and teaches on the foundation courses.

Certified by NHS

Mr Graham Hebenton

Course Tutor

Graham has been teaching with SOMM for over 20 years and was previously on the education committee and Chair of Education for the organisation.

Certified by NHS

Mr José Marcelino

Course Tutor

José became a Fellow of SOMM in 1992 and remains an active tutor. His particular area of interest is the effectiveness of clinical reasoning.

Certified by NHS

Dr Kirsten Ness

Course Tutor

Kirsten is a tutor for the SOMM Membership Course, and her main role is as a GP and doctor in private sports clinic in Edinburgh. Her main area of MSK expertise is injection therapy.

Certified by SOMM

Dr Duncan Reid

Course Tutor

Duncan qualified in Medicine 1987 at Edinburgh University and has worked as a GP in Colinton SW Edinburgh since 1991. A passionate football fan he became club Dr to Hibernian FC in 1998.

Certified by NHS

Mr Graeme Searle

Course Tutor

Graeme Searle is a physiotherapist based in the NHS in North Hampshire. He has worked in a variety of settings within the NHS, private practice and local sports.

Certified by NHS

Ms Alison Smeatham

Course Tutor

Alison is an Extended Scope Practitioner working at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. Her main clinical interest is anything “hippy” but particularly the treatment of young adults with hip pain.

Certified by NHS

Mr Gordon Smith

Course Tutor

Gordon works as a Physiotherapy Team Leader employed by an NHS Trust covering two community hospitals. He has previously worked in the USA and New Zealand.

Certified by NHS

Ms Rowan Wilson

Course Tutor

Rowan has nearly 20 years’ experience as a physiotherapist in both the NHS and private sector. She now runs her own private physio practice.

Certified by NHS

Mr Nick Worth

Course Tutor

Nick currently works as a Consultant Physiotherapist and as an ESP Physiotherapist in a variety of locations around the North West, and teaches extensively both in the UK and abroad.

Certified by NHS

Mrs Yvonne Hughes

Society Manager

Yvonne is our Society Manager and is based in our Liverpool HQ. Yvonne is dedicated to ensuring SOMM operates as effectively, efficiently & professionally as possible.

Certified by SOMM

Ms Laura Clark

Finance & Administration Officer

Laura is dedicated to ensuring, all SOMM courses run as smoothly and professionally as possible.

Certified by SOMM

Meet Our President

Professor Karen Middleton CBE

Karen graduated in physiotherapy in London in the mid-1980s and initially specialised in MSK. She has since worked in a wide variety of clinical and managerial roles.

She was made a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) for advancing the physiotherapy profession, developing leadership capacity and promoting professionalism through her role as Chief Allied Health Profession Office at NHS England, before joining the CSP as Chief Executive in February 2014.

Karen is no stranger to SOMM. She became a Fellow of the then Society of Orthopaedic Medicine in the 1990s, and has taught physiotherapists and GPs on a national and international basis. She is a visiting professor at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Karen is the CSP’s first woman chief executive, and also the first to be a member of the physiotherapy profession.