Our Clinical Advisors

Wiebke Arlt is the William Withering Chair of Medicine and founding Director of the Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research at the University of Birmingham, where she leads a large research group working on adrenal disorders and the role of steroids in health and disease.

She is Honorary Consultant Endocrinologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, specialising on patients with adrenal and gonadal disorders, including Addison’s disease and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Wiebke has written many original research and review articles on the management of adrenal insufficiency and has contributed to several guidelines, including the 2016 Endocrine Society USA clinical practice guideline on diagnosis and treatment of primary adrenal insufficiency and the 2016 Society for Endocrinology Endocrine Emergency Guidance on Adrenal Crisis.

As Chair of the Society for Endocrinology Clinical Committee she has spearheaded the development of a new steroid emergency card to be released by the Department of Health and Social Care UK. She joined the ADSHG's clinical advisory panel in 2004.

Professor Will Drake

Steve has been a GP for 20 years and is a Managing Partner at Larwood Health Partnership in Worksop. He was awarded an OBE in 2014, for services to primary care. 

“I have also been a GP commissioner, serving as Bassetlaw CCG Chair and Co-Chair of NHS Clinical Commissioners. I have recently been a Non-Executive Director at Primary Health Properties PLC, and I am a member of the Governing Body of Primary Care Commissioning CIC. I was diagnosed with Addison’s Disease in 2017. I continue to work as a full-time GP and I look forward to working with the board of ADSHG for the benefit of all members and patients.“ 

Professor Simon Pearce, MD FRCP.

Simon Pearce is a Professor of Endocrinology at Newcastle University and an Honorary Consultant Physician at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle with a research interest in Addison’s disease and autoimmune thyroid disease. He trained in endocrinology at Hammersmith, London; in Boston, USA and latterly in Newcastle. 

He joined the Addison's Clinical Advisory Panel in 2005 and was an ADSHG Trustee 2018-2020.  Simon is the co-author of "Living with Addison's Disease – A Guide For People With Addison's, Supporters and Professionals", which won a commendation at the 2019 British Medical Association (BMA) Patient Information Awards. He is Editor in Chief of the European Thyroid Journal and president of the British Thyroid Association (BTA).

Stuart Pinkerton.

Stuart has a family member who was diagnosed with Addison’s in 2010 and joined ADSHG at that time. He found the ADSHG invaluable for advice and support, especially in the first years. He has been a Dental Surgeon for 35 years working in Scotland and in Australia before settling in Oxford. Since 1990, he has run a successful Dental Practice in Oxfordshire.

For 10 years he was involved in his son’s football team being manager and treasurer. He was also ran their website. One of his most important tasks was to raise sponsorship which proved successful in keeping the yearly subscriptions affordable for the boys and their families. For a couple of seasons the team supported the Oxford Children’s Hospital by having their logo on their shirts.

Dr Georgina Russell B.Sc., B.M.,B.Ch.(Wales), M.R.C.P.(RCP), PhD.

Consultant endocrinologist at NBT and a senior clinical research fellow at the University of Bristol. At the University, Dr Russell is a personal tutor, examiner and lecturer on the MSc Neuroscience course. She also co-supervises 2 pHD students and am a professional mentor on the MB ChB program.

She has devised a novel pulsatile form of glucocorticoid delivery. She is currently working with colleagues on new pathways to improve the diagnostic and monitoring pathways of patients as well as examining the effects of glucocorticoid based therapeutics in patients and identifying strategies to decrease side effect burden. Dr Russell kindly spoke at our AGM 2021 about her research which you can watch here on our members forum.

Dr Simpson has a broad clinical experience within endocrinology, with particular interest in late effects, young adult/transition endocrinology, neuroendocrine tumours and inherited endocrine tumour syndromes, Turner Syndrome, DSD and pituitary disease. She is currently focusing on late effects and transition services, and patient safety, in particular for adrenal insufficiency.

Dr Simpson is an active member of the Society for Endocrinology and Editor of The Endocrinologist. She is also a member of the RCP Patient Safety Committee and part of the National Medicine Safety Joint Working Group. She is a key member of the working group, with RCP, SfE and NHSE&I on the development of the NHS Steroid Emergency Card, medical guidance on the prevention and emergency management of adrenal insufficiency, as well as the accompanying National Patient Safety Alert.

Lisa Shepherd, RN (Adult), MSc, BSc (Hons), Dip H.E, NMP.

Lisa has worked in endocrinology since 1999, and currently is lead Advanced Nurse Practitioner at HSG, now part of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

Within this role she case load manages patients with endocrine disorders, running nurse led clinics and supporting Consultant and other multidisciplinary clinics. This includes diagnosis and performing dynamic function tests, treatment, management and education of patients with long term, highly complex needs. Her area of interest is adrenal insufficiency and the support and management ofpatients with this condition. Her research has looked at the knowledge and experience of patients with Addison ’s disease and this work is being further developed during her PhD. She is also an active member of the Society for Endocrinology (SfE) Nurse Committee since 2007, including Chair, and an executive board member of the Federation of International Nurses in Endocrinology (F.I.N.E.).

She is a member of the ADSHG and is passionate about improving the care of patients with Addison’s disease, working with patients their relatives and healthcare professionals to achieve this. You can read about her research project VIStAA Study here.

Dr Francesca Swords

Dr Swords trained at Oxford and Barts before being appointed consultant physician and endocrinologist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia in 2008. She was appointed Clinical Director for diabetes and endocrinology in Norwich in 2011. In 2015 she was appointed Associate Medical Director and in 2016 became Chief of Medicine and Emergency Services for this hospital. Her main research interests are in adrenal pathology and radiotherapy and her major clinical interests are in endocrine neoplasia: pituitary, adrenal and thyroid tumours. 

In 2009 Dr Swords developed the online resource Endobible. More recently, she has played a key role in clinical safety, working with the East of England ambulance service to introduce address alerts for patients with Addison’s disease, and on the specialist endocrinology clinical reference group for NHS England. She joined the ADSHG's clinical advisory panel in 2016.

Professor of Endocrinology, Oxford University

Head of the Department of Endocrinology at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital Oxford, until 2012. Research interests include: pituitary tumours, acromegaly, adrenal disease, angiogenesis in endocrinology, genetics of osteoporosis, thyroid disease. Chair RCP Group on Weight and Health. Spokesperson on Obesity Royal College of Physicians Published over 410 articles, edited different textbooks; Oxford Textbook of Endocrinology (3 editions), Clinical Endocrine Oncology (2 editions), Oxford Handbook of Endocrinology (4 editions). President European Federation of Endocrine Societies from 2001-2003. Chairman Society for Endocrinology 2006-2009. President American Pituitary Society. Lifetime Achievement Award, Pituitary Society (America) 2017. Academic Vice President Royal College of Physicians 2012-2015. 

Prof John Wass presented the acclaimed documentary ‘The Fantastical World of Hormones’ on BBC4, in 2016 and is the narrator of the ADSHG Adrenal Crisis YouTube videos. Prof Wass is currently the Getting It Right First Time Endocrine Lead, NHS England, visiting and inspecting all endocrine departments in the UK (127) undertaking a national report. Read our interview with Prof John Wass on the ADSHG blog.

Sam Westall

Sam Westall is a specialist registrar in diabetes and endocrinology in North West England and is a clinical research fellow at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He is currently enrolled in a research PhD at Edge Hill University, undertaking research into the psychological wellbeing of people with diabetes.

He is a strong advocate for improving patient safety and wellbeing and has recently worked with the North West Ambulance Service to help enhance pre-hospital care of adrenal crisis, which you can read more about in our 'Behind the Research' blog.

Matthew Heppel

Matthew is the Advanced Clinical Diabetes and Endocrinology Pharmacist at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, a member of the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association Diabetes and Endocrine Committee and a Clinical Associate Lecturer at the University of Lincoln School of Pharmacy.

Since starting off in pharmacy at the young age of 15 in his family run community pharmacies in the North East of England, Matthew has been passionate about not just patient safety but ensuring medication is optimal for the patients he serves. After obtaining his MPharm degree from the University of Huddersfield and moving into secondary care, he has expanded his interests in the field of diabetes and endocrinology and now works within the specialist team at his acute Trust contributing to the provision of care for patients with diabetes and a variety of endocrine conditions; including Addison’s Disease, growth hormone deficiencies, thyroid and parathyroid disorders and metabolic bone disease.