Decoding the Spine

Dr Richard Fawcett is a Consultant Musculoskeletal Radiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. 

His areas of specialist interests are Spinal Radiology and Interventional Musculoskeletal Radiology with an active research interest in these fields. 

As an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Leeds, Dr Fawcett is actively involved with postgraduate teaching and training of resident radiologists and clinical fellows in The Leeds MSK Radiology department. He lectures nationally and internationally in the field of Musculoskeletal Radiology.

He is a member of the British and European Societies of Skeletal Radiology and was the organiser of the BSSR Refresher Course in Leeds, 2023.

Recent clinical advisory roles include working with NICE to establish the national guidance for the percutaneous treatment of vertebral metastases, and with NHS England on the national pathway for the diagnosis and treatment of cauda equina syndrome.

Dr Fawcett founded The British Spinal Intervention Course, a hands-on course to teach and train medical professionals in Spinal Interventional Radiology.

Dr. Ankit is a distinguished Senior Consultant Musculoskeletal Radiologist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Chairman of the Chapter of Diagnostic Radiology at the College of Radiologists, Singapore. With nearly two decades of experience in the field, he plays a vital role in radiology education and undergraduate training as a senior clinical lecturer at YLL School of Medicine and an Asst Professor at NTU - Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore.

Dr. Ankit has been an integral part of the National Health Group Radiology Residency Programme for over 15 years, previously holding the position of Chairman of the Programme Evaluation Committee. He is the director of the National Radiology Residency Lecture Series, a key initiative aimed at enhancing the curriculum for radiology residents across Singapore.

His scholarly work includes nearly 50 international indexed publications and book chapters focused on musculoskeletal radiology, and he frequently presents at local, regional, and international conferences. Additionally, he is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Applied and Clinical Radiology.

After successfully completing his term as Chair of the Musculoskeletal Radiology Subsection of the Singapore Radiological Society, Dr. Ankit continues to be actively involved in driving subsection activities as the current Vice Chair and Secretary. He also serves as an Executive Committee member of the Singapore Radiological Society. Dr. Ankit is also a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Applied and Clinical Radiology.

Throughout his career, Dr. Ankit has received numerous accolades, including the more recent Best Practice Medal under the Care Redesign category at the National HIP Medals 2024, and the Excellence in Action Award during NHG Quality Day 2024. He was also honoured with the NHG Teaching Award for Senior Doctors in 2020 and recognized with the Human Resource Development Programme Award for advanced specialist training at Leeds National Trust Hospitals in the UK.

Dr. Ankit’s extensive experience and commitment to radiology education and innovation underscore his leadership in advancing the discipline in Singapore and beyond.

Hi there I'm Dan, an MSK Radiologist in Yorkshire, UK. I'm also the Lead of my Regional Imaging Network (Yorkshire Imaging Collaborative) and a huge Health Tech enthusiast. I'm still an active software developer and front end coder.

My Interests in MSK Radiology are:

Sports Injury Imaging

MSK USS guided intervention

Spinal Imaging and Intervention

Health Tech Interests:

Web based PACS and image sharing (check out pacsbin.com)

Building radiology networks for large scale image sharing and cross network reporting

Gamification of radiology solutions and adaptation of the workplace

The design and application of AI solutions into the front end workflow

Health tech business development

Education:

I train MSK radiologists who come to work with me on attachment, lecture online and through the British Society of Skeletal Radiologists. I also run FRCR exam courses with Radiology Masters.

Wg Cdr Fern Whittam is an RAF Consultant MSK Radiologist working at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and DMRC Stanford Hall.

Her specialist interests include spinal and paediatric musculoskeletal imaging includingmusculoskeletal intervention. 

She has advised on panels for national guidance such as the GIRFT acute foot drop pathway and has lectured nationally/internationally in adult and paediatric musculoskeletal imaging topics. 

Dr Yaron Berkowitz is an interventional MSK radiology consultant at Oxford University Hospitals, including the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and John Radcliffe Hospitals. After obtaining his medical degree from the University of Cambridge, he completed his radiology training at Imperial College London followed by two years of fellowships at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital in Oswestry, UK, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Dr Berkowitz works in all areas of musculoskeletal radiology, although he has a special interest in the imaging and intervention of bone and soft tissue oncology, spine and pelvis, musculoskeletal infection, and upper and lower limb injuries. He is the lead radiologist for the Oxford Metastatic Intervention Team (OxMINT), Oxford Bone Infection Unit, Young Adult Hip, Orthopaedic Spine, Upper Limb and Rheumatology multidisciplinary team meetings.

Dr Berkowitz is the MSK Intervention Lead and is heavily involved in education and mentorship as the MSK Fellowship Lead and Clinical Tutor for MSK Radiology. He enjoys teaching and lecturing and is regularly invited to do so at international conferences in the UK, Europe, the USA and Africa, as well as participating in outreach programmes across the globe. He is actively involved in with Oxford University and has authored several book chapters and peer reviewed articles, as well as acting as a reviewer for several seminal international journals including Skeletal Radiology.

Dr Richard Fawcett is a Consultant Musculoskeletal Radiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. 

His areas of specialist interests are Spinal Radiology and Interventional Musculoskeletal Radiology with an active research interest in these fields. 

As an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Leeds, Dr Fawcett is actively involved with postgraduate teaching and training of resident radiologists and clinical fellows in The Leeds MSK Radiology department. He lectures nationally and internationally in the field of Musculoskeletal Radiology.

He is a member of the British and European Societies of Skeletal Radiology and was the organiser of the BSSR Refresher Course in Leeds, 2023.

Recent clinical advisory roles include working with NICE to establish the national guidance for the percutaneous treatment of vertebral metastases, and with NHS England on the national pathway for the diagnosis and treatment of cauda equina syndrome.

Dr Fawcett founded The British Spinal Intervention Course, a hands-on course to teach and train medical professionals in Spinal Interventional Radiology.

Dr David McKean is a Consultant Musculoskeletal Radiologist at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

David studied medicine at St John's College, Oxford, completed his training at the Oxford School of Radiology and sub-specialised in Musculoskeletal Radiology at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre.

He is currently the Clinical Lead and Radiology Research Lead for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Director of the Stoke Mandeville Musculoskeletal & Spinal Radiology Fellowship, Radiology Lead for the National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC) MDT and has previously acted as Associate Medical Director for Research and Innovation.

David is dedicated to teaching and is currently Secretary of the British Society of Skeletal Radiologists (BSSR). He is also a member of the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) Intervention Subcommittee and the International Skeletal Society (ISS) Social Media Subcommittee. 

Dr McKean is active in research and teaching regarding musculoskeletal injury, complex spinal cord injury and image guided musculoskeletal intervention. He has published in high impact journals such as JAMA, Neurology, Skeletal Radiology, Bone and Joint, and Nature Spinal Cord.

Dr Rankine is an expert in all aspects of MSK radiology with a particular interest in spinal imaging and intervention. He is the lead radiologist for one of the largest multi-disciplinary spine meetings in the country which combines neurosurgical and orthopaedic spinal surgeons. He developed the radiofrequency bone tumour ablation service, one of the first in the country.

Dr Rankine has been working in medical-legal practice for nearly 20 years, giving evidence in court on a range of MSK conditions in the fields of personal injury and medical negligence. He has a particular expertise in the area of spinal trauma and spinal degeneration. His research has explored the association of trauma and spinal imaging findings of degeneration and in 2011 he gave evidence to the court of session, In Edinburgh, in a landmark case which successfully defended against the notion that repetitive trauma can cause disc degeneration (Wilson vs North Lanarkshire Council).

Mr Priyank Sinha is a full-time Consultant Spinal Neurosurgeon in Leeds, having trained at Glasgow, Leeds, Plymouth and Sheffield. This was followed by a spinal fellowship in Newcastle where the emphasis was on surgical and non-surgical management of degenerative spinal conditions, adult spinal deformity, spinal trauma and tumours.  

Mr Sinha has a keen interest in research and has done two years of lab-based research at Leeds, leading to a higher degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) under Dr Sean Lawler (Leeds/Harvard University). His current research interest includes outcome measures in degenerative spinal pathologies, foot drop, minimally invasive spinal surgery and tumour metabolism. He is also actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training, and holds an honorary senior lecturer position at the University of Leeds.  

He has published five book chapters on spinal surgery and more than 30 articles/abstracts in peer-reviewed academic journals. He has also presented extensively in spinal surgery, both nationally and internationally. He has been an invited faculty member for a number of hands-on courses and lectures both nationally and internationally, and is associate editor for British Journal of Neurosurgery and reviewer for European Spine Journal and World Neurosurgery.

Ed is Deputy Clinical Director for Radiology at Oxford University Hospitals and head of Radiology for the British Army. He chairs the spine MDT in Oxford and works with Defence Rheumatology at the national rehabilitation Centre in Loughborough. He is on the executive committee of the BSSR (Treasurer) and Global Education Faculty of the RCR. He is an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Oxford and an undergraduate lecturer at Lincoln and St Hugh’s colleges, Oxford.

Dr David McKean is a Consultant Musculoskeletal Radiologist at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

David studied medicine at St John's College, Oxford, completed his training at the Oxford School of Radiology and sub-specialised in Musculoskeletal Radiology at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre.

He is currently the Clinical Lead and Radiology Research Lead for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Director of the Stoke Mandeville Musculoskeletal & Spinal Radiology Fellowship, Radiology Lead for the National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC) MDT and has previously acted as Associate Medical Director for Research and Innovation.

David is dedicated to teaching and is currently Secretary of the British Society of Skeletal Radiologists (BSSR). He is also a member of the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) Intervention Subcommittee and the International Skeletal Society (ISS) Social Media Subcommittee. 

Dr McKean is active in research and teaching regarding musculoskeletal injury, complex spinal cord injury and image guided musculoskeletal intervention. He has published in high impact journals such as JAMA, Neurology, Skeletal Radiology, Bone and Joint, and Nature Spinal Cord.

Mr Stuart Blagg has been a Specialist Spinal Consultant for the South Bucks NHS Trust and the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville since 2004. He is fellowship trained in spinal trauma, degeneration, tumour, paediatric spinal problems including scoliosis and deformity of the whole spine from occiput to coccyx. He has extensive experience of sports related spinal problems.

Nationally Stuart has been President of the British Association of Spine Surgeons and sat on the complex spine clinical reference group for NHS England for six years. He was involved in setting up the regional trauma network and the spine regional networks. He has helped to organise multiple national spine meetings, is a reviewer for the Bone and Joint Journal and is heavily involved in national spine teaching, training and standard setting.

Dr. Lee is a distinguished consultant radiologist, trusted by premier UK sports clubs and international organizations across football, rugby, and cricket, and a go-to expert for Team GB and British Athletics. His expertise extends to elite leagues, providing critical imaging support for the NFL International Series UK and a prominent NBA team.

In the academic and clinical spheres, Dr. Lee has made substantial contributions to musculoskeletal imaging. He has authored 70 PubMed-indexed publications and contributed to the 40th edition of Gray’s Anatomy. Additionally, he has penned a chapter in the FC Barcelona Muscle and Tendon Imaging Guides, underscoring his role as a thought leader in sports medicine. His co-authored works include the British Athletics Muscle Injury Classification and UEFA’s ECIS Hamstring MRI study, both vital references in the field. In recognition of his contributions to the world of sports imaging, Dr Lee was awarded Honorary Associate Professorship from University College London in 2023.

Dr. Lee is considered a world authority on imaging muscle injury and a sought-after speaker, delivering lectures at top national and international research conferences. He is an active member of key societies, including the British Society of Skeletal Radiologists, the European Society of Radiologists, and the International Skeletal Society, keeping him at the forefront of developments in his field.

Wg Cdr Fern Whittam is an RAF Consultant MSK Radiologist working at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and DMRC Stanford Hall.

Her specialist interests include spinal and paediatric musculoskeletal imaging includingmusculoskeletal intervention. 

She has advised on panels for national guidance such as the GIRFT acute foot drop pathway and has lectured nationally/internationally in adult and paediatric musculoskeletal imaging topics. 

Harun is a fellowship trained consultant musculoskeletal radiologist at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals since 2010. He is also Honorary Professor of radiology at Royal College of Radiologists of UK. He is an expert in all aspects of musculoskeletal radiology with special interest in soft tissue sarcoma and image guided MSK intervention. He is actively in involved in research at the Leeds Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

He is elected member of council of the BSSR; member of International Skeletal Society (ISS) and its Social Media and Refresher program promotion committee; member of ultrasound, Tumour and intervention committee of ESSR; and International advisory member of the Board of the MSK Society of India.

He is the Advisory Editor (MSK Section) of Clinical Radiology journal, which is the publication of the Royal College of Radiologists of UK. He was the Special Interest Lead MSK radiology, Leeds Radiology Academy and UK National Lead (MSK guidelines) for the 8th RCR radiology guidelines, called “Making best of the radiology department”.

He has over 65 publications including editor of books (most recent book is “Practical guide for imaging of soft tissue tumours” ISBN 9781032111759) and 15 book chapters. He is regular faculty of national and international meetings and courses.

He is founder of the www.mskteachingroom.com and www.primeradacademy.com. He won the MSK Radiologist of Year Award in 2023.

Barrow Neurological Institute's Dr. Lea Alhilali is a neuroradiologist. The American Board of Radiology has certified her. Dr. Alhilali is skilled in advanced imaging techniques. She is a member of the American College of Radiology, the Radiological Society of North America, the American Roentgen Ray Society, and the American Society of Neuroradiology. Dr. Alhilali graduated from Harvard Medical School in Boston with a medical degree. She completed her internship, radiology residency, and neuroradiology fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Wende Gibbs, MD, is a neuroradiologist and the director of spine imaging and intervention at Barrow Neurological Institute. She is certified in diagnostic radiology and neuroradiology by the American Board of Radiology.

Dr. Gibbs is an expert in diagnostic and interventional spine radiology, with distinct interests in spine oncology and pain management. She is the president-elect of the American Society of Spine Radiology and the Western Neuroradiological Society and serves as the chair of education for the American Society of Neuroradiology.

Dr. Gibbs earned her medical degree from the University of California, Irvine. While there, she also completed a one-year National Institutes of Health (NIH)/General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) research fellowship evaluating novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with head and neck cancer. She completed her residency in diagnostic radiology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and a two-year neuroradiology fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Dr. Gibbs has authored multiple book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and award-winning abstracts. She serves on the editorial boards of three journals and is the podcast editor and host of Radiographic, the educational journal of the Radiological Society of North America. Dr. Gibbs also works on several multidisciplinary spinal surgery committees, including the North American Spine Society, and is one of the original hosts of the weekly Virtual Global Spine Conference. Dr. Gibbs is passionate about patient safety, communication, ethics, education, and exploring artificial intelligence.

Dr Richard Fawcett is a Consultant Musculoskeletal Radiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. 

His areas of specialist interests are Spinal Radiology and Interventional Musculoskeletal Radiology with an active research interest in these fields. 

As an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Leeds, Dr Fawcett is actively involved with postgraduate teaching and training of resident radiologists and clinical fellows in The Leeds MSK Radiology department. He lectures nationally and internationally in the field of Musculoskeletal Radiology.

He is a member of the British and European Societies of Skeletal Radiology and was the organiser of the BSSR Refresher Course in Leeds, 2023.

Recent clinical advisory roles include working with NICE to establish the national guidance for the percutaneous treatment of vertebral metastases, and with NHS England on the national pathway for the diagnosis and treatment of cauda equina syndrome.

Dr Fawcett founded The British Spinal Intervention Course, a hands-on course to teach and train medical professionals in Spinal Interventional Radiology.

Wg Cdr Fern Whittam is an RAF Consultant MSK Radiologist working at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and DMRC Stanford Hall.

Her specialist interests include spinal and paediatric musculoskeletal imaging includingmusculoskeletal intervention. 

She has advised on panels for national guidance such as the GIRFT acute foot drop pathway and has lectured nationally/internationally in adult and paediatric musculoskeletal imaging topics. 

Wende Gibbs, MD, is a neuroradiologist and the director of spine imaging and intervention at Barrow Neurological Institute. She is certified in diagnostic radiology and neuroradiology by the American Board of Radiology.

Dr. Gibbs is an expert in diagnostic and interventional spine radiology, with distinct interests in spine oncology and pain management. She is the president-elect of the American Society of Spine Radiology and the Western Neuroradiological Society and serves as the chair of education for the American Society of Neuroradiology.

Dr. Gibbs earned her medical degree from the University of California, Irvine. While there, she also completed a one-year National Institutes of Health (NIH)/General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) research fellowship evaluating novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with head and neck cancer. She completed her residency in diagnostic radiology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and a two-year neuroradiology fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Dr. Gibbs has authored multiple book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and award-winning abstracts. She serves on the editorial boards of three journals and is the podcast editor and host of Radiographic, the educational journal of the Radiological Society of North America. Dr. Gibbs also works on several multidisciplinary spinal surgery committees, including the North American Spine Society, and is one of the original hosts of the weekly Virtual Global Spine Conference. Dr. Gibbs is passionate about patient safety, communication, ethics, education, and exploring artificial intelligence.