YORKSHIRE SPORTS MEDICINE - Key Persons
Bill is one of our senior physiotherapists who since gaining chartered physiotherapy status, worked for the NHS for a number of years and has now moved full time to work as the Leeds United FC 1st Team Physiotherapist.
Bill has worked in a range of sports settings as well as the NHS and brings his high level rehabilitation skills to the clinic from his elite sport experience.
Chloe is a Sports Massage Therapist who graduated with a BSc Hons in Sports and Exercise Therapy from Leeds Beckett University. Chloe comes from multiple sporting backgrounds including netball and hockey.
She has gained experience with professional rugby league team, Bradford Bulls. This included a mixture of pitch-side work, assessments and massages on both match days and training days.
Alongside Chloe's clinic at YSM she is continuing her career in sport as a Sports Therapist for Ilkley Rugby Club and professional rugby league club, Featherstone Rovers.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant in Sport
Dr Craig Zalecki is a consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine. Craig graduated with a BSc with honours in Human Biology from King's College London before undertaking his medical studies at University College London, one of the most prestigious medical schools globally.
On completion of his medical studies, he served as a doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps before training as a General Practitioner in the highly competitive Oxford training Deanery. He subsequently completed specialist training in Sports and Exercise Medicine in his home county of Yorkshire.
Craig has held several high-profile sporting roles including the GB Basketball Senior Women's team doctor. He has also worked with GB boxing at the English Institute of Sport and Leeds Rhinos Academy.
Craig has worked as a consultant in a range of clinical settings. This includes his current role with the Ministry of Defence, working with service personnel at Catterick Garrison and work undertaking ultrasound guided interventions in his NHS clinic in Leeds. Craig is also a senior clinical tutor for the University of Leeds Masters programme in Sports and Exercise Medicine. Craig can offer a range of specialist services from diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal problems and injuries, from teenagers to the older active individual.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Physician
- Chief Medical Officer ( CMO ) for England Basketball and Club Doctor for York City Knights RL
Dane is a Consultant Physician in Sport and Exercise Medicine. Dane has worked as a Strength and Conditioning coach and personal trainer before qualifying in Medicine from Hull York Medical School and then training as a GP in York. He then completed further specialist training in Sports and Exercise Medicine. Dane has completed his MSc in SEM from the University Nottingham, PGCME with merit (Medical Education) from Cardiff University and his Musculoskeletal Ultrasound training with merit in London.
Dane is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England Basketball and club doctor for York City Knights RL and York City FC and a consultant for the FA. Dane has also worked at the FINA European Swimming Championships, FIBA Eurobasket and supported the England Basketball team during Commonwealth 2018 (Gold Coast). He currently works as a consultant for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) alongside his sporting roles and work at YSM.
Dane has held academic medical education positions in the NHS and teaches for Hull York Medical School, Leeds Beckett University and wrote the curriculum for the Leeds University MSc in SEM for which he is the clinical lead. He is currently the training programme director for NHS specialist training in Sport and Exercise Medicine for Yorkshire and Humber and looks after doctors training to become consultants. Dane regularly teaches GPs and other doctors around musculoskeletal medicine.
Dane is able to offer a range of specialist services from diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal problems and injuries, from teenagers to the older active individual. Dane provides specialist consultations on concussion to professional sports teams and organisations. With a passion for health and lifestyle medicine, Dane is also employed by Public Health England and the Royal College of GPs in this field and as a nationally known expert in the field, heads up this aspect of our services.
Dane holds the position of Managing Director. Having worked in elite Sport, NHS and during Specialist Training, it was evident to him that musculoskeletal medicine is generally not done as well as in the elite setting where a range of different clinicians such as doctors, physios, sports therapists and podiatrist work closely together putting the patient's interests at the centre of their care.
The clinic aims to bring the best health care professionals under one roof to provide the patient with the right clinician at the right stage of their journey. Dane has managed and advised a number of companies over the last decade. He founded CORE Fitness Education a training company , 8 years ago which trains students to become personal trainers. He was also accepted onto the prestigious NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and hopes to combine his interest for medicine, business and education to create a truly unique clinic delivering high quality care.
Jon is our Director of Sport and Exercise Medicine. As one of only a few Sport and Exercise Medicine Consultants in the country, Jon's experience and training is key to our fantastic and unique pathways.
Jon will oversee the SEM department, assist in providing training to all our clinicians and well as his expert clinical skills to our patients.
Jon also brings his leadership experience from heading up a number of different Sports Organisations including Leeds Rhinos.
Ed is one of our senior Physiotherapists who qualified as a chartered physiotherapist in 2012 with a first class degree from York St John's University. Since qualifying he has been working in a NHS musculoskeletal service treating a wide variety of conditions.
Ed also has a degree in Sports Science and has 24 years experience as a personal trainer. Ed integrates his knowledge of strength and conditioning into his physiotherapy practice to optimise patient outcomes.
Ed is a competitive cyclist and has won track cycling medals at both National and World Masters level. He has a special interest in treating and training cyclists,triathletes and runners offering bike fits and running gait analysis as part of his assessment process.
Helen is one of our Senior Physioherapists who graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BSC hons degree in Physiotherapy. Since gaining chartered status, she has also gone on to complete a comprehensive list of postgraduate degrees including exercise prescription, management of lower back pain, joint mobilisation and manipulation, lower limb biomechanics, gait analysis and complex shoulder presentations.
Helen has extensive orthopaedic experience dealing with trauma and post surgery patients. She also has a keen interest in assessing complex spinal conditions and can offer a comprehensive assessment, treatment and self management programme. She can also integrate pilates and yoga within an exercise programme to suit the patients needs. She has been a qualified pilates instructor since 2004 and a therapeutic yoga instructor since 2019.
Recently, Helen has also gone on to complete a diploma in musculoskeletal medicine in primary care as well as a diploma in injection therapy. She currently also spends some of her working week in the NHS working in an advanced capacity alongside GP's and other health allied professionals. Within this role she facilitates investigations and onward referrals.
James is one of our senior physiotherapists who since gaining chartered physiotherapy status in 2003 from the University of Teeside has worked in a number of institutions from NHS Hospitals in Yorkshire and London before moving into the private sector.
Following qualification, James has gained a diploma in Orthopaedic Medicine and a post graduate certificate in Advanced Neuromusculoskeletal Physiotherapy.
James has worked in a range of sporting settings treating a range of athletes. He was the GB Climbing team senior physiotherapist and has a special interest in tendon injuries.
Jude qualified as a chartered physiotherapist in 2002 from the University of Ulster. She started her career in the NHS in Belfast before moving to and working in New Zealand in 2005 where she worked in Rugby Union and Private Practice. On returning to the UK she worked privately in Central London and with the MOD in the South of England before moving north and settling in York. Jude returned to the NHS and is employed by a local trust where specialises in Musculoskeletal and Orthopaedics and currently works with children and adolescents. She is also the lead physiotherapist for York RUFC.
Jude has a post graduate diploma in advanced physiotherapy and significant post-graduate experience in a range of settings and brings with her high level rehabilitation skills for all ages.
Simon is our Director of Orthopaedics. As a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with decades of experience practicing from York Teaching Hospital, the clinic is lucky to have his extensive expertise to hand. Simon is heavily involved in reviewing our clinical pathways and processes and in training our team. As one of the initial founders of the clinic, Simon alongside Dane, Jon, and Sarah believes in the importance of a multidisciplinary team and finding the best clinicians in the area who are keen to learn and continue to develop as well as work together. Simon also oversees the CQC (Care Quality Commission) aspects of the clinic and in ensuring we stick to the rigorous high standard both the CQC and YSM Clinic are aiming for.
Sarah is one of our senior physiotherapists who since gaining chartered physiotherapy status has briefly worked for the NHS before moving to work as one of the lead physiotherapists for Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire Carnegie Academy. She then went on to work with Northern Diamonds cricket team and now works full time as the lead physiotherapist at the Yorkshire Rugby Academy.
Sarah's experience in a range of sport settings and the NHS is shown within her high level rehabilitation skills in the clinic. As a physiotherapist with considerable experience of treating concussions, she works closely with Dr Dane Vishnubala to manage the concussion service.
Sarah has recently completed a masters in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Leeds where she cemented her knowledge and grew her experience working alongside some of the top Sports and Exercise Medicine Consultants and with international sports teams.
Sarah is our lead physiotherapist. Sarah qualified as a chartered physiotherapist in 1998 from the University of Liverpool. She continued to develop her expertise working at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital till 2005 before returning back 'home' to Yorkshire. Sarah has progressed through NHS seniority working in a range of departments and currently works as a Senior Orthopaedic Practitioner at York Teaching Hospital. She has completed further training in musculoskeletal ultrasound and was awarded the Siemans' prize for the best performance in her cohort.
Sarah has a range of elite sport experience too including working as a physiotherapist for England Hockey for a number of years.
With over 20 years of high level experience in a range of settings, Sarah is our head of physiotherapy and ensures that our standards are high and in line with current research.
Sarah is our Director of Physiotherapy. As a senior physiotherapist with decades of experience in elite sport and the NHS, the clinic is privileged to have her knowledge in house.
Sarah is involved in many aspects of the running of the clinic besides seeing patients. Sarah is involved in the development of many of our clinical pathways and processes.
Sarah's fantastic attention to detail is an asset to the clinic. She shares the clinic values of striving to create the perfect patient journey and delivering exceptional care. Sarah's input into our policies, processes and her input into leading our Physiotherapy team all support this.