Best Scleroderma Doctors in the UK
The UK is fortunate in being home to some of the world’s leading experts on scleroderma, most of whom are housed in departments of rheumatology in leading teaching hospitals within the NHS. Here are just some of the top names in the field:
Professor Chris Denton
Professor of Experimental Rheumatology at UCL Medical School and Consultant Rheumatologist and Joint Director of the Centre for Rheumatology, Royal Free Hospital, London, Professor Denton runs the largest scleroderma service in UK with more than 1000 scleroderma patients and has published extensively on laboratory and clinical aspects of Raynaud’s phenomenon, connective tissue disease and pulmonary hypertension. He also leads the UK Scleroderma Study Group (UKSSG) and is Treasurer of EUSTAR. Denton has recently co-edited a major textbook of scleroderma and manages an expert team including several previously supported by the Raynaud’s and Scleroderma Association.
Dr Despina Eleftheriou
Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) since 2006 Dr Eleftheriou runs clinics for vasculitis, arthritis and scleroderma patients. Her specialisms are systemic vasculitis, cerebrovascular inflammation, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, myositis and lupus in adolescents as well as scleroderma. She has numerous publications in the research fields above and frequently lectures at both national and international meetings.
Dr Marina Anderson
Senior Lecturer (Clinical) & Honorary Consultant in Rheumatology, Clinical Sciences Centre, University Hospital Aintree, Dr Anderson has reached the distinction of being an Actelion Endothelin Research Award funded vascular technician and scleroderma nurse (Actelion 2007). She was also invited to speak at the International Scleroderma Conference in Greece in 2007 as part of an Actelion supported panel of internationally recognised physicians as well as an invited speaker at the 2006 International Autoimmunity Conference.
Dr Eileen Baildam
A consultant Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatologist, Dr Baildam’s areas of interest include Childhood vasculitis, dermatomyositis, rare inflammatory conditions, musculoskeletal pain, hypermobility, chronic pain management, back pain and scleroderma. She works at the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool and also at the BUPA funded BMI The Alexandra Hospital Mill Lane Cheadle.
Dr Voon Ong
Dr Voon Ong is a consultant Rheumatologist at the Royal Free Hospital, London and Senior Clinical Lecturer at University College London. Qualified in 1006, Dr Ong developed his interest in scleroderma and connective tissue disease as a research fellow at the Royal Free Hospital for which he was awarded a PhD in Medicine from the University College of London. Dr Ong’s interest focuses on scleroderma spectrum diseases and Raynaud’s syndrome. He has led several key studies in the assessment of cytokines as putative biomarkers and therapeutic targets in scleroderma and immune-phenotyping. He is the principal investigator in numerous clinical trials in scleroderma.
Dr Cate Orteu
Consultant Dermatologist, at the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust in London since 2001, Dr Orteu received her MD in immunohematology awarded 1999 after 2 years as a Jules Thorne Fellow. Her main areas of interest are in the field of connective tissue diseases (CTDs), particularly localised scleroderma, “pseudo scleroderma” and overlap CTDs, and lysosomal storage disorders, in particular, Fabry disease. Dr Orteu lectures on localised scleroderma and scleroderma-like diseases as well as on the cutaneous aspects of Fabry disease to physicians, rheumatologists and dermatologists in the UK and abroad. Dr Orteu has published principally on the immunological mechanisms involved in localised scleroderma and scleroderma-like diseases.
Dr Gerry Coghlan
Consultant Cardiologist, Cardiology Department, Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, London Dr Coghlan has developed an ‘outreach’ model for pulmonary hypertension care attending clinics at Guys & St Thomas’ Hospital, Kings College Hospital, Royal United Hospital Bath, Derriford Hospital Plymouth, Queen Alexandra Hospital Portsmouth and Ulster Hospital Dundonald. He now leads a group to co-ordinate pulmonary hypertension services and research across four hospitals linked to University College London. His specialities are pulmonary hypertension, connective tissue and heart disease and angioplasty.
Dr Frances Hall
ARC Rheumatology Lecturer, Rheumatology Department, Addenbrookes Hospital since 2003, Dr Hall has established a Connective Tissue Disease clinic in the Rheumatology Department and pursued research interests including the interface of inflammatory rheumatological and cardiovascular disease. In 2012, she took up an NHS post as Connective Tissue Disease lead, at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and she also works, one day each week at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
