Our team

Julia qualified from Manchester University in 1994. She completed her training as a Rheumatologist, sub specialising in sport and exercise medicine in Oxford in 2006.

She is clinical lead for the OxSport service which provides services for adults and children of all levels. In addition, she began working for the English Institute of Sport in 2008, which provides a network of medical services for elite athletes in Olympic and Paralympic sport, including athletics, swimming, modern pentathlon, gymnastics, as well as netball and women's rugby.

Julia has extensive multi-sport experience in athletes of all ages, including children and adolescents and has particular interests in bone stress, bone health, specific female athlete problems and problems related to high volume training.

Julia has an active research and education portfolio, working within the Arthritis Research Centre of Excellence in Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis and also studies the role of exercise in the management of chronic disease. She lectures at national and international events.

Julia set up the highly successful sport and exercise medicine training scheme in the Oxford Deanery in 2007 and has been the training programme director for this since its inception.

Natasha initially qualified from St Bartholomew's Medical School, London in 1992 and became a General Practitioner in 1997. After eight years of general practice she went on to pursue her personal interest in sport and exercise medicine and became a consultant in Oxford in 2010. She works at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in both the sport and exercise and general musculoskeletal medical services.

She has worked for the English Institute of Sport for many years and has looked after athletes in a wide variety of Olympic and Paralympic sports including sailing, hockey, canoeing, athletics, synchronised swimming, wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball. She currently works for the English Institute of Sport at Bisham Abbey.

Natasha holds an honorary contract with the University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, where she pursues her interest in exercise rehabilitation for people with long-term conditions as well as other musculoskeletal research projects.

Natasha lectures locally, nationally and internationally on sport and exercise medicine related topics.

Natasha has a personal interest in running, cycling, swimming and sailing and has competed in Age Group competition in Olympic Distance Triathlon at World Championship Level. She has completed the Three Peaks Yacht race three times as a runner and holds a Yachtmaster qualification.

Natasha is passionate about sport and exercise medicine and is highly experienced in helping athletes and recreational exercisers prevent and recover from injury so that they may achieve their goals.

Ralph qualified from University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in 2008, followed by a Master of Science in Sport Medicine, Exercise and Health from University College London in 2011. After completing his General Practice training in Reading, he joined the Sport and Exercise Medicine specialist training programme for Thames Valley Health education authority at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in 2014.

Ralph is currently working in both musculoskeletal and exercise medicine services within two NHS foundation trusts; Oxford University Hospitals and Hampshire Hospital Trusts. He holds a Diploma in MSK ultrasound and so regularly integrates ultrasound into his practice.

Ralph has published and presented internationally in research areas which including stress fractures, triathlon medicine and physical activity in pregnancy. He has been extensively involved in a number of physical activity projects including the formation of the UK's Chief Medical officers' infographic entitled 'Physical Activity for Pregnant Women', the Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease lead for the Moving Medicine web-based tool and at present is the maternity lead for a Public Health England commissioned secondary care physical activity feasibility pilot project. He created and chairs a British Rheumatology Society physical activity special interest group.

For the last seven years, Ralph has worked in Elite Rugby Union and is the lead doctor for England students' team. He is also the clinical supervisor for specialist trainees with the Oxford Blues. He has extensive experience in a number of sports including rowing, triathlon, modern pentathlon, professional football, distance running and has provided medical cover for camps and tournaments including the Commonwealth Games. He has been the travelling physician for GB Hockey, England Women Cricket and British Athletics.

Ralph played Rugby Union to a semi-professional level and now enjoys open water swimming, triathlons and skiing.

Chris graduated from University of Aberdeen in 2010 and completed his postgraduate training in Northern Ireland in 2014, and higher specialist training in Sport and Exercise Medicine in the West Midlands in 2018, being awarded the Macleod medal for excellence in his specialty exams.

He is proud to have trained in Centres of Excellence such as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospitals in Birmingham and won a bursary to complete a fellowship at the renowned Sports Surgery Clinic Dublin.

He is a Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine, working at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford with the OxSport and complex Musculoskeletal teams. He performs ultrasound-guided soft tissue and joint injections on the Rheumatology Day Unit as part of the department's injection service.

Chris currently works as a Doctor for Aston Villa Football Club. He was the Chief Medical Officer of British Universities and Colleges Sport and has a wealth of elite sport experience at major European and World competitions including the Cricket World Cup England 2019, European Championships Glasgow 2018, the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy (Cricket) in England, travelling with Team GBR at the World University Games in Chinese Taipei in 2017 and the European Aquatics Championships in London 2016.

Chris has an interest in exercise medicine and champions the broad range of health benefits associated with physical activity. He is the lead Consultant for the Active Hospitals pilot, developed the Active Hospitals toolkit and is a contributor to the Moving Medicine and Motivate 2 Move websites; award winning national initiatives. Chris sits on the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK Council.

Simon gained a degree in Human Biology in 1992. He went onto to study physiotherapy in 1993, graduated from the University of Hertfordshire in 1996 and completed his rotations at Guys and St Thomas' and Kings College Hospital in Orthopaedics with A+E, outpatients and orthopaedics.

He started working at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in 2005 and joined Oxsport in 2006, working as an extended scope practitioner. He completed his MSc at the University of Birmingham and gained membership to the Manipulative Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in 2009. In 2010 gained a diploma in injection therapy at Coventry University.

He has a special interest in Achilles Tendinopathies and presented a poster at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy conference on the role of foot posture and the development of Achilles Tendinopathies in athletes. Simon worked at the London Olympic Games in 2012 providing pitch side assistance and treatment at the Polyclinic.

Simon has also lectured on Masters level courses at the University of Oxford. He has been the lead physiotherapist at the NOC in the delivery of physiotherapy treatment of Femoral Acetabular impingement Trial (FAIT).

He takes an active role in research assisting in the recent IMPACT study for Achilles Tendinopathies and continuing his own research interests in Achilles tendinopathies. Simon's special interests are in tendon overuse injuries, Femoral Acetabular Impingement, Patellofemoral Pain syndrome and management of stress fractures.