Our Team

Chief Executive - Helen McAteer

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Helen McAteer has been the Chief Executive of the Psoriasis Association since 2010. She has frequently represented the patient experience of psoriasis at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Scottish Medicines Consortium, amongst other regulators and national bodies, including NHS England.

She oversees the Association’s research programme and has been a patient representative lead on numerous psoriasis research projects and consortia. These include the Psoriasis Stratification to Optimise Relevant Therapy (PSORT) project, the Identification and Management of Psoriasis-related Comorbidity (IMPACT) project and the Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) Top 10 Research Priorities for Psoriasis in the UK. She is a regular contributor to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin and enjoys working collaboratively with colleagues from other Immune Mediated Inflammatory Disease organisations on projects with a mutual interest.

Chair - Nick Evans

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Nick became Chair of the Psoriasis Association Trustees in May 2015. Nick’s interest in dermatology services began in 2001 when, as an NHS manager, he set up and led the national ‘Action On Dermatology’ programme for the NHS Modernisation Agency.

Since retiring he has maintained his links with dermatology, chairing the advisory panel to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Skin, and as a Trustee of the Psoriasis Association. He is married with three children, and lives in North London.

Vice-Chair - Dr Julia Schofield MBE

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Dr Julia Schofield was elected as vice-chair at our AGM in May 2019. She is a Consultant Dermatologist at United Lincolnshire Hospitals, and a Principal Lecturer in the School of Postgraduate Medicine at the University of Hertfordshire, where she has been involved (since 2006) in developing a Masters in Clinical Dermatology. This is an educational programme for nurses, doctors and pharmacists.

She has been a Trustee since 2008 and very much enjoys working with the Association. Julia says, ‘It is only through working with patient groups that we can understand patient needs and develop patient-centred models of care’.

Treasurer - Brian Murkin

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Brian Murkin is a retired chartered accountant who, following an early career in financial services, was finance director for the Institute of Directors and then the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Brian has lived in rural Northamptonshire for over twenty years and has served as a governor at Northampton College and also as a parish clerk.

He is married with two grown up children who have now left home enabling him to pursue his interests in hill walking and classical music.

Steven Astaire was a Stockbroker by profession and is a horse racing fanatic who is heavily involved in Point-to-Point racing. Steven has been a psoriasis sufferer since his early teens, and became a Trustee some years ago to try to help fellow sufferers by ensuring that the work of our Association continues as strongly as possible. He is married with three children and seven grandchildren.

Russ Cowper joined our Board of Trustees in 2022. He has had psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis since his early teens and has experienced a full range of treatments during that time including nine different biologics. He was a member of the Psoriasis Shout Out Team and took part in both the Psoriasis and the Psoriatic Arthritis Priority Setting Partnership. He has spoken at events run by the Salford Royal Foundation Trust to help newly qualified Dermatology doctors from North Africa and worked with pharma companies to explore how living with psoriasis has affected him. He has also shared his experiences with the British Association of Dermatologist (BAD), The British Association of Dermatologists Biologic and Immunomodulators Register (BADBIR), Global Psoriasis Atlas and the British Skin Foundation. He is currently a member of the patient panel at Innovation Health Manchester looking at research initiatives including the effects of Covid and is working with the new Dermatology research user network at Manchester University.

Chris Dyer has been a member of the Psoriasis Association for many years, and has three children and six grandchildren. She is a retired social worker who now enjoys offering occasional holiday respite at her home, as a Shared Lives carer. Chris is also involved in her local Elim Pentecostal church.

Gill Hynes has over 30 years Marketing experience. She started her career in the corporate environment at British Airways, before moving agency side and specialising in loyalty and membership programmes at Carlson Marketing Group. She has extensive expertise in mobilising start up ventures including AirMiles, Webloyalty, and Artemis and she also specialises in corporate positioning, branding and reputational management, and public speaking.

Although originally from Scotland, and having extensively travelled and lived abroad, she is now firmly settled in South West London. In the last couple of years she has got the property development bug and as an avid fan of Grand Designs, has renovated two houses and a flat. Gill has had psoriasis since the age of 15, been a member of the Association for over 25 years, and a trustee since 2016. She is really keen on psoriasis myth-busting and improving the general public’s understanding of what psoriasis is and is not.

Michael Israel is a Life Member of the Psoriasis Association and has seen our Association grow to be where it is today. Michael is keen on our social media and how the Association encourages younger people with psoriasis to be members and to be involved with the future of the Association. Michael has had psoriasis for over 50 years and has travelled many times to the shores of the Dead Sea in Israel and Jordan for Natural Climatic Treatment for his skin. Michael is passionate about our Association and is humbled and proud of the work we all do to raise the awareness of psoriasis. Michael also serves as a member of the Psoriasis Association Finance Committee.

He was Vice Chairman of Young Norwood Ravenswood (1995 - 1998) and also between 2007 and 2009 a Trustee and Senior Warden of the West London Synagogue in London and was reappointed a Trustee for another 3-year term until July 2020. Michael spent his business career in the Wine and Food Industry, today finding time to volunteer at The Harrington Scheme who support students with learning difficulties in horticulture and the retail environment. In 2023 Michael commenced volunteering at the famous Highgate Cemetery where he will train to become a tour guide. His hobbies are Travel and Photography.

Karina Jackson is a nurse consultant who has worked in specialist dermatology roles for over 25 years. She has developed a number of specialist nurse-led services for people with psoriasis, including medicine management clinics and a day treatment centre for topical therapy administration. She is very aware of the significant psychological impact psoriasis can have and has campaigned hard to improve access to psychological support. Karina is involved in teaching and training other healthcare professionals to raise awareness and improve care provision for people with skin conditions. She currently works in a large teaching hospital and research centre in London where many psoriasis research studies are conducted. Karina was keen to join the Psoriasis Association as a Trustee to offer her expertise and experience as a healthcare professional, especially in relation to developing support and guidance for people.

Susan Morgan has over twenty years of experience in the charity sector, building up a deep knowledge and understanding of fundraising in the UK. This has included fundraising roles at British Red Cross, Action for Children and Sue Ryder. For the last ten years as a consultant, Sue has worked with a wide range of charities providing advice, market insight and practical tools to help develop income. She is keen to use this expertise and knowledge to help increase the fundraising at the Psoriasis Association.

Sue has had psoriasis since being a teenager and knows from personal experience that the information and support provided by the Psoriasis Association can be a great practical source of advice and comfort. After twenty years in London she is now based in York and has three daughters who motivate and inspire her work as a Trustee in providing support for future generations.

Matthew Swift has been a trustee for eight years. His grandfather and his father have also served as trustees of the Association. He established his own online retail business several years ago and has useful experience with commercial strategy, website design and social media. Matthew has had psoriasis for many years and his personal knowledge and sympathetic understanding of the condition help him to recognise good practice and treatments. He is especially interested in research and is keen to engage in upcoming developments in this area.