Dr Dane Vishnubala MBBS, MSc (Med Ed), FRCGP, MSc (SEM), DipSEM (UK), FFSEM, SFHEA, PhD, is a dual-trained physician who initially completed his General Practice training in York before pursuing specialist training in Sport and Exercise Medicine in Yorkshire. He holds an MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine, an MSc in Medical Education, and a PhD in Medical Sciences. Dane currently serves as a Consultant Physician in Sport and Exercise Medicine for the Ministry of Defence in Catterick. He is also the Chief Medical Officer for Basketball England/GB Basketball, and Volleyball England.  

Privately, Dr Vishnubala practices at the Yorkshire Sports Medicine Clinic in York. He has a strong interest in physical activity and preventive health, drawing on 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry as both an exercise professional and the founder of CORE Fitness Education, a fitness education training provider. He is the lead doctor for the Sport England-funded National Physical Activity Health Care Professionals Education Programme, delivered through FSEM.  

Dane has served on the UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Expert Communications Group and has worked with Public Health England and OHID in various physical activity roles. His extensive contributions to physical activity have earned him the BASEM David Hemery Outstanding Contribution to Lifestyle Medicine Award for 2023.  

Dr Vishnubala is passionate about medical education, regularly teaching in areas such as physical activity, musculoskeletal (MSK) health, and sports medicine. He is the current Chair of Education at the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM) and serves as the Clinical Lead for the MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Leeds. His research focusses on SEM medical education and concussion, and he has produced several research outputs in these areas.  

He is also the Training Programme Director (TPD) for Sport and Exercise Medicine Specialist Training in Yorkshire and Humber, and he serves as the curriculum co-lead for the Sport and Exercise Medicine Specialist Advisory Committee. Additionally, he holds an academic role as an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Imperial College London and as a Visiting Professor in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Derby.  

Miss Theodora (Dora) Papadopoulou, MD, BSc (Sport Science), PGDip (SEM), MSc (Sport Injuries), PhD (Sport Med Research), FEBSM, is a Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, and Certified Sports Scientist. She is the Head Consultant of the Hip and Groin Section at the UK Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Stanford Hall, Loughborough, UK.

She specialises in hip and groin pain in athletes and participates in several international research projects in this area. Her PhD research focussed on the ultrastructure and morphology of the articular cartilage of the knee joint.

Since 1998, she has been a Visiting Lecturer at several universities, teaching Sport and Exercise Medicine and Sports Orthopaedics.

Dora has served as Secretary General of the European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA), Secretary of the Development Commission of the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS), and Executive Board Member and Chair of the Scientific Committee of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM). She is an ESSKA member and co-author of the recent ESSKA consensus on hip and groin pain in active adults.

Dora has also worked at various major sporting events, including the Olympics, Paralympics, and Special Olympics, in a range of roles. She is involved in several scientific sports medicine projects and promotes exercise as a preventive and therapeutic intervention for chronic diseases. She is deeply committed to advancing the field of sport and exercise medicine.

She has authored numerous peer-reviewed papers and is a frequent international presenter on SEM topics. She has served as Chair and Director at numerous Sports and Exercise Medicine conferences and as a member of various scientific committees.

Miss Papadopoulou is a fervent volunteer, passionate about integrity and the ethos of sport. Olympism is one of the cornerstones of her philosophy of life.

Dr Upul Madahapola received his primary and secondary education at Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka, before entering the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya in 1992. He completed his MBBS degree in December 1997 and began his career as a temporary lecturer in the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Peradeniya. In 1998, he commenced his internship at the Teaching Hospital, Kurunegala, and by 2000 was appointed as a Medical Officer in the Emergency Treatment Unit at the District Hospital, Polgahawela. Two years later, he served as a Senior House Officer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University Unit, Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya.

Upul’s career in Sports Medicine began in 2004, when he became the first Medical Officer in charge of the newly established Sports Medicine Unit at the Teaching Hospital, Kurunegala, a pilot project within the government health system. In 2006, he entered the Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Medicine programme at the University of Colombo, completing it in 2007, before returning to the Kurunegala Sports Medicine Unit. During this period, he also served as a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, teaching physiology and sports medicine. In parallel, he contributed as Medical Director of the Kurunegala District Cricket Association and collaborated with the Non-Communicable Diseases unit to promote physical activity for disease prevention, spearheading the launch of the Exercise is Medicine programme in Sri Lanka. His involvement with the Sri Lanka SLSMA grew steadily, later leading to appointments as a Committee Member of AFSM and as a Member of the FIMS Education Commission for four years.

In 2018, Dr Madahapola further advanced his expertise by joining the MD in Sport and Exercise Medicine programme. Following his local training, he was awarded a prestigious Commonwealth Fellowship at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, where he specialised in Sports Science and Medicine. In September 2023, he was appointed as a Board-Certified Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the Teaching Hospital, Kurunegala.

Over the course of his career, Dr Madahapola has served as a resource person at numerous national conferences and workshops, and as an invited speaker at international sports medicine meetings in Pakistan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and India. He currently serves as President of the Sri Lanka Sports Medicine Association, while continuing his clinical, academic, and research contributions in sports cardiology, physical activity promotion, and sports injury management.

Dr Melissa Novak is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Sports Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), where she serves as the Programme Director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship. In this role, she oversees curriculum design, clinical training, and mentorship for fellows, building upon nearly a decade of experience as Associate Programme Director. She has helped shape OHSU’s nationally recognised concussion programme and has been instrumental in expanding the institution’s academic and clinical presence in sports medicine through multidisciplinary care, research, and education.

Nationally, Melissa serves on the Board of Directors of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) and is Co-Chair of the AMSSM Fellowship Committee. In this leadership capacity, she has played a central role in advancing fellowship education standards and supporting programme directors and fellows across the United States. Her work has contributed to AMSSM’s long-term strategic planning and to initiatives that strengthen the pipeline of academic leaders in sports medicine.

Dr Novak’s scholarly and professional contributions span clinical care, research, and medical education. She has published and presented widely on concussion management, relative energy deficiency in sport, and the role of physical activity promotion in medical training. She is also a Team Physician for Division I athletics and professional performing artists, experiences that bring a broad perspective to her teaching and leadership. Her career reflects a deep commitment to mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and advancing the field of sports medicine for the next generation of physicians.

Associate Professor Diana Robinson is a Consultant Sport and Exercise Physician and Adjunct Associate Professor at Notre Dame University, Sydney, with a long-standing interest in Education and Training, Anti-Doping and, more recently, Climate Change and Sustainability in Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM). Diana has been involved in all aspects of Australian College of Sport and Exercise Medicine (ACSEP) education and training for almost 30 years, holding many leadership positions including as a Non-Executive Director of the ACSEP Board. She is past Chair of Curriculum Development and Review (2010–2018) and later chaired the Curriculum Review Working Group until 2024, driving the transition to a competency-based training programme. Diana co-authored the original ACSEP curriculum in 2012 and was the Chair of Training (2005–2010).

As the Chief Project Manager of the Specialist Training Programme Education projects, Diana has spearheaded the development of over 150 online modules. She conceived the online module concept in 2010 to standardise training across vast geographical areas. These modules are now presented as the SEM Academy, where she serves as the Clinical Lead. Diana has also authored and co-authored several key modules, including the ACSEP Clinical Training Supervisor modules, the Climate Change and Sustainability in Healthcare and SEM module, the ECG Interpretation in Athletes suite of modules, the Anti-Doping modules, and the Female Athlete modules. She also co-developed the Management of Sporting Trauma course, which she teaches and serves on the advisory committee. Diana is a Senior Associate Editor for BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine and previously served as an Associate Editor for BJSM.

She is a member of the ITA and the International Tennis Integrity Agency TUE Committees and has previously served on the Australian Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel and the Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, both statutory appointments. She was a member of the Doping Control Review Board for FINA for four years. Diana has attended Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and many World Championships in a range of sports and was the CMO of Triathlon Australia for ten years. She has extensive experience as an elite athlete doctor in a wide range of sports including aquatic sports, tennis, surf lifesaving, rugby union, rugby league, gymnastics, cycling, professional dance, and athletics.

Diana currently works in clinical private practice and as an independent head injury doctor for the National Rugby League. She represents ACSEP on the Federal Health Department’s Intercollege Working Group on Climate Change and Healthcare. Diana is

A member of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Hearing Panels and a member of Basketball Australia’s Integrity Unit Advisory Panel. She works as an expert witness and has served on the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Diana is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

In 2023, Associate Professor Robinson was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to sports medicine and anti-doping and received the ACSEP Ken Crichton Citation for Distinguished Service in 2016.

Dr Adrian Rotunno has an MBChB, MSc Sports and Exercise Medicine, BSc Physiotherapy, and BPhys Ed, and is a specialist Consultant in Sports and Exercise Medicine. He is a Clinical Director at the Cape Sports Medicine Medical Practice based at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.

Adrian’s interests and research include working with all levels of endurance athletes, race medicine, and musculoskeletal ultrasound. Apart from his clinical work, Dr Rotunno is the Chief Medical Director for UAE Team Emirates Professional Cycling Team (world no.1 ranked cycling team 2023 and 2024), a SonoSkills musculoskeletal ultrasound trainer, Chief Medical Officer for Cape Town Spurs Football Club, Honorary Lecturer at the University of Cape Town, and a Consultant Race Doctor for Absa Cape Epic and other mass sporting events.

One of his long-term goals is to broaden awareness of healthy lifestyles and to improve clinical access to Sport and Exercise Medicine in the public sector and low access communities. In his current role as the SASMA president, he aims to bring enhanced cohesion and professional development between all sports medicine affiliates.

In Dr Rotunno’s personal life, spending time with family is his favourite activity. He also maintains a love of cycling and running and has achieved his national and provincial swimming colours.