Cannabis-based Medicines

Chris Salway has over 20 years of experience working as a psychiatrist, having previously worked as a GP. He works at Exeter University where he is involved with research using psychedelic drugs combined with therapy for the treatment of mental health problems. 

Chris believes that many psychiatric diagnoses and medications have limited value and looks to help people understand their assigned psychiatric “disorder” in a more holistic way.  

He has found medical cannabis to be helpful for some people to manage their mental health difficulties and better tolerated than many psychiatric medications. 

Dr. Ekkta Shashank Sharma has over 15 years of experience working in mental health and has been a Consultant Psychiatrist since 2015. 

After completing their MBBS in India, Dr. Sharma moved to the UK and has been pursuing a career in psychiatry. 

Dr. Sharma completed her core training in Bristol and thereafter higher specialist training in general adult psychiatry. 

Dr. Sharma’s training involved working with in-patients, out-patients, and in specialist services such as the Tertiary centre for OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) at Springfield Hospital in South-West London Trust. She has also worked in Early Intervention in Psychosis, Forensics, and Addiction Services. 

Dr. Sharma worked with Prof Nutt, pursuing a special interest in psychopharmacology; and at a neuropsychiatry centre in Bristol for her interest in somatoform disorders. 

Dr. Sharma was appointed as a consultant psychiatrist in June 2015 at SABP NHS Trust and worked as an in-patient consultant for 7 years before moving to a community job in 2022. While being an in-patient consultant, she was appointed as a Medical lead of a 60 bedded hospital – Farnham Road Hospital. 

In February 2020, Dr. Sharma started work in the private sector and has since worked at the Cardinal Clinic in Windsor. 

Since then, She has successfully treated patients with disorders of all ranges of severity. 

Dr. Sharma has developed a special interest in Neuro-developmental disorders and women’s mental health which is becoming a primary feature in her clinic 

Dr Bodani has over 30 years’ experience in Medicine and over 25 years in psychiatry, the last 18 of which have been as a Consultant Neuropsychiatrist in both NHS and independent private practice. He is accredited as a specialist in General Adult Psychiatry, the Psychiatry of Old Age and Liaison Psychiatry. Dr Bodani manages all conditions relevant to general adult psychiatry including depression, anxiety, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), bipolar affective disorder, psychosis, PTSD, OCD, somatoform disorders, the problems associated with addictions and drug withdrawal; as well as conditions specific to neuropsychiatry such as functional neurological disorders (FNDs), postconcussional syndrome (PCS), traumatic brain injury, dementias of multiple causation, ASD, and ADHD; including the psychiatric complications of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease & other neurodegenerative disorders, and epilepsy. He is expert in the assessment of mental capacity in relation to medicolegal matters and has been an Accredited Expert endorsed by the Academy of Experts since 2009. Dr Bodani has extensive experience in psychopharmacology, and neuromodulation technologies such as GVS, and VNS in which he is actively pursuing research as a means of helping the problems associated with Parkinson’s disease. Dr Bodani is a leading specialist in the UK in the use of cannabis-based medicines for a range of psychiatrist indications and is consulted regularly. He has a holistic approach to diagnosis and management, and is eminent in his field.

Dr Vimal Sivasanker completed his medical training at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London School of Medicine. He completed psychiatric training on the East London and Cambridge and East Anglia rotations, working extensively in inner city and rural areas treating a broad range of psychiatric disorders. He was appointed as a Consultant Psychiatrist in 2008.

Dr Sivasanker has an interest in neuromodulation and novel psychoactive substances for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. He was previously the Vice Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Committee on ECT and Related Treatments. He is currently the Chair of the ECT Accreditation Service of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and is involved in developing and revising national standards for ECT services and conducting peer reviews. He is also Chair of the Combined Committee for Accreditation, part of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI), and monitors the accreditation processes of all 28 quality networks within the CCQI.

Dr Sivasanker has also written book chapters and peer-reviewed articles and has delivered lectures and training at local, national and international level.

Dr Gurdeep Dulay is a highly skilled and experienced Consultant Rheumatologist who manages patients with a broad range of rheumatological problems including; Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, polymyalgia rheumatica, fibromyalgia, Lupus, Sjogren’s disease, osteoarthritis and other connective tissue diseases. 

Dr Dulay is caring and compassionate. He practices with both a holistic and evidence-based approach. 

Dr Dulay completed his undergraduate medical training with distinction in the BM Primary examination at the University of Southampton. He was appointed as a Consultant Rheumatologist and Physician at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust in 2017. 

In addition to his full-time Rheumatology work, Dr Dulay also continues to contribute to acute/general medicine at Queen Alexandra Hospital Portsmouth.  Dr Dulay is proficient in use of ultrasound and has extensive experience in performing joint injection procedures. 

Amongst other achievements in recent years, Dr Dulay has also: 

• Received a national changemaker award (December 2023) at the Houses of Parliament for work in Axial spondyloarthritis. 
• Been selected to lead the regional Axial Spondyloarthritis group (SCAN) and was lead author for the group’s first two international abstracts/presentations (2023). 
• Invited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons to comment formally on proposed NICE guidelines. 
• Authored/Co-authored local, regional and national clinical guidelines. 
• Participated in a National working group which devised an Osteoporosis treatment algorithm (endorsed by the Royal Osteoporosis Society). 

Dr Dulay takes an active role in medical education. He serves as an Educational and Clinical Supervisor to junior doctors. Additionally, he has been invited to peer review journal articles and judge abstract submissions for national conferences. 

With his expertise and commitment to providing compassionate and comprehensive care, Dr Gurdeep Dulay is highly regarded in the field of Rheumatology. 

Dr Basil Almahdi qualified as a medical doctor in 1997. He completed his specialist training in London and gained a higher degree in Pain Management at University College Hospital as a Fellow in pain medicine at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square.

He gained experience in managing complex spinal pain problems. He has since become a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine at the Whittington Hospital where he currently practices covering both Acute and Chronic pain management.

He has numerous publications and has lectured nationally and internationally in his subject. His special interests are the minimally invasive treatment of problems caused by degenerative spinal disease including disc herniation, radiculopathies and spinal stenosis. He has a special interest in managing chronic pain syndromes and is also interested in the treatment of post operative pain, neuropathic pain, and palliative treatments for cancer pain.

He is a member of The Complex Spine London group that provides MDT approach treatment for spinal surgical patients

He has a significant experience in using Cannabis Based Medication (CBM) in the management of Chronic Pain problems and worked at multiple clinics in the past providing such service

Dr Almahdi is bilingual, also speaking Arabic fluently. He takes pride in his holistic approach to patient care, allowing patients to make considered decisions and agree a treatment plan. His emphasis on educating patients empowers patients to manage their pain in the best possible way.

Anthony is a senior consultant in pain medicine. He graduated from the University of London in 1978, and has been a specialist in pain medicine for 25 years, founding a respected NHS teaching hospital pain clinic and teaching young pain specialists and doctors. He was appointed to a special Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians, and was President of the Pain Medicine Section at the Royal Society of Medicine.

Always an innovator, Anthony began to prescribe cannabis medicines for pain, feeling they were often better and safer than many conventional medicines. He helped set up a leading UK cannabis medicine clinic, and lectures on the subject.

Anthony is helping to develop the role of cannabis medicines in all areas of health care, and to develop new and innovative ways of delivering these medicines.