What is NISAC?
What is NISAC
The Non-Freezing Cold Injury (NFCI) Independent Senior Advisory Committee (NISAC) is a specialist group convened by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Clinical lead for NFCI. NISAC informs clinical management policies relating to NFCI and develops research proposals.
Purpose of NISAC
- Provides specialist advice on the provision of services and clinical management of NFCI within the Defence Medical Services.
- Identifies knowledge gaps then advises on, and facilitates, research activity related to cold injuries.
- Develops a transition pathway for NFCI patients from Defence Primary Medical (DPHC) to National Health Service (NHS) care.
- Provides advice on difficult cases.
Current NISAC members
Prof Hugh Montgomery (chair)
Dept Medicine, University College London
Hugh is Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at UCL, where much of his research has focussed on human responses to exercise and extreme environmental challenges such as hypoxia.
Dr Sarah Hollis (secretary)
Ministry of Defence, Catterick Garrison
Sarah is the UK Defence Lead for the prevention and clinical management of cold injury. Sarah is a GP with extended practice in occupational medicine and pre-hospital care in remote and austere environments. She represents UK on NATO fora and regularly collaborates with international civilian and military colleagues on all aspects of peripheral cold injury.
Dr Clare Eglin (web author)
Extreme Environments Laboratory University of Portsmouth
Clare is an environmental physiologist with over 20 years research experience in the effects of cold and NFCI. Published 15 peer-reviewed scientific papers on NFCI.
Prof Andrew Rice
Imperial College London and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London.
Andrew is a Professor of Pain Research and consultant in pain medicine. His research focus is on neuropathic pain in the context of infectious diseases, diabetic neuropathy and cold-induced trauma, especially in a military context
Prof David Bennett
University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals
David is Professor of Neurology at the University of Oxford and also administers the neuropathy clinic at Oxford University Hospitals. His research and clinical interest is in peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic pain.
Dr Dominic Aldington
Royal Hampshire County Hospital
Dominic is a Consutant in Pain Medicine. He is an army veteran and currently works in the National Health Service.
Prof Michael Tipton
Extreme Environments Laboratory, University of Portsmouth
Professor, Extreme Environments Laboratory, Portsmouth University. Fellow of The Physiological Society and Royal Society of Medicine. Council member RNLI, Consultant to the RNLI Medical Director. 250 articles in extreme physiology.
Dr Whitney Scott
King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Whitney Scott is a Senior Lecturer at King's College London and a Clinical Psychologist at the INPUT Pain Unit at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. She has expertise in behavioural treatments for chronic (neuropathic) pain
Prof Chris Imray
Warwick Medical School
Chris is an academic vascular / transplant surgeon at Warwick Medical School. He is also an active mountaineer and polar traveller whose research interests are in the (patho) physiology of cold and altitude.
Dr Tom Vale
Royal Berkshire and John Radcliffe Hospitals
Tom is a Consultant Neurologist at The Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, and The John Radcliffe in Oxford. During his training he completed a DPhil at The University of Oxford, demonstrating that NFCI causes a small fibre neuropathy
