Meet the team
Meet the people behind Adult SMA REACH
Prof Chiara Marini Bettolo
Chief Investigator and Principal Investigator
Chiara is a Consultant in Neuromuscular disorders and the clinical lead for the Highly Specialised Service for Limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophies (LGMDs) at the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC), Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. As part of her clinical role, is committed to bring innovation and treatments to the diagnostic and clinical care service.
Chiara is also Honorary Professor in Neuromuscular disorders. She is Principal Investigator for Adult SMA REACH and the following patient registries: The UK SMA, UK FSHD, UK DM and MTM and CNM Patient registries which are all curated at The JWMDRC. Chiara’s research focuses on Real-world data and Patient reported outcome measures.
Dr Robert Muni Lofra
Consultant physiotherapist
Robert is a Consultant Physiotherapist and lead physiotherapist at the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC), Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Robert co-leads the Allied Health Care Professional national network jointly with paediatric colleagues at GOSH, supporting the delivering of the functional assessment across the network by identifying training needs and providing training and support to sites. Robert provides clinical management advise alongside the development and implementation of functional outcome measures. Robert’s research focuses on assessment of disease progression and identifying care needs of neuromuscular patients. Robert also has a particular interest in the development of new outcome measures and wearable devices.
Aleks Carver
PROJECT MANAGER - UK SMA Patient Registry
Aleks joined the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC) in April 2024, and is the Project Manager for the UK SMA Patient Registry, as well as the UK Myotonic Dystrophy and FSHD Patient Registries.
Aleks has a keen interest in supporting the collaboration across the various patient, academic and clinical SMA networks and stakeholders across the UK, with the aim of supporting research and achieving full and equal trial readiness for all.
Elena Karkkainen
Data Manager
Elena combines expertise in data analytics and medical sciences, holding a degree in Medical Sciences.
She has a deep understanding of medical data, human physiology, and anatomy, and she leverages data-driven insights in her SMA research focused on real-world data collection studies.
Elena leads on data entry and manages the database. Provides data reports when sites request and is responsible for resolving any site queries.
Laura Simms
data manager - pREGNANCY STUDY
Laura joined the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC) in 2025.
She has a background in clinical trial data management in a UKCRC Registered Clinical Trials Unit setting has previous experience in data collection, quality and audit within the National Health Service (NHS).
Laura has a keen interest in data quality and is responsible for data collection, management and reporting.
Anna Bunakova
Project coordinator
Anna joined the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC) in July 2026, working across the Adult SMA REACH project and the Patient Registry Team. She holds an MSc in Science Communication, specialising in communication in medicine and biotechnology, and has over four years of experience coordinating health research studies in an academic setting, including ethics approvals and research governance, research data management, and participant recruitment.
Anna is a point of contact for Adult SMA REACH and the patient registries, and is responsible for data curation, responding to patient queries, and supporting outreach and communications.
Grecia Benesperi
Project assistant
Grecia joined the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC) in July 2023, contributing to engagement events and administrative activities.
Grecia assists with the creation and maintenance of study documentation and is responsible for organising Adult SMA REACH network activities, acting as the main point of contact for stakeholders.
She also contributes to the SMA Care UK project, supporting project coordination, stakeholder engagement, and the delivery of project activities.
Dionne Moat
Physiotherapist
Dionne qualified as a Physiotherapist in 2003 and completed an MSc in Clinical Research in 2022. With extensive experience across various healthcare settings, she has specialized in neuro rehabilitation, particularly treating patients with traumatic brain injuries and complex neurological conditions.
Joining the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC) in 2016, she now works on research projects and provides clinical care to children and adults with neuromuscular disorders.
Stephannie Tanner
clinical nurse
Steph has been a Nurse Specialist in Neuromuscular conditions at the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre since 2022. Her aim is to provide a holistic care approach towards patients whilst also collecting real – world data.
Steph works with both paediatric and adult patients in clinical care and research.
If you have any specific queries, please use the email address below and name the team member to whom your enquiry is directed, we will do our best to get back to you as quickly as possible.
