Research Team

DR Neil Paul
GP Partner

Dr Paul has been a GP Partner at Sandbach GPs since August 2000. In 2009 he helped to establish Ashfields’ Research Team, which now operates a hub and spoke model across 15 GP Practices. Neil enjoys photography and Sci-Fi and is planning a Landscape Photography course on Tatooine in the (very) distant future.

Dr Simon Gowda
GP Partner

Dr Gowda has been with the Practice since 2009.

He has been involved in clinical research since 2004 and has research experience in multiple disease areas including, Breast Cancer, Cardiovascular, Rheumatology, Respiratory, Osteoporosis.

Dr Priyan Gunawardena
GP Partner

Dr Gunawardena qualified from the University of Manchester in 2004 and completed his GP training in 2010. He joined Ashfields in 2016 and is a GP tutor and mentor for medical students and physician associate students.

His interests include Child Health, Minor Surgery, Medical Education, Dermatology, Palliative Care and Research. He has worked with the Ashfields Research Team since 2017 as a Sub Investigator in a variety of Research studies ranging from Phase III to Phase IV.


Tracey Waller
Research Nurse

Tracey has been a Research Nurse at Ashfields since 2009. She has also been a midwife. Tracey has had experience as a Research Nurse on research projects including Phase II to Phase IV.

She has been involved in research across so many different disease areas, there are too many to mention!

[email protected]

Janet Rhodes
Research Nurse

Janet has worked in research for more years than she cares to admit! She has been a Research Nurse in both Primary and Secondary Care and has been involved in research projects across all phases.

Janet loves Grand Prix racing and her dream is to marry Lewis Hamilton!

[email protected]

Lorna MacDougall
Research Development Nurse

Lorna joined the team in August 2020. Her main focus is to develop and support research activity within our PCNs.

Lorna is a trained Paediatric Nurse and Specialist Community Public Health Nurse.