Meet the International Institute for Musculoskeletal Health Education (IIMHE)
Consultant Orthopaedic Spine & Bone Health Specialist
Dr Nick Birch MB BS FRCS (Orth) is one of the UK’s most respected specialists in spine and bone health, recognised internationally for his contributions to musculoskeletal medicine, fracture prevention, and skeletal imaging innovation. With more than 35 years of clinical experience and a career spanning major NHS spinal units and private specialist centres, he has earned a reputation as a trusted, authoritative, and forward-thinking clinician.
A prolific academic, Dr Birch has authored over 45 clinical papers, with more than 20,000 reads and over 1,100 citations, reflecting the global influence of his work. His research spans spinal pathology, bone fragility, fracture biomechanics, and advanced non-ionising bone-quality assessment. He is particularly known for his pioneering use of Radiofrequency Echographic Multi-Spectrometry (REMS), one of the most promising radiation-free alternatives to traditional DXA for assessing bone density and bone quality.
Dr Birch is a founding member of the International Institute for Musculoskeletal Health Education (IIMHE), where he plays a central role in shaping global standards, ethics frameworks, and advanced training pathways for practitioners. Through IIMHE, he contributes to defining the future of musculoskeletal diagnostics and multidisciplinary bone-health education worldwide. His teaching is valued for its clarity, strong evidence-base, and warm, practical communication style, a combination that resonates with clinicians across a range of specialties and allied-health professionals.
As the Chief Medical Officer of Hampton Bone Health and Managing Director of Osteoscan UK Ltd, Dr Birch leads one of the country’s most advanced REMS-based bone-health services. Under his guidance, Osteoscan UK has expanded its consultant-led clinics across the four countries of the United Kingdom, bringing high-quality, radiation-free bone assessment into both clinical and community settings. His leadership has been instrumental in raising professional standards, establishing rigorous quality-control procedures, and elevating national understanding around preventative bone health.
Internationally, Dr Birch is widely regarded as a renowned voice of expertise in musculoskeletal health, often consulted by clinicians, device innovators, and professional bodies seeking guidance on bone-quality imaging, fracture risk, and the translation of emerging science into everyday patient care. His ability to blend research insight, clinical judgement, and humane, accessible communication makes him an exceptional educator and keynote speaker.
At the heart of Dr Birch’s work is a simple, steady purpose:
to give people clear, reliable pathways to protect their mobility, confidence, and long-term skeletal strength.
His blend of scientific precision, clinical expertise, and genuine care continues to make him an invaluable contributor to the global musculoskeletal health community.
Orthopaedic Surgeon • Hand Specialist • Bone Health Consultant
Dr. Kimberly Zambito is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and hand specialist, recognized as the first physician to introduce Echolight REMS technology in the U.S. She developed a comprehensive bone health program, founded QualisOs (providing REMS bone health evaluations and personalized consultations), and has published widely across orthopaedics and exercise science.
Alison Johnson – REMS Practitioner & Founder of Hampton Bone Health Ltd
Alison is a retired South African Registered Nurse with 44 years’ experience in critical care, midwifery, anaesthetics, primary care, and women’s health.
She founded Hampton Bone Health Ltd to promote a natural approach to bone health and is a certified REMS Practitioner, trained under Consultant Spinal and Bone Health Specialist Nick Birch.
Sarah is the Chief Operating Officer and Sales & Marketing Director at Osteoscan UK.
She holds an MBA from Warwick Business School and began her career as an editor in commercial publishing before pursuing a new path in health and fitness.
Sarah went on to train as a Pilates instructor and has successfully managed both Way of the Spiritual Warrior Martial Arts and the multi award-winning Pilates Centre in Coventry.
Paul Magee is an experienced Sports Therapist with 27 years in clinical practice, specialising in injury rehabilitation and pain management.
He is the Founder of Profortis Sports Therapy & Pain Management and Profortis Bone Health, where he integrates advanced assessment and treatment approaches to support long-term musculoskeletal and bone health.
A Certified REMS Practitioner since 2020, Paul also played a pivotal role in the development, teaching, and research of InterX Neurostimulation Therapy over a nine-year period. Passionate about endurance sport, he is a crew member for the GB 24hr Running Team.
David Tognarini holds a B.Sc (Hons) in Pharmacology and a PhD in Medicine from the University of Melbourne. He began his career within the pharmaceutical industry as a specialist across complex diseases such as gastroenterology, hepatology, infectious diseases, later moving to the UK to work in R&D for hepatology and respiratory medicine.
In 2004, he returned to Australia and founded Aesir Health, which grew into one of Australia’s leading providers of patient support programs (PSPs), recognised with awards for innovation and customer excellence. Aesir’s philosophy remains: “Focus on the patient, focus on the medicine.”
In 2013, David co-founded Cortex Health to support Australians with rare conditions. Through partnerships with global innovators, Cortex has introduced advanced medical nutrition and therapies for PKU, tyrosinaemia, intractable epilepsy, severe protein allergy, and dermatology. In 2020, David discovered REMS as he was looking for a non-radiographic solution to run a study in bone disease in PKU. This led to establishing Bone Compass, the first REMS bone densitometry clinic in Australia, and has helped other set up their REMS clinic around Sydney and Brisbane. He has personally scanned more than 1,000 patients, generating one of the largest real-world REMS datasets outside Europe & the US.
David has published 8 peer-reviewed papers.
2nd February 2026 @ 20:00 GMT
Nutrition and musculoskeletal health
Given by: Dr Kimberley Zambito, Orthopaedic Consultant
Hosted by: Dr Nick Birch
Throughout 2026 and beyond, IIMHE (the International Institute of Musculoskeletal Health Education), in partnership with OsteoscanUK, will host a series of engaging educational webinars, open to anyone interested in bone and musculoskeletal health.
