Our leadership

PAPAA is a patient‑led charity. It was co‑founded and is led by David Chandler, who lives with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, together with his wife Julie Chandler. Both have dedicated more than three decades of their working lives to improving care, information and support for people in the same position.

David and Julie’s own experience of navigating diagnosis, treatment and day‑to‑day life with psoriatic disease is at the heart of PAPAA’s mission. They know first‑hand the confusion, frustration and isolation that can come with these conditions, and also what makes a real difference: clear information, empathetic support, and healthcare that treats the whole person, not just the skin or joints.

David Chandler: Co‑founder and Chief Executive

David Chandler is the co‑founder and Chief Executive of the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Alliance (PAPAA). He has held this role since PAPAA was formed in 2007, and before that led the predecessor charities that merged to create it.

PAPAA’s origins trace back to 1993, when David and Julie Chandler co‑founded the Psoriatic Arthropathy Alliance (PAA) to support people with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. David was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in 1990 (having had psoriasis since 1976) and was forced to retire from commercial business at the age of 36 due to progressive joint damage. He and Julie discovered how little information and support existed, and Julie initiated a self‑funded support group that later became a registered charity in 1995.

In 2007, the Psoriatic Arthropathy Alliance merged with the Psoriasis Support Trust (founded by Charles Peel in 2001) to form the modern PAPAA, with David and Julie as two of the co‑founding members and joint leaders of the new organisation.

Professional background and patient advocacy

Before moving into healthcare advocacy, David worked in commercial business. Since the early 1990s he has been active in the UK voluntary sector, holding roles including:

• Coordinator of the Skin Care Campaign at the National Eczema Society
• General Manager at Teaching Aids at Low Cost (an international healthcare training NGO)
• Chief Executive of the Psoriasis Support Trust
• Co‑founder and joint manager of the Psoriatic Arthropathy Alliancewith his wife Julie.

As Co‑founder and Chief Executiveof PAPAA, David’s responsibilities include representing the charity at all levels, engaging with patients, carers and healthcare professionals, fulfilling the charity’s aims as directed by the board of trustees, providing strategic leadership, and managing staff, volunteers and suppliers.

National and international influence

David has served as a patient and lay representativeon numerous high‑level committees and advisory groups, ensuring that the patient voice shapes policy, guidance and regulation. Publicly listed roles include:

• Lay Member, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – including service on Technology Appraisals Committees and as Vice‑Chair of a Diabetes Pathway Committee
• Patient Representative, Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) – Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Immunology, Dermatology (GRIDEAG) committee (2013–2023), advising the MHRA and Ministers on safety, efficacy and real‑world impact of treatments
• Steering Committee Member, All‑Party Parliamentary Group on Skin
• Committee Member Arthritis Research UK Spondyloarthritis Clinical Studies Group
• Patient Representative, British Association of Dermatologists Biologics Committee
• Patient Member / Lay Member on various National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) committees and advisory groups, including the RIGHT Programme panel
• Patient Representative, International Psoriasis Consensus Group (PSOBoard)
• Lay Patient and Public Member, Royal Pharmaceutical Society Commission on Models of Care 

Through these roles, David has consistently brought the lived experience of people with psoriatic disease into national decision‑making on treatments, guidelines and services.

Thought leadership and public engagement

David has:

• Given presentations on the patient perspective in Europe and the US
• Written and published articles on psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and patient advocacy
• Developed awareness campaigns and contributed to both quantitative and qualitative research in the field 

On LinkedIn and in public posts, he writes about the intersection of personal experience and professional insight in patient advocacy, highlighting how even knowledgeable advocates can find the healthcare system complex and emotionally challenging when they are the patient. He also promotes PAPAA’s work, including its free training courses for healthcare professionals and patients, and its Knowledge Bank of resources.

Why patient leadership matters

PAPAA’s patient‑led identity means:

• Our priorities come from people living with psoriatic disease, not from external agendas.
• Our information and campaigns are shaped by real experiences, not just clinical data.

When we speak to policymakers, clinicians or the media, we are speaking as patients and carers, with the credibility that comes from lived experience.

This patient‑led approach is reflected in everything PAPAA does: from our helpline and online resources, to our work with healthcare professionals, researchers and regulators.

“PAPAA exists because people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis deserve better: better information, better support, and a healthcare system that truly understands their needs. Being patient‑led isn’t just a label for us, it’s how we were founded, and how we operate every day.”  David Chandler, Co‑founder and Chief Executive, PAPAA.

Follow David on LinkedIn.