Internal Medicine · EDS & Hypermobility Specialist
Medical Director, EDS & Hypermobility Disorders Center · University of Virginia
Dr. Knight is the Medical Director of the EDS & Hypermobility Disorders Center at the University of Virginia, where he also serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine. A board-certified internal medicine physician, he specializes in consultative and diagnostic medicine with a clinical focus on chronic disease, unresolved illness, and the coordinated care of patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes.
He earned his MD from St. George's University and a master's degree from George Mason University, followed by residency training at the University of Mississippi. Prior to joining UVA in late 2025, Dr. Knight founded and led the Mayo Clinic EDS Clinic for over six years, where he was instrumental in the facility being recognized as an EDS Center of Excellence. He has also held faculty positions at Saint Louis University and served four years as a U.S. Air Force physician at Scott Air Force Base, including deployment to Afghanistan in support of NATO's Operation Resolute Support.
An active researcher and educator, he mentors medical students and residents in complex EDS cases and the application of machine learning and AI to diagnostic medicine. A former NCAA Division III soccer player, he brings a personal understanding of sports medicine and hypermobility to his work.
Advocacy Advisor & Patient Representative
The Ehlers-Danlos Society
Ms. Buckley has been a Health/Patient Advocate for over three decades while living with a chronic pain condition. She works with individuals and their families and caregivers to access appropriate healthcare services to address their most pressing needs, and maintains a robust network with other Health Advocates to refer clients to specialist advocates.
She currently volunteers in many roles for the Ehlers-Danlos Society, the Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Foundation Canada, and the Loeys-Dietz Foundation (a division of the Marfan Foundation USA). She has also represented the voices of lived experience on research projects covering connective tissue disorders, pain management, and other health topics.
With an undergraduate degree in Social Work and an MBA in Accounting, Maggie became a Board Certified Patient Advocate in 2019. She is active in legislative and regulatory advocacy, has experience testifying at policy hearings, has spoken at conferences and in the media, written articles, and coached hundreds to self-advocate for better care.
Medicine & Rheumatology · Hypermobility-Related Disorders
Chief Medical and Scientific Officer · The Ehlers-Danlos Society
Dr Alan Hakim is an adult certified consultant in Medicine and Rheumatology. Having practiced Medicine for 35 years, he has over 30 years of experience in Rheumatology and Translational Medicine and 25 years of experience in hypermobility-related disorders.
In hospital and community clinical administration and healthcare commissioning, he has worked at divisional, director, executive, and board levels. He has project-managed multiple large-scale programs of work across health sectors.
Dr Hakim is also a clinical academic. He has published widely in research and education, including more than 150 original scientific and review papers and articles, six books, and multiple chapters and online pages and webinars. He has also led the award winning and internationally acclaimed EDS ECHO portfolio since its inception in 2019.
Among his affiliations he is a Fellow of The Royal College of Physicians; an Adjunct Associate Professor in Medicine at The School of Medicine, Penn State, USA; Honorary Consultant (Research) at UCLH, London, UK; Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at The Ehlers-Danlos Society and non-voting member of its Medical and Scientific Board; Chair of the hEDS/HSD Working Group of the International Consortium on the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders; and a medical advisor to Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, the Hypermobility Syndromes Association (HMSA), and SEDS Connective.
Dr Hakim is also a non-voting member in the Road To 2026 initiative reviewing the current classification criteria for EDS and HSD, a Co-Principal Investigator to several studies exploring criteria, and an invited Guest Editor for two issues of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C Seminars in Medical Genetics publishing work related to the Road To 2026 in 2026 and 2027.
Movement Therapist · Hypermobility & EDS Specialist
Founder, The Zebra Club & Integral Movement Method
Jeannie Di Bon is an internationally recognized Movement Therapist with over 17 years of clinical experience specializing in hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and chronic pain. She is the creator of the Integral Movement Method (IMM) — a scientifically proven approach to movement for people living with EDS and HSD — and founder of The Zebra Club, a global online community now home to over 200 classes and live events.
She presents regularly for The Ehlers-Danlos Society at international conferences, serves on the International Consortium Allied Health Working Group, and was awarded Outstanding Contribution to EDS ECHO in July 2024. She holds an MA and an MSc in Pain Management, has authored three books on hypermobility management endorsed by doctors worldwide, and her IMM program was the subject of research at Clarkson University and UCL and resulted in two peer reviewed papers.
Living with hEDS, MCAS, POTS, and CFS herself, Jeannie brings both deep clinical expertise and lived experience to EDS Connective's advisory board.
Disclosure: Jeannie Di Bon serves as both a clinical advisor to EDS Connective and a business partner through The Zebra Club. These roles are independent of one another.
EDS Connective partners with organizations that share our commitment to supporting the EDS and hypermobility community with trusted products and resources that help our members care for their health before, during, and after diagnosis.
Founded by Jeannie Di Bon, MA, MSc · Movement Therapy & Rehabilitation
The Zebra Club is a global online community for people living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, hypermobility, and chronic pain. Founded by movement therapist and EDS Connective advisor Jeannie Di Bon, it offers guided rehabilitation and exercise programs built around her Integral Movement Method — a scientifically developed approach to safe, effective movement for hypermobile bodies.
With over 200 classes and live events, The Zebra Club supports members around the world in building strength, stability, and confidence in their bodies.
Founded by Dr. Melissa Koehl, PT · Movement & Rehabilitation for Hypermobility
Chimera Health was founded by Dr. Melissa Koehl, a physical therapist and certified Pilates instructor who lives with hEDS herself. Drawing on over 20 years of experience working with hypermobile bodies, she developed the ChimeraFit method — a combination of Pilates, yoga, strength, and balance work designed to help people with hypermobility and chronic pain find safe, effective movement that restores control and confidence.
Dr. Koehl also shares practical movement guidance with a large, engaged community on Instagram.
EDS Connective may have commercial relationships with some partner organizations featured on this page. Partner listings are independent of our clinical advisory board.
EDS Connective is a proud Diamond Sponsor of The Ehlers-Danlos Society
I believe diagnosis is so important because it gives people validation and answers to questions they've been asking for years. It gives them an understanding of what they're experiencing and why. Until you have that diagnosis, you can't open the door to the solutions that can help improve your quality of life. So let's drop that diagnostic odyssey... to the point where symptoms start, and not two decades later.
Lara Bloom
President & CEO · The Ehlers-Danlos Society
EDS Connective is a proud Diamond Sponsor of The Ehlers-Danlos Society.
