Biography

I am a bioengineer, with a special interest in neurological rehabilitation and applied clinical research. I completed my doctoral training at the Bioengineering Unit (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow). I have also gained five years of relevant postdoctoral experience Centre for Rehabilitation and Engineering Studies-CREST (with Profs G Johnson and M Barnes) where I established the neurological research exploring the phenomenon of spasticity.

I came to Keele in March 2002 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2007. In 2011 I was promoted to a Personal Chair.

I was appointed to the position of Head of School on 1st Sept 2016. My Professorial inaugural lecture was on Tuesday 25 October 2011 titled: "Defining spasticity - the (slow) walk from being a lumper to a splitter".

Research and scholarship

ISTM Research theme: Healthcare technologies

Improvement in acute medical care, paradoxically, has increased the prevalence of disability in the community, specifically in people neurological and neuromuscular disorders. Changes in population demographics, i.e. increase in life expectancy, exacerbate this problem. The cost of managing disability resulting from these disorders places a substantial financial burden on the state (and individuals) and is set to rise. Furthermore, there is evidence that, in spite of the current levels of investment, patients are currently dissatisfied with their level of care and support. Therefore, a significant focus of my research is to develop optimal rehabilitation programmes (in particular for people with severe levels of disability) and exercise programmes to maintain health. Any process of optimisations also requires an understanding of the normal human performance and pathophysiological process that lead to disabilities, therefore, a substantial proportion of my research effort in targeted at measuring impairments and then modelling the relationship between impairments and functional capability. We have expanded our research portfolio to include injury prevention in elite athletes and improving well being in a working population by drawing on the knowledge we have gained from our research in people with disabilities.

Teaching

Currently I teach on a variety of courses (UG and PG) at the School of Health and Rehabilitation. I enjoy the interactions that I have with students at both the Graduate and Undergraduate level. The areas of teaching that overlap with my research activities are research methods, measurement in rehabilitation (specifically non-invasive measurement of impairment and activity, and developing methods aimed at elucidating pathophysiology of common impairments), modelling the relationship between impairment, activity and quality of life, motor control, application of assistive technologies and spasticity and contractures.

Further information

Recently my book was published entitled:

Neurological Rehabilitation: Spasticity and Contractures in Clinical Practice and Research (Rehabilitation Science in Practice Series)

Anand D. Pandyan, Hermie J. Hermens, Bernard A. Conway

Publications

School address:
School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering
Hornbeam Building
Keele University
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG

Research centre address:
School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering
Guy Hilton Research Centre
Thornburrow Drive
Stoke-on-Trent
ST4 7QB
Tel: +44 (0) 1782 674988

Jack Ashley building accessibility

Undergraduate enquiries:
Email: enquiries@keele.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1782 734010

Postgraduate enquiries:
Please contact the CPD4ALL team:
Email: phab.postgraduate@keele.ac.uk

 

Keele Centre for Medicines Optimisation (KCMO)
Tel: +44 (0)1782 733831 / 734131

The Virtual Patient project enquiries:
Contact our Digital Development team:
Email: pharmacy.digital@keele.ac.uk