Primary Care & Health Sciences

Following an undergraduate four year degree in Physiotherapy (University of Ulster), I obtained a Doctorate in Philosophy (Faculty of Science, University of Ulster) in 1998. I came to Keele University in September 2000 to a lectureship in the Department of Physiotherapy Studies. I moved full time into the Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre in December 2004 supported by a five year Primary Care Career Scientist Award from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), was made Senior Lecturer in Pain Management (Therapies) in March 2005 and Professor of Musculoskeletal Health in Primary Care in March 2010.

I am a Chartered Physiotherapist and currently am the Honorary Secretary of the Society of Back Pain Research in the UK, as well as serving on the International Organising Committee for the International Forum for Back Pain Research in Primary Care.

I lead a portfolio of research at the Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre focused on clinical trials and other intervention studies that test treatment approaches and service models for patients with common musculoskeletal problems.

My role includes leading and contributing to applications for research funding and collaborative projects, management of research programmes and projects, and supervision of associated research fellows, study co-ordinators and MPhil/PhD students.

I am the Director of the Clinical Trials Unit within the Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre at Keele University, and am a member of the Institute Management Board of the Institute of Primary Care and Health Sciences at Keele University.

I am a Section Editor for the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and serve on the editorial boards of BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders and the International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.

Examples of recent grants include: 

NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (NHS National Institute of Health Research).
Development and validation of a core set of patient reported outcome measures
(PROMS) for musculoskeletal conditions. £173,623 over 2 years, 2011-2013.

NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (NHS National Institute of Health Research). Improving outcomes for patients with shoulder impingement: a randomised trial.  £245,609 over 3 years, 2009-2012.

National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Programme Grant for Applied Research. Optimal management of spinal pain in primary care. £1,981,142 over 5 years, 2009-2014.

Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials grant. A pragmatic randomised controlled trial of PhysioDirect telephone assessment and advice services for physiotherapy. Collaboration between Bristol and Keele Universities. £1,391,344 over 3 years, 2008-2011.

I have a small contribution to teaching on postgraduate and short courses in the Faculty of Health at Keele University. This includes co-leading an annual 3 day short course on ‘Practical Introduction to Running Randomised Clinical Trials’, teaching sessions on the MSc Neuromusculoskeletal Health Care and MSc Pain Science and Management at Keele University, and an annual session on MSc Manipulative Therapy at Birmingham University.

I have supported 7 PhD and 13 MSc students to successful completion. In addition to formal supervision activity, I have supported a local group of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) since 2004 as part of an evidence-based practice initiative. The group of approximately 20 clinicians from Staffordshire and Cheshire, meet regularly to answer important clinical questions raised by local AHPs, through reviewing and appraising the available literature, writing short Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) that are disseminated locally and nationally, and that directly inform local clinical care pathways for patients with musculoskeletal problems. More recently, these CATs are being used to inform the local adaptations to the Map of Medicine national roll-out. This initiative has led to publications and to opportunities for local clinicians to present findings from the group’s activities.

I serve on the following research funding committees:

• The External Devices and Physical Therapies expert advisory panel (EDaPT), NIHR HTA Programme
• The Arthritis Research UK Musculoskeletal Pain Clinical Studies Group
• The West Midlands Regional Funding Committee, Research for Patient Benefit programme, NHS National Institute for Health Research, England

I previously served on the Learning and Development Committee at Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), UK and was the elected research representative for the physiotherapy profession on the CSP’s Governing Council. I was previously a member and then Vice Chair of the Research and Clinical Effectiveness Committee, Chartered Society Physiotherapy, UK