Biography

Laura works with academic colleagues and external stakeholders (patients, public, health and social care professionals) to find, share and adapt different types of knowledge (including research knowledge) for implementation into clinical practice within a Knowledge Mobilisation framework.  Laura develops and implements knowledge exchange activities and knowledge mobilisation communication strategies working across organisational and professional boundaries to accelerate the impact of Faculty of Medicine and Health Science’s (FMHS) research into policy and practice. She leads the Link Group (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement in knowledge mobilisation and the implementation of research) to co-produce evidence based patient information, and IAU digital communication and social media for scaling up and scaling out research knowledge, for example through the development of www.keele.health.

Laura is a newspaper journalist and magazine editor by background with 12 years of experience in print and media communications. Laura also works closely with local and national spinal charities to improve patient pathways, provide support and create patient information. She graduated from the University of Bath in 2008 with a BA (Hons) French, German and European Studies and completed her MPhil at Keele University in 2023, investigating the use of social media to mobilise knowledge to First Contact Physiotherapists.

Research and scholarship

• BeeFree (support for people with long term back and neck pain with their mental health) www.beefree.org.uk led the co-production of the animation, website and branding
• STarT Back (Stratified Care for low back pain) www.startback.hfac.keele.ac.uk/ co-development of the back pain patient information leaflet which has received national commendation from the British Medical Association and NICE endorsement – www.startback.hfac.keele.ac.uk/patients/
• JIGSAW-E (osteoarthritis care across Europe) jigsaw-e.com/ supported the development of an international patient panel to translate and culturally adapt the osteoarthritis guidebook. Led on the co-production of the osteoarthritis guidebook short version
• Moving Forward – (Implementing evidence from the NIHR Moving Forward Themed Review into clinical practice) www.movingforward-project.com) Co-led on the co-creation of a public facing version of the NIHR Moving Forward Themed Review

Further information

• Committee member of The Haywood Foundation
• Finalist in the 2018 Nursing Times Awards
• Lead National Representative for the Scoliosis Association UK

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