Nadine Foster

Biography

Following an undergraduate four year degree in Physiotherapy (University of Ulster), Professor Nadine Foster obtained a Doctorate in Philosophy (Faculty of Science, University of Ulster) in 1998. She moved from a lectureship at Coventry University to Keele University in September 2000 to a lectureship in the Department of Physiotherapy Studies. Nadine then moved full time into the Primary Care Centre Versus Arthritis, in the Research Institute of Primary Care and Health Sciences in December 2004 supported by a five year Primary Care Career Scientist Award, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in Pain Management (Therapies) in March 2005 and Professor of Musculoskeletal Health in Primary Care in March 2010. In 2012, Nadine was awarded a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Professorship for 5 years (the first non-medical health professional to be awarded an NIHR Research Professorship and the only physiotherapist to date), to support a large programme of translational research focused on improving outcomes for patients in primary care with common musculoskeletal pain. In 2014, she was awarded a Fellowship of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in recognition of significant contribution to research in musculoskeletal pain in primary care, and its implementation into clinical practice. In 2018, Nadine was awarded the Miegunyah Distinguished Visiting Fellowship 2019 by the University of Melbourne, Australia. In 2016 and again in 2020, she was awarded NIHR Senior Investigator status, the most senior of NIHR awards given to the top 200 clinical research leaders funded by NIHR in the country.

Professor Foster is a Chartered Physiotherapist, the Past President of the Society for Back Pain Research in the UK, Chair of the HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Doctoral Research Fellowship national selection panel for nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals and is an NIHR approved Mentor. She Chairs the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) panel in the West Midlands, serves as the lead NIHR Academic Training Advocate for physiotherapy and supports the work of the NIHR Academy through membership of the NIHR Academy Forum. The NIHR Advocates are a cohort of passionate and proactive researchers working both individually and as a group to act as ambassadors for health research careers, promoting the NIHR training and career opportunities and supporting and advocating for non-medical professions and for individuals who wish to begin or continue a research career.

At Keele University, from 2016-2019, Professor Foster was also the Director of Keele Clinical Trials Unit (CTU), a fully registered CTU with the UKCRC and one which receives NIHR funding.

From Sept 2019 to date, Nadine is also serving as the School Research Director in the School of Allied Health Professions at Keele University.

Research and scholarship

Professor Foster is recognised internationally as a leading expert in musculoskeletal pain research in primary care, particularly in the field of back pain, arthritis and in primary care-based clinical trials. Her work spans primary care and public health, through to community NHS services and into specialist services such as orthopaedics and rheumatology. Particular achievements include: (i) substantive and original contributions to testing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of interventions and services for patients with common musculoskeletal pain; (ii) development, testing and implementing stratified care based on prognosis for musculoskeletal pain patients; (iii) leadership in building capacity for research in allied health professionals (physiotherapists, nurses, osteopaths, psychologists). Based in the Primary Care Centre Versus Arthritis, a UK Centre of Excellence, she was one of only two physiotherapists in the UK to be awarded a Primary Care Career Scientist award (2004-2009) and is the only physiotherapist to have been awarded a National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Research Professorship (2012-2017).

Prof Foster leads Musculoskeletal Health research in the Primary Care Centre Versus Arthritis. This includes a large programme grant funded by NIHR to develop and test a model of stratified care for adults with musculoskeletal problems in primary care, and a series of high quality randomised clinical trials testing treatment approaches and service models for patients with common musculoskeletal problems. These include NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) randomised trials testing subgrouping for targeted treatment for patients with sciatica and suspected sciatica, and developing and testing interventions to support patients with physical and mental health conditions to stay in work or return to work.

Nadine is ranked in the top 0.01% of 30,000 authors publishing in low back pain worldwide (by Expertscape). Her research has attracted £39 million in grant income, examples include funding from NIHR, Versus Arthritis and the Medical Research Council, and funding from NHMRC in Australia. Whilst her research experience includes many methods she has led or supported over 19 randomised clinical trials testing treatments and services for patients with musculoskeletal pain conditions. She has led and contributed to over 180 peer-reviewed publications, has an H index of 60, has supervised over 17 Masters/intern students and 13 PhD students with 4 PhD students currently in progress. Her work contributed to the Research Excellence Framework results in 2014 in which 91% of the research within the Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences was judged as world-leading or internationally excellent, ranking 3^rd in primary care research in the UK, and several 4 star impact case studies (one on low back pain and one on arthritis).

Her 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, trial managers, study co-ordinators and MPhil/PhD students. Her papers are published in the highest-ranking general medical journals (eg. Lancet, British Medical Journal), and in topic-specific (eg. Pain, Rheumatology) and profession-specific journals (eg. Physical Therapy, Family Practice).

Teaching

Prof Foster has previously had significant teaching responsibilities at undergraduate and postgraduate level and has developed and led modules including research methods and research dissertation modules.

She continues to have a small contribution to teaching on postgraduate and short courses in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Keele University. This includes co-leading an annual 4 day short course on ‘Practical Introduction to Running Randomised Clinical Trials’ at Keele University (see https://www.keele.ac.uk/rct/) and teaching on Keele’s Prognosis Research In Healthcare International Summer School (see https://www.keele.ac.uk/mrcprognosis/)

Prof Foster has supported 13 PhD and 17 Masters/intern students to successful completion, with 4 current PhD students.

In addition to formal supervision activity, she has supported a local group of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) and nurses since 2004 as part of an evidence-based practice initiative. The group of approximately 60 clinicians from Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire, 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.

Further information

Prof Foster serves on the following panels/committees:

• Chair of the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) funding panel in the West Midlands, England

• Chair of the HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Doctoral Research Fellowship programme for nurses, midwives, AHPs, pharmacists and clinical scientists

• Member of the NIHR Academy Forum and NIHR Academy Involvement Group

• Member of the Professoriate in the Council for Allied Health Professions Research (CAHPR)

• Member of the NIHR Training Advocates (and lead physiotherapy Advocate)

Prof Foster has previously served on the NIHR Senior Investigator assessment panel (England), the Health Research Board (HRB) in Ireland, the International Organisation Committee for the International Forum for Back and Neck Pain Research in Primary Care, and the Learning and Development Committee at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) UK. She was previously the elected research representative for the physiotherapy profession on the CSP’s Governing Council, a member and then Vice Chair of the Research and Clinical Effectiveness Committee, CSP, UK. Prof Foster also previously served on several NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTS) panels (EDaPT panel and the Primary Care TIDE panel).