Alison Aries
- Title
- Lecturer
- Location
- MAC 1.15
- Contact me
- Via Email
- Phone
- +44 (0) 1782 734418
- a.m.aries@keele.ac.uk
Biography
Having qualified from Wolverhampton School of Physiotherapy in 1986 I worked within the NHS for over 25 years, finally leaving my last permanent NHS post in September 2012. Gaining a broad background of experience, I successfully undertook senior posts in many different specialities, including two years in general medicine / elderly care, six years within the field of surgery / ITU and three years in neurology, prior to moving into the community to work, specialising in stroke. Within my role as a senior physiotherapist within the Community Intermediate Care Team I developed specialist skills in neurological rehabilitation, managed a clinical team, and I also played a key role in the development of the Stroke Early Supported Discharge (ESD) service in Wolverhampton.
I have worked as a lecturer within the School of Health and Rehabilitation since 2003. I successfully achieved a prestigious NIHR Clinical Academic Doctoral fellowship (which was completed between April 2015 and March 2018). This involved successfully developing standardised protocols and then setting up and running a mixed-methods, randomized, blinded feasibility study exploring sensory stimulation to the foot post-stroke. I am now planning on becoming a Clinical Academic, helping to facilitate research within clinical practice.
Research and scholarship
My research interests lie predominantly in neurology, in particular neuroplasticity and rehabilitation of stroke patients.
As part of a prestigious NIHR Clinical Academic Doctoral fellowship (completed between April 2015 and March 2018) I successfully developed standardised protocols and then set up and ran a mixed-methods, randomized, blinded feasibility study exploring sensory stimulation to the foot post-stroke. Details of this study can be found at the following link
This three-year fellowship also enabled further development of my clinical and leadership skills and opportunities to build international collaborations. In preparation for the fellowship I also worked as a blinded assessor for the FAST INdiCATE trial: “Clinical efficacy of functional strength training for upper limb motor recovery early after stroke: neural correlates and prognostic indicators”. This multi-centre, randomised, controlled, observer blind trial was funded by the NIHR/MRC Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme, and was sponsored by University of East Anglia, Norwich.
Teaching
I completed the MSc Neuromusculoskeletal Healthcare at Keele in May 2003; in July 2003 I commenced work part-time as a lecturer within the School of Health and Rehabilitation (SHAR) at Keele University whilst continuing to work as a part-time senior physiotherapist until September 2012.
As a lecturer at Keele I have many years of experience teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, mainly within the field of neurology. I have successfully undertaken many roles and responsibilities within SHAR: Programme Lead for the MSc Neurological Rehabilitation; Year Head; Disability Liaison Officer; Deputy Academic Conduct Officer; SHAR representative for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences User and Carer Liaison Group; member of the admissions team; and module leader at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Selected Publications
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2018. Sensory stimulation of the foot and ankle early post-stroke: a feasibility study (MoTaStim - Foot). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (vol. 13, p. 43). link> full text>
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MoTaStim-Foot, a Randomized, Single-blinded, Mixed-methods, Feasibility Study Exploring Sensory Stimulation of the Foot and Ankle Early Post-stroke. Journal of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair (vol. 32, p. 1104). SAGE journals. full text>
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2020. Facilitating personal development for public involvement in healthcare education and research:A co-produced pilot study in one UK Higher Education Institute. Health Expectations. doi> link> full text>
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2019. Stroke survivors' perceptions and opinions of receiving aspects of hands-on physical therapy interventions from a trained carer or other health professional. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (vol. 14, p. 39). link>
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2019. The reliability of the MoTaStim-Foot trial algorithm for testing touch pressure sensory threshold on the plantar surface of the foot using Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (vol. 14, p. 45). link>
Full Publications List show
Journal Articles
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2020. Facilitating personal development for public involvement in healthcare education and research:A co-produced pilot study in one UK Higher Education Institute. Health Expectations. doi> link> full text>
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2018. ‘Our feet were made for walking’ My 3-minute thesis experience. Journal of Academic Development and Education Student Edition, 170-171. link>
Other
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2019. Stroke survivors' perceptions and opinions of receiving aspects of hands-on physical therapy interventions from a trained carer or other health professional. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (vol. 14, p. 39). link>
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2019. The reliability of the MoTaStim-Foot trial algorithm for testing touch pressure sensory threshold on the plantar surface of the foot using Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (vol. 14, p. 45). link>
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2018. Sensory stimulation of the foot and ankle early post-stroke: a feasibility study (MoTaStim - Foot). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (vol. 13, p. 43). link> full text>
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2017. Developing physical therapy protocols for the lower limb post stroke utilising a modified Nominal Group Technique (mNGT). International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation (vol. 24, pp. 164-165). Mark Allen Publishing Ltd..
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2016. Characterising physical therapy for the lower limb post stroke: A modified Nominal Group Technique (mNGT). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (vol. 11, pp. S59-S60). link>
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2014. A vital part of the jig-saw - The value of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) to inform research. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (vol. 9, p. 19). link>
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2014. The long-term needs of stroke survivors: A systematic review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (vol. 9, p. 42). link>
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A modified systematic review (MSR) of the effectiveness of aerobic exercise in stroke patients. Conference proceedings, Physiotherapy Research Society. Page 22. Available online at http://prs.csp.org.uk/documents/physiotherapy-research-society-conference-cardiff-2013-abstracts.
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A narrative review exploring hippotherapy as a method to improve postural control and motor function in children with Cerebral Palsy. Physiotherapy. Elsevier.
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Exploration of Critical Appraisal Skills in Physiotherapy Staff and their Perception of how this Influences the Implementation of Evidenced-Based Practice. Conference proceedings. Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Congress..
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MoTaStim-Foot, a Randomized, Single-blinded, Mixed-methods, Feasibility Study Exploring Sensory Stimulation of the Foot and Ankle Early Post-stroke. Journal of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair (vol. 32, p. 1104). SAGE journals. full text>
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What is the most valid method of assessing neglect / inattention in an adult post stroke? (Right Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), left hemiparesis). A critically appraised topic (CAT). Conference proceedings. Physiotherapy Research Society. Available online at http://prs.csp.org.uk/documents/scientific-meeting-2011-full-programme.
