Allied Health & Research Leadership
Building research capacity, capability and impact across health professions
Strategic leadership in health research
I am Professor of Rehabilitation at Oxford Brookes University and Allied Health Professions Research Lead at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
In these roles, I lead the strategic development of research capacity and capability across Nurses, Midwives, Allied Health Professionals, Healthcare Scientists, Pharmacists, and Psychologists (NMAHPPs).
My work focuses on strengthening research cultures within clinical services, supporting clinicians to undertake high-quality research, embedding evidence-informed practice, and creating the systems that allow research to flourish sustainably within the NHS.
My work not only includes conducting research but also building collaborative, cross-institutional environments where research informs how care improves.
My earlier academic work centred on sports injury prevention and performance enhancement, contributing to the evidence base in cricket and other sports. You can explore my publications here.
Academic leadership at the Centre for Healthy Living Research
I am Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Living Research at Oxford Brookes University, part of the Oxford Institute of Applied Health Research (OxInAHR).
The Centre brings together researchers working across nutrition, dietetics, health behaviour, wellbeing, mental health, sport and physical activity. Our work is grounded in a holistic understanding of health — recognising the interconnected biological, psychological and social factors that shape long-term wellbeing.
We focus on advancing global health by:
- Addressing diet-related challenges such as malnutrition, obesity, glycaemic control and inflammation
- Evaluating preventive initiatives for physical and psychological health
- Exploring wellbeing across contexts — from grassroots sport and physical activity to high-performance environments
A core priority of the Centre is bridging the gap between research and real-world application, ensuring that evidence informs practice in meaningful and measurable ways.
Photo taken at the Oxford Institute of Applied Health Research (OxInAHR) Symposium 2025
Strengthening implementation and impact measurement
A current priority within Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is strengthening how we measure and demonstrate the outputs, outcomes and impacts of our research capacity and capability initiatives.
We are developing structured approaches to implementation and impact measurement so that we can clearly articulate:
- What has changed
- Who it has benefited
- How research activity translates into improved care and organisational performance
Alongside implementing this work within the Trust, I am also conducting research in this area — examining how research capacity-building initiatives can be evaluated robustly and meaningfully within healthcare systems.
Ongoing initiatives
Each initiative contributes to a wider vision: enabling clinicians and healthcare professionals to engage confidently in research, progress in research leadership, and see the real-world impact of their work on patients and services.
NMAHPP research development strategy
Developing structured pathways to support research engagement, progression and leadership across healthcare professionals.
Research capacity & capability programmes
Delivering mentorship, training and community-building initiatives to strengthen confidence and competence in clinical research.
Impact measurement implementation project
Designing and evaluating systems to track the outputs, outcomes and organisational impact of research capacity development.
Research, partnership and collaboration
I am actively researching research capacity and capability development within healthcare systems — particularly how we design, implement and evaluate initiatives that strengthen research cultures across professions.
If you are interested in collaborating on research in this area, developing implementation strategies, or learning more about our NMAHPP initiatives, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss.