Annual Physiotherapy Research Conference a Great Success, Hosted by AECC UC

On Friday 12th April, the AECC University College was delighted to host the 42nd annual Physiotherapy Research Society (PRS) Conference at the Parkwood Campus in Bournemouth. Over 70 delegates attended the hybrid conference from all over the UK and Europe.

Keynote speakers included Dr Harriet Shannon, Dr Gita Ramdharry, Professor Lisa Roberts and there were also networking sessions, oral presentations from research abstracts, and the opportunity to view the 22 poster submissions of research work abstracts, as well as university tours. The day ended with a closing ceremony and presentation of conference awards.

Thoughts from the Conference
Caroline Coulthard, new PRS Chair, a clinician in MSK and visiting lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, added: “The audience was really engaged throughout the conference. The conference was attended by physiotherapists who are passionate about research and who want to network and share their research with other people interested in developing their research. We welcomed researchers in their early, middle or later career paths.”

Ali Aries, outgoing PRS Chair, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at Keele University, and Allied Health Professional (AHP) Research Lead for the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said: “The conference was great to get us face-to-face. The opportunities for networking were fantastic where we could link in with really important people, as well as learn and support everyone.”

Caroline Belchamber, new PRS Vice Chair, PRS Conference Organiser and Physiotherapy Subject Lead at AECC UC said: “There was a real buzz at the conference, with lots of networking and great keynote speakers. It’s good to reflect on our own research pathways and how we are developing our own research.”

Reflecting on the Aims of the PRS and Conference
Caroline Coulthard said: “The aims of this conference were to engage more with students, which we feel we have done with the PRESS projects this year (Promoting Research and Engagement Skills for Students), which is where students are selected to display a poster of an abstract of their research project; and to support development of physiotherapists’ research skills (such as the PRESS projects, and getting involved with workshops over the year).”

Ali Aries added: “The PRS aims to develop people at all stages of research, from students to newly qualified to people trying to find their way up the research ladder. It’s about educating people; the committee has a wealth of experience and specialisms between us.”

Caroline Belchamber said “The main aim of the PRS is to engage physios in research and be supportive to students to develop their skills, such as abstract writing and creating their best poster. We also support clinicians and encourage collaboration, providing a supportive and nurturing environment.”

The PRESS Research Project:
Caroline Coulthard said “We were delighted to display 22 posters of current physiotherapy research projects at the conference; including 10 from the PRESS project (Promoting Research and Engagement Skills for Students). The 10 students displaying their PRESS posters successfully received their bursaries to come and attend the conference. They were very enthusiastic and excited about seeing their posters in print for the first time. They also received mentorship from the PRS, as it’s quite a technical research skill to be able to share their knowledge in a poster format.”

Matthew Kelleher, a Third Year BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy student at the University of Winchester, who was one of the 10 students selected to display their PRESS poster, explained: “As part of my degree, I had to do a research project. One of my supervisors encouraged me to look towards the PRS PRESS to share my research, get some input and to meet others involved in physiotherapy research, as it is something I am really interested in.

“As part of the PRESS project, I was given some mentorship in producing the poster, which, as a student, is really valuable. My research was in ADHD adult experiences of physiotherapy and looking at how physiotherapy can be more inclusive to help support them.”

Involving AECC UC Students in the Conference
Caroline Coulthard said: “The students at AECC UC have been so willing to get involved and participate in the day and support the conference, as well as the members of staff at the university itself.

“It was great to have the AECC UC Vice Chancellor, Professor Lesley Haig, and AECC UC Head of Research, Dr Julie Northam, come and talk to everyone, and share the unique offerings of the AECC UC.”

AECC UC student Scott Batchelor delivered an oral presentation on the relationship between health literacy and pain, and AECC UC students Annabelle Maillot and Sophie Bushe and staff members Michelle Holmes and Katherine Chambers presented posters about their research.

Ali Aries said: “Thank you to AECC UC and a huge thank you to Caroline Belchamber for organising the conference, as well as to the PRS team who have worked very hard to pull everything together for the conference.”