University of Salford Manchester

School of Health Sciences

The School of Health Sciences is a highly multidisciplinary environment with staff and research students drawn from the health professions and related disciplines. This includes the professions of radiography, physiotherapy, podiatry, sports rehabilitation, prosthetics and orthotics, and occupational therapy, and the disciplines of psychology, public health, engineering, sport and computing science.

The School enjoys world class research facilities including on site clinical facilities, three human movement and biomechanics laboratories, and a clinical imaging suite. There are extensive collaborations within academic and clinical networks across the globe. The School currently boasts over £4 million of research funding and over 50 postgraduate students studying to PhD or Masters by research. Academic staff lead on a host of international collaborations and enjoy partnerships with many health care organisations, sports clubs, private industry partners, charities and user organisations.

The School will be funding three Graduate Teaching Studentships this year.

Research topics

Applicants need to identify the topic area they wish to apply for. They must choose only one area. Applicants must provide evidence of their existing knowledge and experience in the chosen topic area in their Case for Support (no more than 2 sides of A4, in addition to a CV).

Improving compression experience in mammography
Supervisors: Professor Peter Hogg and Dr Leslie Robinson
Measurement of performance in the workplace
Supervisors: Prof Lindsey Dugdill and Prof Alison Hammond

Eligible candidates

UK/EU candidates only
Candidates must have a first or upper second class honours degree in an area related to the proposed research.

For topic 1 this includes areas such as Physiotherapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Podiatry, Sports Science and Bioengineering, where there is a strong lower limb biomechanics and gait component. Some experience of instrumented gait analysis, footwear or orthotics would be useful but is not essential.

For topic 2, this includes areas such as radiography, physics, engineering or psychology.

For topic 3, this includes areas such as Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Exercise & Health, Public Health, Occupational Health, Sports Science here there is a strong work place health and health & wellbeing focus.

In all cases a master’s degree or equivalent qualification or research skills and experience is preferred but not essential. CRB clearance will be required for all work involving patients.

GTS Administrator and contact for academic enquiries/further details of research topics

Rachel Shuttleworth

Teaching areas

For research topic 1: Lower limb gait and biomechanics, Footwear and Orthotics
For research topic 2: This would depend upon the background of the successful candidate
For research topic 3: Workplace Health, Health & Wellbeing, and Public Health

Detailed description of topics

Research Topic 1: Footwear and orthotics to change gait and improve lower limb blood circulation:

Summary: A 3 year programme of research will be undertaken to research and innovate footwear and orthotics that can alter calf muscle activity in cases of intermittent claudication and poor venous return.

Background: Limitation of walking distance is a major handicap in patients with arterial and or venous diseases of the lower limbs. Peripheral arterial disease affects 5 – 12% of people aged 55–70 years and 20% over 70 years. Intermittent Claudication due to arterial disease is initially managed by lifestyle changes, medication and exercise therapy; and patients with severe limitation of walking are treated with radiological and or surgical intervention. However, there are a group of patients who do not achieve normal walking in spite of maximal treatment. A device or devices that can improve walking can help in all stages of treatment of intermittent claudication.

Chronic venous insufficiency of the lower limbs, which affects 9% of men and 7% of women, can lead to leg ulcers that can be difficult to heal. In these patients ankle joint function is restricted due to pain and hardening of skin and tissues (lipodermatosclerosis) in the leg area. Restriction of ankle joint movement reduces the efficiency of the ‘calf muscle pump’, causing reduction of venous return and worsening of chronic venous insufficiency. Any device that improves the ‘calf muscle pump’ will help in the treatment of these patients.

Peripheral arterial disease and chronic venous insufficiency cause significant burden on the NHS. It also affects the mental and social well being of the patients and their families. Hence, any addition to the available set of treatment methods will improve quality of life enormously.

It is proposed that by studying the biomechanics of walking in patients with lower limb circulatory diseases footwear and orthotic devices that improve walking can be developed. This builds on existing expertise at the University of Salford in foot and gait biomechanics, footwear and orthotic research and innovation.

The project would be part of the School of Health Sciences Foot and Ankle Research Programme led by Professor Chris Nester. This project is jointly funded by the University of Salford and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust. The successful candidate will be based at the University and supervised by a team comprising academic and clinical staff (Mr Mohideen Jameel, Consultant Vascular Surgeon and Mr Peter Boyd, Senior Vascular Physiotherapist)

Work will include:

Review of the literature to establish the clinical populations whose foot/lower limb health status is affected by vascular disease, identify the clinical profile for typical patients, understand the biomechanics of gait in these cases, and understand the current medical and rehabilitation interventions.
Proof of concept studies of innovative footwear and orthotic concepts, moving towards optimum designs based on biomechanical and clinical outcomes. Clinical studies to understand the clinical criteria for suitable patients and real world effects within health services

Research Topic 2: Improving compression experience in mammography:

Summary: A 3 year programme of research will be undertaken to research and innovative compression paddle and image receptor design.

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cause of death from cancer in England for women and mammography plays a critical role in its detection. Mammography is used to investigate those suspected of having breast cancer (symptomatic) and those who are invited for routine imaging within the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme.

Mammography’s clinical efficacy is dependent on the production of high quality images and many factors contribute to this, one example is the application of adequate breast compression. Compression is applied to reduce breast thickness. Thickness reduction minimises radiation burden, lessens superimposition of breast structures and decreases geometric and motion unsharpness. Overall, thickness reduction is said to improve image quality thereby heightening the chance of detecting cancer. The mammography technique requires 4 images to be taken (2 of each breast) and for each the breast is compressed between a compression paddle and an image receptor.

Breast compression can be painful and this can lead to some women fearing the procedure or not attending the examination. Non attendance leads to cancers being missed. Compression paddle and image receptor designs have not changed significantly since being patented in 1986. Most are angular, hard and flat. Since 1986 much research has been conducted into women’s experiences of compression but little to none has been devoted to paddle and image receptor design and women’s experiences in relation to design innovations. Over the past two years we have conducted research into paddle characteristics and hard measures of the breast / paddle and breast / receptor interface. We have now reached the stage where we can develop and test innovative paddle designs.

The research comprises of 3 phases:

Proposing and then creating image receptor and paddle designs which intend distribute pressure more evenly across a female breast
Proof of concept testing in a laboratory using physical representations of female breasts
Clinical testing on females to determine user experiences

The project would be part of the School of Health Sciences Diagnostic Imaging Research Programme, led by Professor Peter Hogg. The successful candidate will be based at the University and be supervised by Professor Hogg and Dr Leslie Robinson; clinical support will be available from a consultant radiologist (medical doctor) and consultant radiographer.

Research Topic 3: Measurement of performance in the workplace

Summary: A 3 year programme of research will be undertaken to research areas related to workplace health / occupational health.

Background: Workplace health and wellbeing is rapidly becoming an issue that employers can no longer afford to disregard. The overall costs of working-age ill health in the UK exceed £100 billion every year. An unhealthy workforce results in increased absenteeism and unsatisfactory job performance, resulting in costly financial implications for employers (NICE, 2009). Work is an essential part of normal function for many people and central to the way we think of ourselves. 60% of employees waking hours are spent in work. Evidence suggests productive work, where an individual is happy, healthy, valued and involved with work related decision-making, can be beneficial for the employer and also improve the employee’s overall wellbeing (Coats & Lehki, 2008). In addition, due to the present global economic and socio demographic factors, people need to remain healthy enough to continue to work in older age – currently less than half of 55-64 year olds in the EU 27 are working and more than half of older workers leave work before the retirement age (Ilmarinen, 2012).

Musculoskeletal (MSD) and mental health conditions are the two leading causes of sickness absence within the UK. Stress is a major contributor to workplace ill health. Estimates show stress deprives the British economy of £3.7 billion per year (HSE, 2005). One in six workers experience depression, anxiety or unmanageable stress at any one time. Apparently most senior managers vastly underestimate the impact stress can have upon their colleagues and most think it will never affect their workplaces (Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, 2007). Each person with a MSD took an estimated 17.2 days off sick and an estimated 9.3 million working days were lost in 2008/09 through MSDs caused or made worse by work (HSE, 2009). In addition to employees who are off work due to ill health a further factor affecting businesses is presenteeism. This is defined as a reduced performance and productivity due to health and is thought to be more harmful to an organisation than absenteeism. Presenteeism is estimated to cost two to three times more than costs incurred as a result of illness (Hemp, 2004). Further studies estimate presenteeism cost employers between two to seven times more than absenteeism (Main, Glozier, & Wright, 2005).

It is proposed that by studying the factors that influence health and work that this will improve our understanding and therefore management of these factors, thereby having a positive impact on interventions and outcomes. An essential requirement of this work is to be able to effectively measure workplace demands and impact of interventions. This builds on existing expertise at the University of Salford in workplace health and public health.

The project would be part of the School of Health Sciences Health & Work Research Programme led by Professor Lindsey Dugdill and will be co-supervised by Christine Parker. This project is funded by the University of Salford. The successful candidate will be based at the University and supervised by a team comprising academic staff working in research and across the university’s commercial provision, ‘Wellness Works’.