Karen Saunders
About
I joined the Centre for Health Service Studies in September 2019 as a PhD candidate (part-time, 2020-2025) in Applied Health Research hosted by the University of Kent and funded by a scholarship grant from the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for Kent, Surrey and Sussex. I also work part-time as a Consultant Research Fellow within clinical research and independently as a neurological physiotherapist within my own company.
I am currently undertaking a PhD in 2 stages:
Stage 1: What resources are used by people living with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury in the community and how do these impact?
Stage 2: The feasibility of setting up and supporting a co-production process focused on the co-design of a resource deemed of value by and with people living with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury in the community.
Career/Background
I am a specialist neuro-physiotherapist, with advanced knowledge and expertise in the assessment and treatment of individuals, who have been diagnosed with neurological injury and/or disease, for example, stroke, traumatic brain injury and Multiple Sclerosis. I work independently as Director of my own company: Da Vinci in Motion Clinical, Educational and Research Neurological Physiotherapy Services. I qualified in 1998 and have acquired over 25 years clinical experience in acute, rehabilitation and community settings, within both the NHS and private sector.
In 2015, I was appointed Consultant Research Fellow for Neuro-rehabilitation at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) and in this role, I have worked as Co-Investigator on a diverse range of clinical and qualitative research projects for the Director of Service and Principal Investigator, Dr Mohamed Sakel. I have completed 6 clinical research trials over the past 8 years, which include assistive technologies to empower disabled people; using a robotic exoskeleton to support balance training and exploring the use of home-based neurofeedback training to reduce neuropathic pain.
I am registered and work as a Medico-legal expert witness for NRC experts and TMLEP.
Education
University of Oxford Certification of completion of MSc Postgraduate Course module on Qualitative Research Methods from 12/06/2017 to 04/08/2017.
University of Salford (1995-1998) BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy Degree
Links:
https://arc-kss.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/the-team/karen-saunders
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karen_Saunders9
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-saunders-2139b87a/
Research interests
My research interests include: traumatic brain injury, stroke, balance, service pathway improvement, leadership, co-production and co-design. The use of technology in neuro-rehabilitation, for example, balance training with an exoskeleton and virtual reality systems. Multi-disciplinary team assessment and treatment of spasticity using Botulinum toxin in neuro-rehabilitation. I have also presented 2 of my own individual clinical patient case studies as invited poster presentations at ISPRM Congress meetings in Paris (2017) and Buenos Aires, Argentina (2018). These were: The effective neuro-physiotherapy treatment of post-stroke spasticity and Neuro-physiotherapy focused on sensory stimulation for motor recovery post basal ganglia stroke, respectively.
I have expertise in feasibility, qualitative and mixed methodology research projects, both small and large scale projects, and have always been in either a multi-disciplinary team or trans-disciplinary team in terms of team structure. I have up to date Good Clinical Practice Certification and have undertaken Principal Investigator Essential Training (2020) and Practical Principal Investigator Masterclass training (2018). I achieved certification of completion of the MSc Postgraduate Course module on Qualitative Research Methods at the University of Oxford in June 2017 and have experience of qualitative research design, data analysis, interpretation and presentation.
Professional
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP, UK) registered
Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC, UK) registered
Research and Innovation Committee (EKHUFT) 2017- present
Kent Brain Injury Forum Charity Committee, 2019 - present
Awards
• Certificate Award for Research poster presentation at Levelling the Field conference - Championing Ethnic Diversity in the NHS (03/12/2021).
• Grant Award to enable attendance and presentation of qualitative research findings from a study of people living with spinal cord injury in Bangladesh, who experienced ‘long Covid’ symptoms during the pandemic, at the 60th International Spinal Cord Society Annual Scientific virtual conference from 29/09/2021 - 02/10/2021
Poster title: COVID-19 survivorship: A qualitative study of persistent symptoms or ‘long Covid’ experienced by people living with spinal cord injury in Bangladesh.
• Rising Star – Nomination with Certificate awarded in Research and Innovation Awards (EKHUFT) December 2020
• Outstanding Contribution during COVID – Nomination with Certificate awarded to the Cross Specialty Research Team in Research and Innovation Awards (EKHUFT) December 2020
• Highly Commended Team Award for ‘Exceptional Contribution’ with Certificate awarded to the Neuro-rehabilitation Clinical Research Team in Research and Innovation Awards (EKHUFT) December 2020
• Award for Scientific Seminar on Robotics at Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka from Major General Md Fashiur Rahman (Director General Medical Services, MOD, Bangladesh Armed Forces). December 2019.
• 2 Keynote Speaker Awards at 1st Neuro-Rehabilitation International Conference at BSSMU, Dhaka, Bangladesh for lectures on ‘What is Qualitative Research and what can we learn from it?’ and ‘Neuro-rehabilitation and relearning Balance.’ December 2019.
• ‘Supporting Others’ Runner Up Award from Research and Innovation (EKHUFT) April 2018.
• International Speaker and Panel Award for teaching 3-day course on ‘Comprehensive spasticity management’ at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), Dhaka, Bangladesh from Bangladesh Physiotherapy Association. September 2017.
• Invited Speaker Award from the Commandant of the Armed Forces Medical College in Dhaka, Bangladesh. December 2016.
• 2 Invited Speaker Awards from Bangladesh Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation conference. December 2016.
• Runner Up National Award for Clinical Leadership (Chief Health Professions Officer’s Award) in conjunction with NHS England for my innovation: Interactive Problem-Solving Workshop – Gloucestershire. April 2014
• In recognition of providing educational courses and teaching webinars in Bangladesh since 2015, I was appointed as an Honorary Professor in Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at Jashore University of Science and Technology in Bangladesh in April 2021.
• I am a Review Editor for the Rehabilitation in Neurological Conditions section of the Frontiers Open Science platform and publishing journal since January 2022, and regularly act as a peer reviewer for this journal.
• I am an appointed International Advisor to Kent Brain Injury Foundation charity organisation since October 2021, in recognition for providing teaching and online educational webinar presentations for students and professionals in Bangladesh.
• I am appointed Global Neuro-therapy Adviser for Sir William Beveridge Foundation Charity, 2015 - present.
Supervision