Dr. Sara Marion Dockrell

I am an Assistant Professor in the Discipline of Physiotherapy,School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin and a Chartered Physiotherapist. I am actively involved in curriculum development in a number of modules on the undergraduate course, most of which I am also the Module Leader. I developed Ergonomics courses for students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. I am actively involved in teaching and research in the area, and have supervised research projects of undergraduate and postgraduate students. I have been a member of the International Ergonomics Association technical group in Ergonomics for Children in Educational Environments (ECEE) and also on the technical group for Patient Handling Ergonomics. I am a member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics, and Chartered Physiotherapists in Paediatrics. I have previous experience of producing best practice guidance in healthcare and for the general public. An active editorial board member, peer-reviewer and member of school and faculty research ethics committees, I have published widely in clinical, education, and ergonomics peer-reviewed journals and written reports that have influenced policy. As an expert invited to an Oireachtas committee meeting, I dissuaded the members from drafting legislation on maximal permissible schoolbag weight limits.

  Children, health and disability   Ergonomics in Schools   Low Back Pain   Moving and Handling of Patients   Physiotherapy

. The key direction of my research is the investigation and application of ergonomics to promote physical health and well-being in both children and student populations in education, and adults in the workplace. My research outputs have been collaborative and have frequently been used to influence national population musculoskeletal health guidance and policy. I have consistently published my research in international peer-reviewed medical and ergonomics journals over many years. . I have researched extensively on the global problem of schoolbag carriage, and my innovative research for my PhD (2016) has impacted our understanding of schoolbag-related musculoskeletal discomfort in school children. My expertise on schoolbag issues is recognised internationally, evidenced by a significant increase in requests to be a peer reviewer for top journals on this subject area. . My research has impacted on national policy. At an invited meeting at the Oireachtas (2017) to review schoolbag load limit guidelines, I persuaded the members of the Joint Committee of Children and Youth Affairs to refrain from drafting legislation on maximal permissible schoolbag weight limits, as my research has shown that specific load limit cut-off points could not be identified. https://www.oireachtas.ie/ga/debates/debate/joint_committee_on_children_and_youth_affairs/2017-01-25/3/ . Arising out of my research, I have produced guidelines for the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists website on (i) school bag carriage and (ii) working at a computer. . I was TCD PI in an EU-funded project (€1.3m) on school furniture (TFE) from 2010-2014. This collaborative study included researchers and manufacturers from Ireland, Germany, Portugal and US. Final summary report: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/251330/reporting . As lead PI of the Ergonomics in Schools Research Group, we were first to investigate computer-related ergonomics issues in schools in Ireland. Our research findings, based on a national survey of teachers, subsequently influenced the guidance literature produced by the National Centre for Technology in Education. . I initiated research collaborations on patient moving and handling, with St. Vincent's Hospital Dublin which culminated in publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Availability and use of patient handling sliding devices, International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 13, 6 (2006), [Gallagher, P. Flynn, C. and Dockrell, S.] . My research on bariatric patient handling is the first to be undertaken in Ireland. This topic is important, given the increased prevalence of obesity, and the effects of this on the musculoskeletal health of health care workers. This work has potential to impact on patient handling policies to facilitate the safe handling of overweight and bariatric patients. . I am supervisor for a PhD candidate investigating the effects of exercise on Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). This is the first known study to explore the effects of post-operative physiotherapy-led exercises for AIS. The impact of the findings of the study are expected to be of national and international interest and alter the post-operative clinical care pathway of this patient population. . I am Co-PI for a National Children's Research Centre-funded PhD project (commence September 2020). This is the first time that a NCRC Clinical Fellowship Award has been awarded to a physiotherapist. This innovative collaborative study is being undertaken by physiotherapy researchers in Ireland and the UK, and a consultant rheumatologist. . All of the above show the consistent direction of my research originating from my clinical career.