Dr. Emer Barrett

Dr Emer Barrett holds a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy from Kings College London and a PhD from Trinity College Dublin which was awarded in 2015 and investigated the role of physical activity promotion in primary care.

  Health Promotion   MEDICAL EDUCATION   PHYSICAL ACTIVITY   Population Health

Dr Barrett has two main areas of research. The first centers on the role of physical activity to promote and maintain public health. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that physical activity promotes health and wellbeing and prevents a wide range of chronic diseases. Her research centers on how best to design and implement interventions that can positively influence physical activity behaviours. Building on work completed as part of her PhD, which examined individual and environmental determinants of physical activity and investigated the role of physical activity promotion in primary care, Dr Barrett is currently working on projects designed to target physical activity at a settings level. These include the integration of physical activity as part of self management programmes for people with chronic disease and interventions designed to promote physical activity in school, university and community settings, critical environments for the development of positive healthy behaviours. Her second area of research reflects her dual academic appointment; with half of her post dedicated to the delivery of the practice education component of the BSc in Physiotherapy, including responsibility for leading the research programme in this area. The overarching aim of her practice education research centers on creating the most positive learning environments for students on practice placements. As practice education accounts for one third of the degree programme, optimising the student experience and ensuring the quality of placement experience is paramount to creating successful competent graduates. Her current research centers on collaborative supervision models as a means of promoting peer learning and support and on performance-based assessment during practice placements. She is a member of the national research group currently reviewing the physiotherapy performance-based assessment tool.