Professor Fiona Wilson

I have over 30 years of clinical and research experience Sports and Exercise Medicine; my research answers clinically relevant questions and has influenced practice in coaching and sports medicine. I aim to understand athletes' pain and injury, to support their performance, welfare and safety in the short term, and their health and wellbeing through their life trajectory. I do this by exploring injury prevention, early recognition and optimal management strategies (injury treatment). My research focus is the role of sport and exercise on low back pain (LBP) and on brain health. I explore: i) epidemiology to identify injury risk factors, and ii) biomechanics to explain mechanisms associated with risk. ii) Knowledge translation (through evidence synthesis) for end users (clinicians, athletes and sport support staff). I explore and apply exercise medicine principles in the management of chronic disease and pain across populations, beyond athletes. My particular focus is on management of arthritis and low back pain using exercise and activity approaches. I used a shared decision making methodology to empower people to self-manage long term conditions with exercise and activity, which is appropriate and meaningful to their lifestyle. I have an interest in knowledge translation; ensuring that research I publish is clinically meaningful, and I create outputs to support clinicians. I had a long clinical career culminating in senior hospital appointments and as lead physiotherapist for Rowing Ireland for 10 years. I still treat patients to ensure that my research outputs are relevant. I am a member of the Sports Medicine Commission of World Rowing where I advise on policy for injury management and research strategy. I am a Deputy Editor of the BJSM; the highest ranking sports and exercise medicine journal globally. I am also Deputy Editor of the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, leading their Injury Prevention subsection. I am on the editorial board of the Journal of Sport Sciences and the German Journal of Sports Medicine.

  ARTHRITIS   ATHLETE   athlete brain health   Concussion   Exercise Medicine   junior soccer injury epidemiology   LOW BACK PAIN   lumbar spine injury and low back pain   ROWING   rowing injury epidemiology   rugby

My research interests falls under three key themes: 1. Athlete low back pain I have published widely in this area since my original research in 1995. My focus has been on rowing related low back pain and has expanded to inform all sports. From 2018-2021, I led an international collaboration of global experts to create a consensus statement on rowing related back pain. This was underpinned by five supporting studies which were all published in the BJSM. It is represented on the World Rowing website and an infographic summarising recommendations is in rowing clubs across the world. My current focus is developing my research with a specific focus on exploring the experience of female and junior athletes . I am building on the outputs of our international consortium and I am leading them to define our strategy with an aim to develop statements for other sports. I have an ongoing junior athlete programme in collaboration with Boston Children's Hospital/ Micheli Sports Medicine Center and a female athlete programme with Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard and Rowing Ireland. 2. Rugby health and wellbeing My focus to date has been on aspects of injury including hip health and tendinopathies and I have published in these areas in collaboration with Leinster Rugby and the IRFU. I have an ongoing study of concussion biomarkers and am leading a longitudinal programme of retired athlete brain health in collaboration with Rugby Players Ireland. My focus on the women's' game explores preparation and safety components and have ongoing studies exploring kicking and tackling in women's' rugby. These have been supported through engagement with World Rugby as part of their women's' research panels. Development of the longitudinal retired athlete programme is exploring cardiovascular risk factors for dementia . The concussion biomarkers programme is ongoing. I have worked with Brain Health Scotland and the GBHI to create information resources (webinars and MOOCS) to educate athletes on brain health. 3. Arthritis I have an ongoing research programme exploring the role of exercise and activity in managing symptoms and improving health and wellbeing in inflammatory arthritis. I have completed a number of studies exploring barriers to exercise and optimal modes of exercise and activity programmes for different subgroups of arthritis. These publications have influenced current practice and I have engaged in knowledge translation using platforms such as podcasts and webinars to support this with organisations such as Parkrun and Arthritis Ireland. A current focus is on the experience of women with Axial Spondyloarthritis; exploring pregnancy experience and barriers to employment. My recent focus is working with public health policy to design large scale social prescription; specifically with Parkrun. Within arthritis my focus will be on the disease experience in women and I have ongoing studies in this area. This includes an international collaboration exploring the impact of resistance exercise on disease biomarkers in women. * Across all themes, I have a particular focus on the experience of women which is supported by strong international research collaborations with institutions including the Female Athlete Program (Wu Tsai Foundation at Harvard) and Manchester Metropolitan University.