Two NIHR funded Internships with the Carnegie School of Sport, and School of Health, Leeds Beckett University

Funding will consist of Internship payments of £17.77 per hour for approximately 30 hours per week, for an eight week period during June and July 2024
Up to £1000 available per intern for travel and accommodation costs.
Up to £200 available per intern towards research training

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposals with the Intern Supervisory team: Dr David Lunn, and Dr Chris Brogden.

Internship 1: Measuring the effectiveness of the controlled ankle motion (CAM) boot as a treatment for Achilles tendon rupture.

In the last 30 years there has been a ten-fold increase in the incidence of Achilles tendon rupture, which has been attributed to a rise in sports participation (Lantto et al., 2015). This injury can be managed through surgical or conservative treatment, with varying success rates (Kangas et al., 2007; Zhang et al., 2015). Irrespective of the mode of treatment, a controlled ankle motion boot is frequently prescribed to maintain a plantar flexed position, which aids in the healing of the tendon. Despite its widespread use, patients often exhibit functional deficits following recovery, particularly in plantar flexion function (Walker et al., 2020).

Whilst the recovery of the tendon has been the subject of research, there is a lack of evidence regarding the mechanisms by which controlled ankle motion boots facilitate the healing process. Given the range of these boots available to healthcare providers, each with different healing mechanisms (such as fixed position versus dynamic loading), it is important to develop an understanding of the mechanisms by which these boots facilitate the healing of the tendon.

This NIHR Internship offers the opportunity for important and original research, working at the interface of industry and healthcare working with academics, and clinicians.

Internship 2: From the laboratory to the clinic: Validation of clinical strength tools against gold standard laboratory measures.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a common injury, requiring long rehabilitation periods, have high reinjury rates, with increased risk of sustaining osteoarthritis. Most patients who sustain an ACL injury wish to return to sporting activity, thus surgical reconstruction (ACLR) and a period of intense rehabilitation is often adopted. ACLR rehabilitation focuses on restoring diminished levels of patient strength, neuromuscular function, and functional performance, all of which should be appropriately restored if the patient is to return to their previous activity level. Consequently, monitoring the progress of rehabilitation is vital if optimum care is to be provided and reinjury risk minimised.

A wide variety of tools, assessments, and outcome measures are available for clinicians to utilise, some of which are laboratory based, comprehensive, and expensive, whilst others are more clinically accessible, less complex, and cheaper options. However, if clinicians are to confidently implement relatively less complex and inexpensive assessments in practice, reliability, validity, diagnostic accuracy, and minimum clinically important differences compared to gold standard measures are required.

This NIHR Internship offers the opportunity for important and original research, working with academics, and NHS physiotherapists exploring the sensitivity, validity, and application of clinic-based measurement tools during rehabilitation tasks.

To apply, you must be a current Level 5 or Level 6 student on an Allied Health Professional UK based undergraduate programme.

As part of your application, please provide a Statement of Research Interest, and CV using the document link below.

The Statement of Research Interest must be a maximum of 400 words, with further guidelines regarding content to include provided in the document link.

Download the Statement of Research Interest.

The Statement of Research Interest, and CV are an integral part of the application process. 

We can only consider complete applications from current Level 5 or Level 6 Allied Health Professional undergraduate students.

The NIHR Internship application is complete once you have emailed the following documents to Dr David Lunn and Dr Chris Brogden

1. Your Statement of Research Interest and CV. 
2. Evidence of enrolment on a current UK based Allied Health Professional Undergraduate programme at Level 5 or Level 6 of study.
3. Copy of your passport.

Email the documents above to Dr David Lunn and Dr Chris Brogden