Alison Porter-Armstrong
alison porter armstrong

Dr Alison Porter-Armstrong DPhil, BSc (Hons) OT, MRCOT, HCPC Registered

Professor

Biography

Alison is Professor of Healthcare Technology Innovation and Assessment in the School of Health and Social Care at Edinburgh Napier University, and leads the Healthcare Technology Research Group. Alison is an occupational therapist whose research interests include: assistive technologies, seating and postural support, pressure care, and innovations in upper limb rehabilitation and stroke care. She has published widely in these areas authoring 200 peer reviewed publications, commissioned research reports, keynote addresses and conference presentations. As a Cochrane Fellow, she led the Cochrane Review team on the systematic review of education of healthcare professionals for the prevention of pressure ulcers. Her research programme has generated significant research grant income of approximately £8million, involving collaboration with a variety of prestigious organisations, including the University of California Los Angeles, The University of Pittsburgh, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Alison has won many awards for her work including First Placed lead academic for the Best Knowledge Transfer Partnerships in both Northern Ireland and subsequently in the United Kingdom competition; was a finalist in the Praxis Unico Impact Awards (Business Achieved Category) and is a recipient of the H21 Award for Services to the European Seating Symposium.

Alison is a Trustee and Treasurer of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP), immediate past Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee for the European Seating Symposium (ESS),and is an invited member of the International Society for Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP). Alison has been a review panel member for many prestigious funding bodies including the Department of Health, the Wellcome Trust, the CSO Scotland, and the Health Innovation Challenge Fund.

News

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Steering Board Member: TayHealthTech
  • Edinburgh Napier University Promotions Panel Member (SHSC)
  • Advisory Board Member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Research Foundation
  • Advisory Board Member: Institute of Public Health Ireland GALOP study
  • Member Judging Panel, The Irish Education Awards
  • Skin Wounds and Trauma Research Centre Research Network
  • Trustee, Member of Executive Board , & Treasurer, European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP)

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Conference Committee (Belfast)
  • Chair, Scientific Committee European Seating Symposium

 

Editorial Activity

  • Editorial Board Member: International Wound Care
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Tissue Viability
  • Editorial Board Member, Quality and Ageing
  • Editorial Board: British Journal of Occupational Therapy

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • Advancing Healthcare Award UK: NI Government award for partnering, leading, shaping to improve population health: runner up position
  • H21 Award for Services to the European Seating Symposium
  • Cochrane Fellowship Award
  • Lead Academic, First Placed Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), UK
  • Praxis Unico Impact Award: Business Achieved Finalist
  • Lillian Bradley Research Award NI Trauma and Rehabilitation Research Group (TRRG)
  • Lead Academic, First Placed Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) NI
  • 25K Innovation Competition Belfast: runner up position
  • Elizabeth Casson Travel Bursary
  • Hospital Savings Association Scholarship
  • Lord Byers Memorial Fund Award
  • NI Federation of Professional and Business Women's Travel Scholarship

 

Grant Reviewer

  • TayHealthTech: Grand Challenge Research Call
  • CSO Scotland: Fellowship
  • Health and Social Care R&D Office (NI) Fellowship

 

Invited Speaker

  • Exploring the use of robotics in rehabilitation: dementia case study
  • Writing for Publication
  • Technology Enabled Rehabilitation

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • Scottish Dementia Research Consortium
  • International Wheelchair Society (ISWP)
  • European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel
  • Member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists
  • Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered

 

Research Degree External Examining

  • London South Bank University : PhD thesis Stroke Care with an ethnic minority group in London
  • Royal College of Surgeons Ireland: PhD thesis Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Community Settings
  • Queen Margaret University: PhD thesis Dietetics and Technology
  • University of Southampton: PhD thesis Community Based Pressure Ulcer Prevention
  • Sligo Institute of Technology: PhD Thesis Mirror Therapy and Lower Limb Rehabilitation

 

Reviewing

  • UK Government Parliamentary Horizon Consultation: Healthcare Technology
  • Health Research Board Ireland: Pressure Ulcer Guidelines Ireland
  • NICE Clinical Guidelines Pressure Ulcers: Prevention and Management of Pressure Ulcers
  • NPUAP & EPUAP Clinical Practice Guideline for the Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers
  • Abstract reviewing: World Federation Occupational Therapists; European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel; European Seating Symposium
  • Manuscript review: British Journal of Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy Reviews; Journal of Tissue Viability; Clinical Rehabilitation; Assistive Technology

 

Visiting Positions

  • Hosted Fulbright Scholar: University of Massachusetts Amherst

 

Date


62 results

Balancing purity, pragmatism and partnership in occupational therapy clinical research: trials and tribulations of recruiting for a multisite stroke trial

Journal Article
Codd, Y., Porter-Armstrong, A., Turtle, B., McNally, Á., McArdle, M., Stinson, M., McIlwaine, P., Abbi, L., Morrow, F., Hughes, T., Maguire, A., & Stapleton, T. (2025)
Balancing purity, pragmatism and partnership in occupational therapy clinical research: trials and tribulations of recruiting for a multisite stroke trial. The Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy, 53(1), 41-50. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijot-11-2024-0045
Purpose The REfLECTS trial was a randomised controlled trial (RCT) testing effectiveness of mirror box therapy in upper limb rehabilitation among sub-acute stroke patients. RE...

The Acceptability of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Autistic Adults: A mixed-method study with autistic adults and clinicians.

Presentation / Conference Contribution
Kennedy, C., Bak-Klimek, A., O'Leary, L., & Porter-Armstrong, A. (2024, December)
The Acceptability of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Autistic Adults: A mixed-method study with autistic adults and clinicians. Presented at 21st Seattle Club Conference on Research in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, London

What is the current use, classification and role of robotics in occupational therapy research, practice and education? A protocol for a scoping review

Other
Ryan, C., Porter-Armstrong, A., Maclean, F., & Abady, G. (2024)
What is the current use, classification and role of robotics in occupational therapy research, practice and education? A protocol for a scoping review. Open Science Framework
Purpose: This scoping review aims to comprehensively identify, map and synthesise the current evidence on the use of robotics in occupational therapy research, practice, and e...

Does health literacy in respiratory patients impact on their rating of important topics for education in pulmonary rehabilitation?

Presentation / Conference Contribution
Roberts, N. J., McAlooney, K., Ring, N., Ray, E., Turnbull, L., Jelen, T., & Porter-Armstrong, A. (2024, May)
Does health literacy in respiratory patients impact on their rating of important topics for education in pulmonary rehabilitation?. Poster presented at 12th IPCRG World Conference, Athens, Greece

Application of immersive virtual reality mirror therapy for upper limb rehabilitation after stroke: a scoping review

Journal Article
Mirror therapy is a commonly used rehabilitation intervention in post stroke upper limb rehabilitation. Despite many potential technological developments, mirror therapy is ro...

Spatial Neglect: An Exploration of Clinical Assessment Behaviour in Stroke Rehabilitation

Journal Article
Fisher, G., Quel de Oliveira, C., Stubbs, P. W., Power, E., Checketts, M., Porter-Armstrong, A., & Kennedy, D. S. (2024)
Spatial Neglect: An Exploration of Clinical Assessment Behaviour in Stroke Rehabilitation. Clinical Rehabilitation, 38(5), 688-699. https://doi.org/10.1177/02692155241230270
Objective: There is a large gap between evidence-based recommendations for spatial neglect assessment and clinical practice in stroke rehabilitation. We aimed to describe fact...

What do pulmonary rehabilitation participants want their educational sessions to comprise of? Exploring a participant-centered approach to designing pulmonary rehabilitation education

Journal Article
Roberts, N. J., McAloney-Kocaman, K., Ring, N., Ray, E., Turnbull, L., Jelen, T., & Porter-Armstrong, A. (in press)
What do pulmonary rehabilitation participants want their educational sessions to comprise of? Exploring a participant-centered approach to designing pulmonary rehabilitation education. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,

The Acceptability Of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Autistic Adults. A scoping Review

Presentation / Conference Contribution
Kennedy, C., O'Leary, L., Porter-Armstrong, A., Allan, L., & Bak-Klimek, A. (2023, November)
The Acceptability Of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Autistic Adults. A scoping Review. Presented at Lothian Health and Care Professions Research Conference 2023, Edinburgh, UK

A scoping review exploring adoption of digital stress management resources for long-term health conditions – just useful for respiratory conditions?

Journal Article
Roberts, N., Gebreheat, G., MacLean, F., Connolly, F., Breen, C., & Porter-Armstrong, A. (2023)
A scoping review exploring adoption of digital stress management resources for long-term health conditions – just useful for respiratory conditions?. Thorax, 78(Suppl 4), Article A265. https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2023-btsabstracts.400

'I always say, not all programs are created equally'; a qualitative study exploring the educational experiences, learning needs and preferences of people attending Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Presentation / Conference Contribution
Roberts, N. J., Ray, E., Ring, N. J., Turnbull, L., Jelen, T., Macdonald, D., & Porter-Armstrong, A. (2023, September)
'I always say, not all programs are created equally'; a qualitative study exploring the educational experiences, learning needs and preferences of people attending Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Paper presented at Primary Care Respiratory Conference, Telford, UK

Current Post Grad projects

Non-Napier PhD or MSc by Research supervisions

  • Beverley Turtle.Mirror box therapy in upper limb rehabilitation with sub-acute stroke patients. PhD.
  • Joanne Marley.Using the Behaviour Change Wheel to develop Interventions to Increase Physical Activity in Adults with Persistent Pain and Improve the Promotion of Physical Activity by Healthcare Professionals. PhD.
  • Lorna Semple.Optimising pressure ulcer prevention: exploring applications and effectiveness of the SKIN bundle. PhD.
  • Katy Pedlow.Constraint Induced Movement Therapy for patients with acquired brain injury. PhD.
  • Rachel Ferguson.The impact of activities of daily living on seating interface pressure. PhD.
  • Jill Drysdale.The effectiveness of community living skills training in improving functional ability of children with moderate learning disabilities. MClinRes.
  • Daniel Harte.A randomised controlled trial to investigate the collaborative use of pressure and silicone in reducing hypertrophic scar formation after burns. MClinRes.
  • Clare Wright.Establishing best practice in paediatric seating and mobility assessment. MClinRes.
  • Catherine Adams.Sensor and imaging technologies in pressure ulceration: exploring use and application. PhD.
  • Mary McGrath. The efficacy of a home based memory rehabilitation programme for patients with mild alzheimers disease who are stable on acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. MPhil.
  • Shelley Crawford.The application of the FSA pressure mapping system in clinical settings. PhD.
  • Laura McKeown.Caregivers of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS): Intervention and needs during the caregiving experience. PhD.
  • May Stinson. An investigation into the efficacy of the Force Sensing Array pressure care mapping system as a method of assessing pressure sores. PhD.