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.