Shea Palmer, PhD, BSc(Hons), MCSP, FHEA

Shea Palmer is Professor of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation at the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE). He trained as a physiotherapist at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and worked clinically before undertaking his PhD and entering academia. He was appointed Head of Physiotherapy at Queen Margaret University in 2003. He joined UWE in 2005 as Principal Lecturer and was later appointed Associate Professor and Associate Head of Department (Research & Knowledge Exchange). He was appointed as Professor of Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation in 2012.

Shea has an interest in the assessment and management of a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, with a specialist interest in joint hypermobility. His hypermobility research has used a range of methodological approaches to better understand and manage the condition. This has included epidemiology, focus groups, interviews, laboratory investigations, questionnaire studies, surveys, systematic reviews and clinical intervention studies. He has led the design and evaluation of a complex physiotherapy intervention for adults with the condition. His research has been funded by Arthritis Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research, among others. Shea currently co-leads the Musculoskeletal Research Theme within the Centre for Health & Clinical Research at UWE. He serves on the Review Panel for Clinical Lecturer and Senior Clinical Lecturer awards for the Higher Education England/ National Institute for Health Research Integrated Clinical Academic Programme.