Discuss your research aspirations with an experienced mentor in healthcare.
About
Dr Deborah Antcliff is an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner in a Multidisciplinary Pain Service (Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust) and an Honorary Senior Clinical Research Fellow at Keele University. Following her PhD (University of Manchester, 2014), she has continued a clinical academic role and is currently undertaking a NIHR Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award (2024-2028). Deborah’s research has centred on using activity pacing as a coping strategy for chronic pain. Her methodologies have included scale development and testing, complex intervention development and adaptation, feasibility and acceptability studies, consensus methods and systematic reviews. Her wider research interests include other chronic pain management strategies, accelerometry to measure physical activity, peer-mentorship for osteoarthritis, and pain management among older people with frailty. Deborah holds a Clinical Research Fellow role within her NHS Trust’s Centre for Clinical and care Research (CCR). In this role, she support nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to engage in research activities and develop clinical academic careers.
Full Name: Deborah Antcliff
Current Role: Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner/Clinical Research Fellow
Organisation: Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
Research Interest and/or Mentoring Expertise: Chronic pain, physiotherapy, musculoskeletal conditions, scale development, complex intervention development, systematic reviews, consensus methods
Academic Qualification: Post Doc
Email: deborah.antcliff@nca.nhs.uk
Research Experience and Background
I completed my PhD in 2014 (University of Manchester), entitled ‘The development of an activity pacing questionnaire for chronic pain and/or fatigue’. Since then, I have completed a number of post-doctoral research awards including a: HEE/NIHR ICA Clinical Lectureship, NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement award, NIHR School for Primary Care post-doctoral award and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Charitable Trust post-doctoral award. I am currently undertaking a NIHR Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award (2024-2028). I have been a co-investigator on other grants, including NIHR Research for Patient Benefit and NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research. This research activity has led to over 20 peer-reviewed publications and opportunities to present at national and international conferences. My primary field of interest is in chronic pain and its management. My wider research interests include accelerometry to measure physical/sedentary activity, peer-mentorship for osteoarthritis, and pain management among older people with frailty. My research methodologies have included scale development and testing, complex intervention development and adaptation, feasibility and acceptability studies, mixed methods research, consensus methods, surveys and systematic reviews.
Clinical Experience
After qualifying as a physiotherapist in 2002 (University of Manchester), I developed a specialism in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and chronic pain. I am currently an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner in a Multidisciplinary Pain Service (Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust), where I assess and treat patients with a range of complex chronic pain conditions.
What motivates you to become a mentor?
Since commencing my clinical-academic career, I have been mentored by many inspiring researchers and clinicians. I remain indebted to their generosity of sharing their expertise, knowledge and skills. Their mentorship facilitated my learning, successful awards and career progression. I am keen to offer mentorship to others with the aim of supporting their development in the way I was mentored. I also aim to build capacity for further research active clinicians within my NHS Trust and wider.