Autumn 2016
INSIDE SPORT AND EXERCISE SCIENCES Welcome to the new Academic Term
Contents
Welcome to all new and returning students. We
SCHOOL UPDATES Doctorates/Degrees/Awards
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hope you enjoyed your
New Facilities
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summer break and feel
Strong League Table Position
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ready for the start of the
Staff Changes
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new academic year.
SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS Rio2016 Olympics/Paralympics
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This edition brings you all
Other Winners
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the School’s updates and
STAFF/STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
latest news.
Outreach Activities
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International Partnership
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Student Success (EDI) Project
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RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT 11
The UK’s European university
New Publications/Articles
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Upcoming Conferences/Dates
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ALUMNI NEWS
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SCHOOL UPDATES Doctorates/Degrees/Awards
Inside Story Headline Inside Story Headline
Doctor of Philosophy Sport and Exercise Science and Sports Therapy Luca Angius: Thesis title: The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on exercise performance. Supervisors were Dr James Hopker & Dr Lex Mauger. (Due to gradate at November 2016 Congregations). Alister McCormick: Thesis title: Psychologically-Informed Methods of Enhancing Endurance Performance. Supervisors were Dr Carla Meijen and Professor Samuele Marcora. (Due to gradate at November 2016 Congregations). Sarah Coakley: Thesis title: Individualised Methods of Prescribing Exercise in Cycling. (Graduated at July 2016 congregations).
Honours Degrees The alumni community
Congratulations to all our students who graduated at the July Congregation As a Kent graduate you become part of our global alumni community, with more than 150,000 members in 200 countries worldwide. Membership of the alumni community is free,
at Rochester Cathedral. Total number of students who graduated this year was as follows:
POS SPORTEXHEALTH:BSC
Graduates 9
automatic and inclusive: once you leave Kent we will stay in touch with
SPORTEXMAN:BA
9
2 First Class 4 Upper Second
SPORTEXSCI:BSC
26
7 First Class 9 Upper Second
SPORTSCI:BSC SPORTSTHERAPY:BSC
2 41
you and you will always be welcome on campus or at one of our many events around the world.
Staying in touch Register for our online alumni community, keep your contact details
Honours Awarded 1 First Class 3 Upper Second
TOTAL
87
20 First Class 16 Upper Second 30 First Class 32 Upper Second
up to date and keep up with the latest news from Kent! You will receive our monthly alumni e-newsletter and – as long as we have a postal address for you – KENT magazine twice a year. Follow us on Twitter, or like our Facebook page to connect with fellow alumni.
www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
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SSES Prize Winners
Jade Henderson
Francesca Waters
Jade Henderson
SSES Prize Final Year Prize in 2015.
Francesca Waters
Faculty of Sciences Rotary Prize in recognition of distinguished performance in the Stage 3 examinations. Human Kinetics Prize for highest scoring Dissertation on the BSc (Hons) Sport and Science programme.
Ellanor Thurston
Faculty of Sciences Rotary Prize in recognition of distinguished performance in the Stage 3 examinations
Andrew Goldsmith
Faculty of Sciences Dean’s Prize in recognition of outstanding performance in the Stage 3 examinations. Human Kinetics Prize for Highest Scoring Dissertation on the BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy programme.
Edward Frost
Human Kinetics Prize for Highest Scoring Dissertation on the BA (Hons) Sport and Exercise Management programme.
Chanel Hemmings
Human Kinetics Prize for Highest Scoring Dissertation on the BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise for Health programme. www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
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New Facilities We are excited to let you know that this Autumn we have opened our new Environmental Chamber at Medway Park. The specialised equipment for the analysis of the body's response to endurance exercise has already been used by the Honda Racing Corporation, who have spent three days of exhaustive physical and mental endurance tests in the School’s prestigious medical facilities, including Sports Therapy Clinic, Rehab Gym and Sports Science laboratories at Medway Park Regional Sporting Centre of Excellence. The state-of-the-art Biomechanics and Psychobiology laboratories, with a specialised motion capture system will be opening shortly in the Medway Building. There is still some work to be completed before it can be used. These new facilities have been delivered as part of a £250,000 University investment into facilities within the School.
Strong League Table Position Sports Science at Kent was ranked 13th in The Complete University Guide 2017. For graduate prospects, Sports Science at Kent was ranked 8th in The Guardian University Guide 2017. Sports Science students who graduated from Kent in 2015 were the most successful in the UK at finding work or further study opportunities (DLHE).
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Staff Changes
Dr Sakis Pappous, New Interim Head of School Welcome letter to all new students
There have been a number of major changes to our Academic Staff and roles o o o
Professor Louis Passfield has stepped down from Head of School and is now on sabbatical leave Dr Sakis Pappous is now Interim Head of School / Reader Dr Mark Burnley is Acting Director of Research
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Dr Kyra De Coninck is Chief Examiner
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Dr John Dickinson is Student/Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) Chair
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Dr James Hopker is Acting Director of Graduate Studies (Research)
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Sadie Jones is on maternity leave
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Dr Niki Koutrou is Programme Director for Management
o o o
Profession Samuele Marcora is on sabbatical leave Karthik Muthumayandi is Programme Director for Sports Therapy Dr Carla Meijen is our Senior Tutor and Disciplinary Officer
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Dr Samantha Winter is the Director of Education
Welcome to our two new members of staff: o Hugh Thomson, Sessional Lecturer o Emma Mundy, Sports Technician and two farewells: o Olivia Corke, Marketing Officer o Laura McPherson, Sports Therapy Technician/Lecturer www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
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SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS
The summer has brought international success to Team GB in the Olympics and Paralympics. More importantly it has also brought tremendous worldwide recognition to the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences with high demand for our expertise, opinions and participation in all forms of media coverage. The work our academics have been involved with has made such a positive difference to supporting athletes competing at these games and other international sporting events. Here are some of our highlights:
Sports Doping – winning at any cost – BBC Horizon Dr Lex Mauger featured on BBC 2’s Horizon on Tuesday 19 July talking about sports doping and winning at any cost. Dr Mauger’s research looked at the role of exercise-induced pain on fatigue and pacing, and the use of self-pacing in testing for maximal oxygen uptake and exercise performance. Prior to the Rio Olympics, BBC presenter, Dr Xand van Tulleken investigated the world of performance enhancing drugs and which are currently undetectable. Dr Tulleken used the Medway sports laboratory to look at the legal ways some athletes try to gain the edge. View Article Dr Sakis Pappous, Interim Head of School, worked in Brazil to produce an important guide for journalists at the Paralympics this summer. The guidelines are aimed at ensuring focus on the person rather than the disability and provide the opportunity to promote positive perceptions of disability and sports internationally. Dr Pappous used knowledge gained from London 2012 to guide media coverage of Paralympic Games to change societal perceptions about disability. View Article Download PDF (4.6 MB)
www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
8 Dr John Dickinson, spoke about the support provided by the Respiratory Clinic to the GB Swimmers over the past 4 years in the build up to the Olympic Games. Over this time we worked with swimmers to optimise total airway health. This involved investigating upper and lower airway function and screening the team for asthma related issues. Supported athletes competing at the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. From Olympic Team GB squad the Respiratory Clinic tested 26 % of athletes involved with Gold Medals, 35% Silver and 18% Bronze Respiratory Clinic has screened several Professional Football teams for asthma over the past 12 months including: Arsenal FC, Hull FC, Brentford FC and Gillingham FC. We have also worked with individual players from Liverpool FC and Everton FC. All the work carried out by the Respiratory Clinic is support by PhD and MSc students who gain valuable work experience with elite athletes, coaches and medical staff. Conference website
View Article
Explains TUEs and asthma Dr John Dickinson has provided numerous comments and insights concerning Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) and asthma on respiratory problems in athletes. He has been explaining why so many elite athletes have asthma following the leak of selected athletes’ medical records by Russian cyber hacking group the Fancy Bears. To date, he has provided comment and insight for The Guardian, including Sean Ingle’s article What is a TUE? 11 key questions on the Fancy Bears Wada leaks , The Times, The Irish Times, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Sun, BBC Sportsweek, BBC Radio 5 Live, Sky News and Newsnight , amongst others. View Video View Article
Luke Debono Another great overall victory for Sport Sciences student and body builder Luke Debono. Luke won overall winner in the 2016 Ben Weider Legacy Cup. A compilation of Malta's Luke Debono winning the overall 100kg class, posing routine and as well his overall victory. Luke has also just won gold in 100+ kg category overall title at the 2016 Arnold Classic Europe in Barcelona. View Video
www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
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STAFF/STUDENT ENGAGEMENT COPD & Singing Project (Lambeth & Southwark) Final spirometry and functional capacity testing in this project was completed over the summer. Anna Jackson (PhD student) and Roisin Sullivan (SSES undergraduate alumni) assisted Dr John Dickinson and Dr Steve Meadows with data collection in Surrey Quays, Dulwich and Streatham. This is a collaborative project with Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) and the preliminary results will be presented to the St Thomas’ Charity (project sponsors) at a singing event in London on 21st November 2016. Dr Dickinson & Dr Meadows are also named on a COPD & Singing project planned to be run in Medway in 2017 in collaboration with CCCU and Medway Community Healthcare. This will involve the testing of a large number of COPD patients, so if the grant application gets approval we will need to recruit some research assistants to assist with this work. Speak to either John or Steve if you are interested in being involved in this project. Exercise & Parkinson’s Disease Exercise can be used as medicine in the management of chronic debilitative disease conditions, like Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Research has shown that it can slow down the rate of disease progression, but also promote health and well-being. The new weekly evening exercise sessions at St. Mary’s Island Community Centre in Chatham (ME4 3EP) are designed to provide an appropriate exercise stimulus for people with PD. The session lasts 1 hour (1830 - 1930) and contains elements of musculo-skeletal strength, flexibility, agility, balance, co-ordination (synchronisation of limb movements) and cognitive stimulation. The session is being run by Dr Steve Meadows and Roisin Sullivan (SSES alumni) with the assistance of 3rd year undergraduate students on the Sport Science programme (Brad Allen, Dan Dunne, Mark Johnson Brogan Lintott, Ollie Miller, Shanice Small, Matt Tapley, Erika Tituana and Sam Wood) and Sport, Exercise and Health programme (Victoria Hunt). Ian Abercrombie (3rd year Sports Therapy) is undertaking an evaluation of the health and fitness testing data. This is a new venture for SSES working with Parkinson’s UK and the local Parkinson’s working age support group and will hopefully lead to more formal research opportunities in the future. Funding for the exercise class project is being provided by Parkinson’s Equip. If there are any other students who are interested in getting some clinical exercise instructor experience with Parkinson’s sufferers please contact Dr Steve Meadows (s.meadows@kent.ac.uk). Medway Park Stroke Rehabilitation Session This exercise class for stroke patients has now been running for 1 year. A referral pathway was set-up in 2015 with Medway Community Healthcare Stroke Rehabilitation Team, whereby they could refer their patients for continued exercise rehabilitation under the supervision of a qualified stroke rehabilitation instructor (Roisin Sullivan, SSES alumni). The session runs on a Thursday afternoon in the Fitness Zone at Medway Park between 1600 – 1730 hours and has seen over 300 patient attendances in the sessions over the last 12 months. Participants receive an initial evaluation of health and functional capacity parameters which are repeated after 10 sessions. There are 5 SSES students providing instructor support during the weekly exercise sessions from the BSc (Hons) Sport Science (Sam Lovage), Sport & Exercise for Health (Victoria Hunt, Bradley Storey, Olyvia Geohagen) and Sports Therapy (Efe Walker). Students also assist with the evaluations and data collection on participants and are completing their final year dissertation projects in this clinical exercise session, as well as honing their practical skills. Roisin did a poster presentation of results from the stroke rehabilitation exercise sessions at the 2016 BACPR Exercise Professionals Study Day at Aston University, Birmingham. If there are any other students who are interested in getting some clinical exercise instructor experience in stroke rehabilitation please contact Roisin Sullivan (rs494@kentforlife.net ). www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
10 Medway Exercise Referral Scheme Phil Carr visited the Medway Campus on Tuesday 11th October to talk to students studying the thirdyear module SS523 Exercise Prescription, Referral & Rehabilitation. Phil can offer students work experience in Medway Council gym facilities, working with a range of populations who have been referred for exercise. Those interested in personal training, gym instruction, public health work, etc. can contact Phil for further details philip.carr@medway.gov.uk - no formal qualifications are necessary. In September Dr Niki Koutrou was engaged in the 2016 Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Research Conference held in Nottingham, where she presented two studies, one about the Volunteering Legacy of London 2012.This presentation was the result of an undergraduate thesis that a final year student, Ms Anna Johnson undertook and Dr Koutrou supervised. The other presentation on sport policy implementation and its impact on community physical activity funded programme delivery was delivered by my PhD student, Anees Ikramullah and is part of his PhD research. In October Dr Niki Koutrou and the Research Assistant working on this project, delivered a presentation of our consultancy work about the declining levels of participation in adult 11 v 11 football in Kent that was commissioned to us by the Kent Football Association (Kent FA) after successfully applying for a grant of £9770 with Dr Sakis Pappous. The presentation took place at the Kent FA premises and was attended by the CEO and board as well as staff members of Kent FA. Along with the presentation, a written report will be provided to these key stakeholders of Kent FA.
Outreach Activities Psyching Team presence at the Kent Coastal Marathon For the second year running a group of Psyching team volunteers, including two postgraduate students from SSES, provided mental support before, during, and after the Fosters Law Kent Coastal Marathon and Half Marathon. Runners could speak to the team for some last minute mental tips to help with any nerves. During the course the psyching team, in addition to encouraging the runners, we also acted as ‘hill buddies’ where the team ran alongside some runners at the final hill at Mile 24. The Psyching Team has been set up by Dr Carla Meijen as part of last year’s Beacon Project. If you want to know more about how to run a psyching team, she has published a paper on this in The Journal of Sport Psychology. View Article
International Partnership Activities In August, Jane Glew, Deputy Director and staff from the University’s International Partnerships team visited a number of American Universities to look into new student exchange partnerships and also possible Internships within their sports facilities. Following on from this Internationalisation trip, Erin Hillis, Associate Director of International Programmes for Rhodes College Memphis visited the Medway campus in September for a brief tour of our facilities.
Student Success (EDI) Project Since September 2015, the School has been conducting research as part of the University’s Student Success Project. The project is driven by the University’s Ethnicity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) agenda, and focuses on minimising the attainment gap between different student groups. Over the last academic year, Stephen Earl (Research Associate) and Joel Chidley (Research Assistant) have conducted a questionnaire study and focus group discussions to investigate how students’ motivation may underpin university attainment. The project is overseen by Dr Carla Meijen and Professor Louis Passfield. This current academic year (2016-17) the project aims to test how different academic support strategies may enhance students’ academic motivation and attainment. This research involves students within the SSES and other academic schools on both the Canterbury and Medway campuses. The recruitment for this project is currently on-going and any students that are interested or would like to take part can contact Stephen Earl (se220@kent.ac.uk: M2 -30a: 01634 88(8457). www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
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RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
Professor Samuele Marcora Honda riders prepare in Medway for international rally. As part of the new collaboration between the University of Kent and Honda HRC, the School is liaising with the Honda team as consultants on how to reduce physical and mental fatigue during the Dakar Rally, which takes place in South America, and other gruelling rally competitions. Motorcycle riders from Spain, Portugal, France, Argentina and the USA have been preparing for the Dakar rally having spent three days of exhaustive physical and mental endurance tests in the School’s prestigious medical facilities at Medway Park. View Article
View Honda HRC Website
“Physiologically you may be fine but mentally fatigued athletes find the same task much more effortful,” –Dr Samuele Marcora.
Professor Samuele Marcora Figuring out fatigue: A tired brain can hinder performance as much as a tired muscle Our work on mental fatigue and its practical applications nicely reviewed in Sports Illustrated. Elite cyclists are more resilient to mental fatigue Co-authored a report in the journal Plos One entitled Superior Inhibitory Control and Resistance to Mental Fatigue in Professional Road Cyclists. As Chris Froome celebrated his third Tour de France victory, research shows elite cyclists are more resilient to mental fatigue. View Article www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
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Dr Lex Mauger In August Dr. Lex Mauger went on a funded visit to Sao Paulo University (Brazil) to deliver presentations at their Advanced Winter School and to collaborate on a research project. A parallel trip will take place, with academics from Brazil coming to visit Kent in December this year. Sao Paulo is a large University (>80,000 students) and is ranked in the top 250 Universities in the World.
Dr Glen Davison Guest speaker at the Polish Society Of Sports Nutrition Annual Conference recently, where he gave two talks (one on “Nutrition and Immunity in Athletes”, and another on “Nutrition and Gut Health in Athletes”). Dr Carla Meijen Dr Carla Meijen convened and presented at the symposium ‘Endurance Performance: The role of selfregulation processes’ at the 9th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Motivation held in Chicago. In this symposium, the influence of psychological variables on endurance performance was discussed, as well the potential to inform psychological skills interventions. Joel Chidley also presented some findings from his PhD as part of the symposium.
New Publications/Articles J. Dyer, G. Davison, S. M. Marcora, Alexis R. Mauger (2016) -To investigate the effects of a Mediterranean type diet on patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Participants: Ninety-nine volunteers with OA (aged 31 – 90 years) completed the study (83% female). . The journal of nutrition, health & aging (2016) Download PDF (229 KB) View Article Nigel Hardiman, Kristina Charlotte Dietz, Ian Bride, Louis Passfield. (Sept 2016) Pilot Testing of a Sampling Methodology for Assessing Seed Attachment Propensity and Transport Rate in a Soil Matrix Carried on Boot Soles and Bike Tires. Environmental Management DOI 10.1007/s00267-016-0773-4. http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1007/s00267-016-0773-4… L. Angius, B. Pageaux, J. Hopker, S.M. Marcora, A.R. Mauger (Oct 2016) Transcranial direct current stimulation improves isometric time to exhaustion of the knee extensors. Neuroscience. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452216305589 Dr James Hopker, Senior Lecturer in Sports Science provides the "definitive answer" on the fastest way to cycle to the top of a mountain. http://www.cyclist.co.uk/…/whats-the-fastest-way-to-the-top…
www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
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Upcoming Conferences/Term Dates 4 November 2016 Dr Glen Dickinson will be a guest speaker early next Month at an event organised by the British Dietetic Association for their Sport & Exercise Nutrition register on “Nutrition and Gut Health in Athletes”. 30 November 2016
TERM DATES/CLOSURE DATES Academic Year 19 Sept 2016 – 17 Sept2017
December 2016 Dr Karen Hambly has been invited as keynote speaker for the University of Delft’s Motion For Life lecture series in December 2016. A team of researchers from the Endurance Research Group will present at the upcoming Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology Annual Conference in Cardiff. The symposium about novel strategies for endurance performance will feature Paul Anstiss who will discuss the role of sources of self-efficacy in endurance performance, Chris Fullerton will share findings of the effect of a pacemaker on running performance, Chiara Gattoni will discuss the effects of mental fatigue on long-term endurance performance, Alister McCormick (now at University of St Mark and St John) will review the findings of his work on the application of the facial feedback hypothesis to endurance performance, and finally Carla Meijen will share and reflect on setting up and running a Psyching Team. Sao Paulo University (Brazil) academics coming to visit to the School and to collaborate with Dr Lex Mauger on a research project. May 2017 Dr Karen Hambly has been invited to be on Faculty for the ‘Future of Football Medicine’ conference in Barcelona in May 2017. July 2017 Dr Niki Koutrou has had two abstracts accepted at the upcoming Eighth International Conference on Sport and Society to be hosted in London in July 2017. Anees Ikramullah, PhD student will present some of his most recent findings and Dr Niki Koutrou will be presenting about our work with Dr Sakis Pappous about the adult male 11 v 11 football in Kent and how to sustain the participation levels.
The academic year is split into terms during which the student is expected to engage with study. The length and pattern of the terms depend on the type of programme the student is following. The period between each of the terms is a vacation period. The University will be closed over the Christmas period. Undergraduate Programme Autumn Term 26 Sept 2016 - 16 Dec 2016 Spring Term 16 Jan 2017 – 7 Apr2017 Summer Term 8 May 2017 - 16 Jun 2017 Postgraduate Taught Programme Autumn Term 26 Sept2016 - 16 Dec 2016 Spring Term 16 Jan 2017 - 7 Apr 2017 Summer Term 8 May 2017 – 16 Sept 2017
www.kent.ac.uk/sportsciences/
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ALUMNI NEWS Charlotte Evans MBE BA Sport and Exercise Management Alumna 2015 2014 Winter Paralympic skiing gold medal winner who combined with partner Kelly Gallagher to win the Women’s Super G in Sochi. In the process, Charlotte and Kelly became the first-ever British gold medalists at a Winter Paralympics.
Our invited speaker for Welcome week talks was Olympic medalist and Kent alumni, Charlotte Evans MBE. Charlotte gave a memorable talk to our new students about her experiences at the Sochi Winter Paralympics, and the path to winning a gold medal. Many of our students had the chance to touch her Olympic medal and take pictures and there was also a very interesting Q&R session.
Susannah Townsend BSc Sport and Exercise Science Alumna 2014 Olympic gold medallist and Kent alumna, Susannah Townsend, visited the University’s Canterbury campus following her success with the Team GB hockey team in Rio. The Olympian, who plays as attacking mid-fielder, won one of Britain’s total 27 gold medals . View Article
Roisin Sullivan BSc Sport Science Alumna 2015 Roisin Sullivan secured her stroke rehabilitation exercise qualification using a grant provided by the Medway Scholarship Fund during her final year of studies. She has gone on to work in cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary disease research assistant, stroke rehabilitation, exercise for Parkinson’s Disease and recently secured full-time employment with Kent Community Healthcare as a pulmonary rehabilitation assistant.
Her journey into clinical exercise rehabilitation started during her second year BSc Sport Science course where she undertook voluntary work experience in a cardiac rehabilitation exercise session. The value of this practical experience should not be under-estimated as it helps with the practical application of theory covered in the second and third year of your SSES degree programme, as well as developing communication and other important employability skills.
Published by School of Sport and Exercise, Medway Building, University of Kent, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4AG