Physiotherapist empowering other therapists to get into research earns national recognition
A UHDB physiotherapist whose research study has positively impacted patients and empowered fellow hand therapists across the country to get involved in ground-breaking trials says she is "overwhelmed and stunned" to have won a national award - and explained how it really has been the ultimate team effort.
Emma Bamford, Extended Scope Practitioner in the Pulvertaft Hand Centre at Royal Derby Hospital, set up the Flexor Injury Rehabilitation Splint Trial (FIRST) in 2022, to compare which of three different splint treatments would support the best recovery for people after they had undergone finger flexor tendon repairs.
More than 7,000 people a year cut the tendons in their hands in the UK - and without surgery to repair them, their fingers would never bend, making everyday tasks more difficult, showing why the recovery process afterwards is so important.
Not only did Emma's leadership within the trial ensure quality patient-centred evidence - which can help lead the way to better outcomes for patients receiving this care in the future too - she also played a key role in advocating for more hand therapists to be involved in research by supporting them to act as principal investigators in the study. This was instead of traditional 'research leads' such as surgeons and more senior clinical members of staff.
This inclusion and promotion of therapists into research roles means these colleagues, who work in hospitals across the UK, have gained valuable research skills and experience, which could play a role in the development of healthcare into the future. Indeed, some of those involved in FIRST have already gone on to develop their own research elsewhere.
And just as this inclusion and promotion of therapists into research roles saw her named Hand Therapist of the Year by the British Society of Surgery less than 12 months ago >, Emma's work has now seen her win the Research Impact category in the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer Awards 2026.
"I'm overwhelmed and stunned about this recognition. But throughout my research journey, I have always maintained that it's very much a team effort. Around 1,000 people were involved in the FIRST trial, including the patients, site staff, clinical teams and the trials units," said Emma.
"So it's a huge amount of work and input from lots of different people, all working towards improving outcomes for patients. It has been an amazing journey for me, and really hard work, so it's lovely for that to be recognised.
"The primary aim of the research was to improve patient care - but the unexpected ripple effect was the empowering of other hand therapists. It's been so lovely to see colleagues who were involved in FIRST, who've used the skills they developed to go on to do their own research."
Praising Emma's impact through this innovative trial, Dr Anna Selby, Research and Postgraduate Manager for the Pulvertaft Hand Centre, said: "Emma has shown great leadership in designing and delivering this research trial. Her work to include as many hand therapists nationally and grow their research skills has had a huge impact that will have a long-lasting impact."
Emma will receive her award at a national Chief AHP Officer event next month - when she will also be in the running to be named AHP of the Year. The winners of each of the eight Chief AHP Officer Award categories > are up for the overall prize.