UHDB colleague Emma Bamford named 'Hand Therapist of the Year' at prestigious award ceremony
A UHDB Physiotherapist who set up a research trial to improve patient experience for people who have injured the tendons in their hand, has been named 'Hand Therapist of the Year' at a prestigious award ceremony and conference.
Emma Bamford, Extended Scope Practitioner in the Pulvertaft Hand Centre at Royal Derby Hospital, was nominated for the award by two colleagues in recognition of her commitment to delivering the Flexor Injury Rehabilitation Splint Trial (FIRST), a study which compares three different splint treatments for finger flexon tendon repairs.
As part of the trial, which saw patients randomly assigned different splints, Emma advocated for hand therapists to act as principle investigators, instead of traditional leads such as surgeons and more senior members of staff.
It was the inclusion and promotion of therapists in this role, many of which had never been involved in research before, that saw her take home the 'Hand Therapist of the Year' award at the British Society of Surgery to the Hand 2025 Autumn Scientific meeting, in November.
Emma said: "I am absolutely delighted to receive this award. The trial was a big project and to be recognised for all of that hard work means a lot to me. What stood out in the nomination was the impact the trial had on other hand therapists and how this enables people in different roles to get involved in research.
"The difference research like this can make to improving patient care is obvious but to play a part in inspiring the next generation of research, makes projects like this even more worthwhile."
Emma is an exceptional clinician and researcher who combines sustained high standards of care and a genuine focus on improving patient outcomes to deliver exceptional innovation for patients now and in the future.
The FIRST trial has now ended and the research team is in the process of analysing and presenting the results, before they will be published in academic papers.
More information about current research projects at UHDB is available here >.