Biography

Dr Rachel Chester is a Lecturer in Physiotherapy at the University of East Anglia, and Freelance Physiotherapist at Sportsphysio, UEA Sportspark.

Rachel has worked clinically since 1987, mainly in musculoskeletal practice, within the NHS, privately and abroad. Rachel has published on a wide range of musculoskeletal areas, most notably the shoulder.

In 2011, Rachel was awarded a prestigious NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship. Rachel led a prospective multicentre study of over 1000 patients with shoulder pain, to identify prognostic factors associated with the outcome of physiotherapy management. The results have been published and disseminated at national and international conferences. 

Rachel teaches on pre and post graduate degree courses at UEA and as a guest on post graduate courses at other academic, NHS and private instituions. She is currently a module co-coordinator on the Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care. Rachel has supervised and examined MSc and PhD candidates. 

Rachel is keen to co-supervise PhD students who have an interest in prognostic research, and in particular behaviour change, for any musculoskeletal problem.

Musculoskeletal conditions, Physiotherapy, Prognostic factor research, Biopsychosocial approach, Behaviour Change

Rachel's research and practice currently focus on the integration of a biopsychosocial approach into current practice. This involves a mixed methods approach to research, drawing on qualitative and quantitative methods, prognostic research, and behaviour change approaches.

Rachel's research focus to date has followed her area of clinical expertise: musculoskeletal physiotherapy, but she would like to transfer her experience to other areas in the future.