Toby is Professor of Musculoskeletal Research at the School of Health Sciences (UEA). His clinical and research expertise centre on the management of people with musculoskeletal disorders, most notably hip and knee pathologies and rehabilitation following surgery. Toby holds a clinical role at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as a Senior Physiotherapist in Trauma and Orthopaedics.

Current research areas include exploring the rehabilitation of people with lower limb (hip and knee) osteoarthritis, surgery, and trauma. Toby has expertise in randomised controlled trials and research synthesis, and has published over 300 peer-review papers and has secured as chief or co-investigator over £15 million in grant income from a variety of research council and commercial UK funders. Trials which Toby currently leads include:

• HIP HELPER - Improving patient recovery following hip fracture through caregiver support: a feasibility study. Funder: NIHR

• PEP-TALK: A behaviour change physiotherapy intervention to increase physical activity following hip and knee replacement: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Funder: NIHR
• JOINT SUPPORT: Caregiver interventions for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Funder: NIHR

Toby is Associate Editor for the international peer-review journals 'Physiotherapy' and 'Clinical Rehabilitation' and is an active peer-reviewer for a number of academic journals including the British Medical Journal, the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Rheumatology and Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. He is also a committee member for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Health Technology Appraisal Committee (Committee B) and the Hip, Knee and Shoulder Replacement Clinical Guideline Committee. Toby reviews for a number of funding bodies including the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (where he sits on the East of England panel) and Health Technology Assessment programmes.

 You can follow Toby on Twitter: @tobyosmith

2022-Present: Professor of Musculoskeletal Research - School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich.

2010-Present: Trauma and Orthopaedic Physiotherapist (Bank) - Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, Norwich.

2019-2022: Associate Professor in Physiotherapy - School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich.

2018-2022: Senior Researcher in Rehabilitation - Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford.

2010-2017: Lecturer in Physiotherapy - School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich.

2008-2010: Research Physiotherapist in Orthopaedics – Institute of Orthopaedics, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, Norwich.

2007-2008: Senior II Orthopaedic Physiotherapist – Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, Norwich.

2004-2007: Senior II Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist – Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, Norwich.

2003-2007: Club Physiotherapist - Norwich Rugby Club Physiotherapist.

2003-2004: Junior Physiotherapist – Norwich Primary Care Trust

2002-2003: Junior Physiotherapist – Morecambe Bay Hospital NHS Trust

• The management of older people with musculoskeletal diseases
• Rehabilitation following lower limb orthopaedic surgery
• Design and conduct of pragmatic, rehabilitation trials of complex interventions
• Promotion of physical activity and life-style choices for elderly people with long-term conditions

Selected funded research (current to April 2022):

REPPORT: REcurrent Patellar dislocation: Personalised therapy or OpeRative Treatment? NIHR Health Technology Assessment – Commissioned call Primary Research. £1,676,900.04. (Role: Co-Chief Investigator with Associate Professor Andrew Metcalfe, University of Warwick).

OPAL2: Occupational support for Patients undergoing Arthroplasty of the Lower limb trial. NIHR Health Technology Assessment – Commissioned call Primary Research. £1,587,723.48. (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Mr Paul Baker, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust).

JOINT SUPPORT: A feasibility study to test a caregiver intervention for people with chronic pain. NIHR Research for Patient Benefit. £254,618.00. (Role: Chief Investigator).

MeTeOR2: The Meniscal Transplant surgery or Optimised Rehabilitation full randomised trial. NIHR Health Technology Assessment - Researcher-led call. £1,300,496.00. (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Associate Professor Andrew Metcalfe, University of Warwick).

RACER-HIP: Robotic Arthroplasty: a Clinical and cost Effectiveness Randomised controlled trial for Hips. NIHR HTA – Researcher-led. £1,094,599.81 (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Associate Professor Peter Wall, University of Warwick).

HIP HELPER - Improving patient recovery following hip fracture through caregiver support: a feasibility study. NIHR Research for Patient Benefit. £249,987.00 (Role: Chief Investigator).

RACER - Knee: Robotic Arthroplasty: a Clinical and cost Effectiveness Randomised Controlled Trial. NIHR Health Technology Assessment - Researcher-led call Primary Research. £1,691,867.03 (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Associate Professor Andrew Metcalfe, University of Warwick).

PEAnuTS: a prospective cohort study to assess the clinical efficacy of the Attune S* total knee replacement with an embedded randomised trial to assess the effect of a chatbot on patient self-efficacy (Trial within a cohort - TwiCs). Industry Funded DePuy (UK) (Investigator Initiated Study DPS-JMP-2019-016) £1,228,749. (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Miss Caroline Hing, St George’s Hospital, London – University of Oxford).

Outcomes after hip fracture by duration, frequency and type of rehabilitation: linked Chartered Society of Physiotherapy ‘Hip Sprint’ audit analysis. Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Charitable Trust (CSPCT) Physiotherapy Research Foundation (PRF) Award 2018. £149,982.32. (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Dr Katie Sheehan, Kings College London).

GRRAND-F: Getting Rehabilitation Right After Neck Dissection. Feasibility study to design a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. NIHR Research for Patient Benefit. £250,000.00 (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Mr Stuart Winter, University of Oxford).

SCORE: The clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of surgery for early osteoarthritis of the hip and knee joint. NIHR Health Technology Assessment – Commissioned Call 17/138. £471,820.36. (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Professor Andrew Price, Univerity of Oxford).

STIFF-F: Segmental Tibial fractures, reamed Intramedullary nailing versus circular Frame external Fixation – A feasibility study. NIHR Research for Patient Benefit – £245,849.00. (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Miss Caroline Hing, St George’s Hospital, London).

PEP-TALK: A behaviour change physiotherapy intervention to increase physical activity following hip and knee replacement: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. NIHR Research for Patient Benefit – £350,000. (Role: Chief Investigator). 

FEMuR 3: A definitive multi-centre adaptive randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of a community-based rehabilitation package following hip fracture. NIHR HTA (Researcher-Led) - £2,104,989. (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Professor Nefyn Williams, Liverpool University).

CAPABILITY: Performance and functional ability after insertion of the Journey II Bi-Cruciate Stabilised Knee System compared with the Genesis II prosthesis. Smith and Nephew UK. £691.734.53 (Role: Co-Applicant; CIs: Professor Iain McNamara, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich; Dr Celia Clark, UEA).

Walk with Ease UK: A community-based walking programme for adults with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. Arthritis Research UK: Health Services Research grant: £149,518 (Role: Co-Applicant; CI: Dr Kathryn Martin, University of Aberdeen).

Toby has previously taught both pre- and post-graduate courses at UEA and other HEIs, supporting the education and training of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, adult nursing and medical students.

Toby has supervised and examined MSc, MRes, MD and PhD candidates. He has supervised as primary and secondary PhD candidates to completion.

Director of Postgraduate Research - School of Health Science (UEA)