Professor Natalie Vanicek
| Biography | Natalie Vanicek is a Professor of Clinical Biomechanics and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). She is Associate Editor in Sports Medicine and Biomechanics for the Journal of Sports Sciences and Associate Member of the British Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in limb Absence Rehabilitation (BACPAR). Natalie moved to the University of Hull from Canada in 2004 and also spent time working at the University of Sydney. She is passionate about her research in clinical gait analysis and musculoskeletal biomechanics. Natalie’s work is aimed at reducing falls, improving function and quality-of-life, and attenuating musculoskeletal decline through exercise among individuals with limited mobility. Much of her focus has been on people with a lower limb amputation, and improving their mobility with specialised community exercise programmes and prosthetic prescription. She developed the KEEP MOVING community exercise programme for people living with limb loss in Hull https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OakTU9fvNG4 . KEEP MOVING won the 2024 Disability Sport Yorkshire Cyril Villiers Organisation award. It is also being delivered online to people across the country in partnership with the Limbless Association, the largest national charity for people living with limb loss. Natalie also led on the NIHR-funded STEPFORWARD trial, investigating a self-aligning prosthetic ankle-foot vs. a non-self-aligning ankle-foot for older adults with a transtibial amputation. |
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| Research Interests | Using biomechanical tools of analysis, Natalie investigates movement patterns in individuals with altered lower limb mechanics as a result of ageing, disease and trauma. To date, her research has focused primarily on working with vascular-related lower limb amputees, people with intermittent claudication caused by peripheral arterial disease, and individuals with osteoporosis. Natalie collaborates with colleagues from a variety of disciplines such as physiotherapists, vascular consultants, medical engineers and psychologists. This research has attracted external funding from the National Institute for Health Research, Sport England, Active Humber, Circulation Foundation, British Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Amputee Rehabilitation (BACPAR), BUPA Foundation and Osteoporosis Research in East Yorkshire (OSPREY). |
| Scopus Author ID | 15761478100 |
| PhD Supervision Availability | Yes |
| PhD Topics | Prof Vanicek welcomes MSc/PhD applications in the areas of: 1) clinical gait analysis 2) falls prevention 3) evaluation of community exercise for people with limited mobility Completed PhD students include: 1) Cleveland Barnett (PhD, 2011) 2) Lisa Alcock (PhD, 2013) 3) Stephanie King (PhD, 2015) 4) Amartya Ganguly (PhD, 2015) 5) Marnee McKay (PhD, 2017) 6) Ali Dostan (PhD, 2019) 7) Zoe Schafer (PhD, 2019) 8) Grace O'Carroll (PhD, 2019) 9) Stephen Hayes (PhD, 2020) |