Dr. Chinonso Igwesi-Chidobe

Dr. Chinonso Igwesi-Chidobe qualified as a physiotherapist and started her career as a clinical physiotherapist, first rotating through the specialty areas of physiotherapy, and later specialised clinically within the area of paediatric neurological physiotherapy. She is an alumnus of the University of Lagos, University of Nigeria, and King’s College London where she graduated with several distinctions and awards. She is a fellow of the higher education academy (FHEA) United Kingdom, and completed certificate programmes from Harvard Medical School, University College London, Keele University, and the National Health Service. She is a Chartered physiotherapist in the United Kingdom, a member of Chartered Physiotherapists in Global Health, and a member of the International Society of Global Health.She supports the representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups in UK academia through the Brad-ATTAIN programme. As an advocate in the Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education (YCEDE), she works to improve access and participation of BAME people in postgraduate research study across Yorkshire.

She has been teaching or conducting research within the fields of Paediatric and adult neurological physiotherapy, Primary Care, Public health, Global health, Community Physiotherapy, and Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) in Nigeria, United Kingdom and Switzerland. She interned in Community-Based Rehabilitation at the World Health Organisation Headquarters office, Geneva, Switzerland.

She developed the first biopsychosocial intervention for the primary care management of non-specific chronic low back pain in a rural African population, which won the Schlumberger faculty for the future doctoral fellowship award (The Netherlands). She completed a postdoctoral research post in the field of primary care physiotherapy at the then research institute for primary care and health sciences, Keele University, United Kingdom. She has been a recipient of NIHR and international research grants. She is the first physiotherapist and first African to win (runner-up) the Nature Research Awards for Driving Global Impact.

She moved through the academic ranks and was promoted to an Associate Professor in Community Physiotherapy and Global health in Nigeria in 2021 before joining the University of Bradford in late October 2022.

Her research interests include: Chronic Pain, Chronic disease, Behaviour change, Physical activity, Development and evaluation of complex interventions, Self-management of chronic conditions, Disability, Community-Based Rehabilitation, Biopsychosocial model of Health, Health inequality/vulnerable groups, Implementation Science, Cross-cultural research, Public Health, Global Health, Primary Care, Community Health, Applied Health /Health Services and Policy Research.

PhD applicants to the University of Bradford interested in undertaking research around chronic pain or chronic disease management in black and ethnic minority populations in high income countries including the UK, or amongst vulnerable population groups in low- and middle-income countries can contact her.

Scholarship support for international PhD applicants

If you are an international PhD applicant with a very good first degree and/or masters degree and you are interested in studying any type of chronic pain in low and middle income populations, get in touch for support with scholarship applications.

Paediatric neurological physiotherapy
Neurological Physiotherapy
Health Promotion and Public Health
Primary Care
Global Health
Research Methods and Project
Community Based Rehabilitation