Anne Forster

Professor Anne Forster is a Professor of Ageing and Stroke Research at the University of Leeds, based at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She holds a prestigious NIHR Senior Investigator title and advocates for non-medical professions in health research. Her expertise spans stroke rehabilitation, ageing, and longer-term patient care outcomes.

Qualifications:

• Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (FCSP) – 2011
• PhD: A Randomised Trial of Stroke Rehabilitation for the Elderly in Bradford (University of Bradford, 1991)
• BA (Hons) Social Studies (University of Bradford, 1986)

Research Interests:

• Stroke rehabilitation interventions, including home physiotherapy and caregiver training.
• Long-term outcomes for stroke patients and their carers, including sedentary behavior reduction and care home optimization.
• Clinical trials and Cochrane Reviews focusing on rehabilitation efficacy and medical day hospital care.

Key Research Projects:

• "Development and evaluation of strategies to reduce sedentary behavior post-stroke" (NIHR, £3M, 2017–2024).
• "Enhancing outcomes in care homes" (NIHR, £1.5M, 2013–2018).
• "Feasibility of Active Communication Education (ACE) for stroke patients" (NIHR, £250K, 2016–2017).

Awards:

• NIHR Senior Investigator (2017).

Advising & Grants:

• Chief Investigator for the UK's largest multi-center stroke rehabilitation trials.
• Lead author of three Cochrane Reviews on rehabilitation and elderly care.
• Supervises PhD students in stroke rehabilitation and ageing-related research.

Affiliations:

• Leeds Institute of Health Sciences.
• Academic Unit for Ageing and Stroke Research.
• Frailty and Elderly Care Research Group.