Katie Sheehan

Professor Katie Sheehan serves as Professor of Rehabilitation at Queen Mary University of London's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry since 2023, following her academic appointment at King's College London from 2017. A qualified physiotherapist with clinical experience across Ireland and Canada, she focuses on optimizing rehabilitation services for older adults through health services research.

Her educational background includes:

• BSc in Physiotherapy (2008)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Statistics (2009)
• PhD (2012)

Professor Sheehan's research program addresses critical gaps in rehabilitation access and delivery after fragility fractures using routine data analytics, qualitative methods, and complex intervention development. Her work establishes evidence for rehabilitation key performance indicators in national audits and pioneers stratified approaches to post-hip fracture care, emphasizing patient-centered outcomes and health equity. She actively integrates patient voices to inform healthcare system improvements across acute and community settings.

Her major recognitions include:

• UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (2023)
• National Institute for Health Research funding
• Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Charitable Trust support
• UK Young Academy Fellowship
• Young Academy of Europe Fellowship

As a dedicated mentor, she supervises PhD/postdoctoral researchers and advocates for transparent career pathways in academia. Her leadership spans the UK Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme Scientific Committee, Global Fragility Fracture Network's Hip Fracture Recovery Research SIG, and BMC Geriatrics editorial board, driving evidence-based rehabilitation standards internationally.