معرفی
Dr David Punt is an Associate Professor in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He specializes in stroke rehabilitation and motor-cognitive research, with a strong clinical background as a physiotherapist in the NHS and the American Midwest. He earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of Birmingham in 2004, funded by a Stroke Association Fellowship, focusing on neglect-related movement disorders after stroke.
- PhD in Psychology, University of Birmingham (2004)
- MSc in Clinical Neuroscience, Roehampton Institute, London (1998)
- Graduate Diploma in Physiotherapy, Royal Liverpool Hospital College (1990)
David Punt's research focuses on cognitive and motor performance in health and disease, particularly in stroke rehabilitation. His work explores the neglect syndrome, bimanual coordination, learned nonuse, anosognosia, and pusher behaviour. He leads experimental research funded by the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust. His recent publications highlight innovative approaches to motor assessment and rehabilitation, including mirror feedback, computer-based neglect assessment, and tDCS interventions.
His research output demonstrates a consistent focus on understanding and improving motor recovery after neurological injury, with strong emphasis on experimental and clinical methodologies. Key trends include the use of Delphi studies for clinical consensus, systematic reviews for evidence synthesis, and experimental designs to probe motor-cognitive interactions in stroke and developmental disorders.
- Stroke Association Fellowship (PhD funding)
David Punt has supervised numerous research students to completion and currently mentors several PhD candidates. He led the development of the university’s 4-year integrated MSci Physiotherapy program, which launched in 2022 and contributed to the university being ranked number one in the UK for physiotherapy in 2023–2025. He has held leadership roles including Physiotherapy Programme Lead (2020–2025), Deputy Head of Education, and Year 3 Tutor. He secured funding from NHS England in 2023 to establish the 'Physio for Stroke' service, a student-staffed rehabilitation initiative that began operations in 2024. He also contributes to external examining for universities including Bradford, Brunel, and Leeds.
He co-leads the Year 3 Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation module and leads the Year 4 Research Project module. His research group conducts experimental studies relevant to both health and disease, with strong translational impact.
