Lecturer helping to make a difference in Zimbabwe

Senior Lecturer in physiotherapy, Dr Hazel Horobin, will be helping to improve physiotherapy in community settings in Zimbabwe as part of the CREATE PhD Programme.

The CREATE PhD Programme, with funding from the Wellcome Trust, is supporting PhD fellows to address existing and emerging global health challenges. The five-year programme pairs 25 UK health professionals with 25 African early career researchers creating a blended cohort of South-North fellows.

One of the UK Partner Institutes involved in the programme is Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) – a partnership of the Universities of Brighton and Sussex. Hazel was approached by Professor Gail Davey OBE of BSMS to supervise one of their CREATE PhD students.

Hazel will be working with Kate Mattick a UK-based physiotherapist on her PhD titled: Co-development community rehabilitation services to promote functional ability and quality of life of older people – a mixed methods study in Zimbabwe.

Kate has been paired with Maureen Tshuma a researcher from Zimbabwe. Kate will be investigating the physical activity and assistive device access and Maureen the cognitive and psychological aspects, collaborating with the KOSHESAI (Keeping older people healthy: designing and evaluating effective health services to maintain functional ability) study team in Harare. Hazel recently met with Kate and Maureen in Zimbabwe and will be returning throughout the project to support them.

Hazel said: “I was really honoured to be approached by Professor Davey to support Kate with her PhD. Zimbabwe has a growing population of over 65s and research projects like this will help ensure they have a better quality of life.”