Speakers
Catherine Armstrong
Alice Upfield
Ross Coomber
Breakout Session
Where Does AI Fit In?
Moderators: Cathy Armstrong, Justin Green
Catherine's initial qualification was a BSC Hons in Physiotherapy from University of Ulster. Following junior jobs in most specialty areas in physiotherapy, Catherine returned to University of Manchester as a Research Fellow, funded by the Humphrey Booth Trust, to complete her PhD in Electrical Muscle Strengthening. Catherine has worked as a Research Physiotherapist at LUHFT since 2002. She has specialised in Lower Limb Orthopaedics for the last 21 years. Catherine has a special interest in Arthroplasty and in particular Metal on Metal Total Hip Replacements and long-term surveillance of hip replacements. She became involved in the Arthroplasty Care Practitioners Association (ACPA) at its inaugural meeting in 2005. In 2015 she was elected onto the committee of ACPA which resulted in a number of committee roles such as Education Secretary, Vice President and finally President 2020-2022. In undertaking this role, Catherine has become involved with The BOA and the Implant Retrieval Service providing advice on behalf of the ACPA members. She was also involved in writing part of the BOA guidelines on Total Knee Replacements. As ACPA president she organised two parallel conferences alongside the BHS and BASK. As part of the lengthy process of becoming an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner, she had to prove competency in many areas of Arthroplasty care, including image interpretation. Catherine now runs a biennial image interpretation course for Health Care Professionals in Arthroplasty Care.
Alice is a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at St Mary’s University and a recognised figure in digital health and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in physiotherapy education and practice. With a clinical background as a Musculoskeletal physiotherapist, she bridges academic research with real world healthcare delivery, focusing on how AI can enhance patient outcomes, workforce sustainability, and clinical efficiency. Alice has contributed nationally to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s (CSP) AI policy she leads the MSc in Digital Health at St Mary’s and is completing a PhD exploring AI literacy and digital transformation in Physiotherapy education. Passionate about preparing the next generation of physiotherapists for a digital first healthcare system, Alice’s work continues to influence national conversations on the integration of AI into allied health professions and the evolving future of physiotherapy practice.
Professor Kader is a surgeon, researcher, academic, educationalist and humanitarian. He is fellowship trained knee and a sports injury surgeon with extensive experience in knee ligament reconstruction, primary/revision knee arthroplasty, patellofemoral joint instability and multiligament reconstruction.
After finishing the specialist registrar training in Scotland and knee fellowship in Sydney/Australia and Newcastle in 2005, he was appointed as a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at the QEH NHS trust in Gateshead and became the team doctor for Newcastle United football club. This gave him an opportunity to care for professional athletes and obtain the membership of the faculty of sport and exercise medicine in the UK. In August 2015 he was appointed as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon specialising in complex knee surgery at South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC) where he is now the acting director of research. Professor Kader is the current President of BOSTAA. Since 2010 professor Kader has been dedicating a significant amount of his time to humanitarian work with NGMV medical Volunteers and Life Academy (www.ngmvcharity.co.uk) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at their war wounded trauma reconstruction centre in Tripoli/Lebanon. Recently he has become the advisor and surgeon for Swisscross Foundation in Kurdistan/Iraq. His passion for research and postgraduate training has earned him a visiting professor position , since 2007, at the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences in Northumbria University/ Newcastle. In the past 15 years he has published more than 130 scientific papers, book chapters, articles and the co-author of two of the best-selling Postgraduate Orthopaedic books in the UK. He is also the director for London Research Course, Co-director of the Advanced knee arthroscopy cadaveric course and faculty of the six days postgraduate FRCS Orthopaedic courses nationally and internationally. He is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSEng) quality assessment panel and appointments advisory committee (AAC). In 2017 he has joined the FRCS Tr&Orth examiner’s board (JCIE-RCS).