Dr. Karen Barker

Biography

Karen Barker is a Professor of Physiotherapy at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford. She trained at King's College Hospital, London, obtaining her Master's degree in Ergonomics from Loughborough University in 1991 and her PhD from Oxford Brookes University in 2001, focusing on muscle function recovery associated with limb lengthening surgery. Karen has held several clinical positions in London teaching hospitals before moving to Oxford in 1988, where she joined the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. In her career, she has served as a research fellow and as Head of Therapy Services. Currently, she is the Clinical Director of Trauma and Orthopaedics at Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust and the Head of Physiotherapy at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. Additionally, she is a visiting Professor at Oxford Brookes University. In 2013, she was awarded a fellowship by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Her research primarily focuses on chronic pain, qualitative research, and the implementation of research findings into clinical practice. She is the principal investigator for large HTA-funded trials that examine the effectiveness of physiotherapy in various contexts, including the PROVE trial on osteoporotic vertebral fractures and the CORKA trial on community-based rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty.

Research Interests

Experience