Dr Sivaramkumar Shanmugam
Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy
Department of Physiotherapy and Paramedicine
Dr Shiv Shanmugam is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy and Paramedicine. He is currently the Programme Leader for a new innovative integrated pre-registration physiotherapy doctorate programme, the first of its kind in Europe. Shiv is also the Department’s Learning & Teaching Adviser and Digital Lead.
Shiv gained a Bachelors’ in Physiotherapy at Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, India where he graduated with ‘the Steve Kolumban Memorial Gold Medal’ for the best all round student and stayed on to work as a Clinical Academic at the Rehabilitation Institute. His research interests then were on 3D movement analysis of lower paraplegic and lower limb amputee gait. He secured a scholarship from the Department for International Development (DFID) to pursue his research interests and gained an MSc and PhD in Bioengineering at Strathclyde University. His PhD thesis was on older adults’ hand function during basic ADL tasks. Dr Shiv Shanmugam has previously worked as a researcher at Strathclyde University and as a Lecturer in Physiotherapy at Queen Margaret University before moving to Glasgow Caledonian University.
At GCU Shiv is currently a member of two research groups – Ageing Well and Living with Stroke. Shiv continued with his PhD biomechanics research into upper limb movement during functional tasks. Additionally, as a co-investigator he secured funding for a feasibility study of Lycra splinting garments for adults with intellectual disabilities.
With his current administrative roles, Shiv has special interest in educational research related to the new doctoral pre-registration programme. His work focuses on students’ and staff experiences in the doctoral programme; doctorateness and personal & professional development. Students in the taught doctorate programme carry out three applied doctoral projects that require close working with NHS clinicians, researchers and quality improvement staff. Of the three projects one is an empirical; another a service evaluation/audit with NHS partners and the third a co-creation project leading to development of a resource.
Apart from the pre-registration doctoral supervision, current PhD/Prof D supervision includes a range of projects such as: healthcare professionals attitudes to physical activity promotion to stroke patients; physical activity and sedentary behaviour of Kuwaiti children - typical and atypical development; student led Otago exercise programme for falls prevention; establishing content validity, comprehensiveness and comprehensibility of a collaborative practice outcome measure for integrated care teams; and Fitness for Work competencies for Primary Care First Contact Practitioners (Physiotherapists) in the management of musculoskeletal conditions. Shiv has two doctoral completions, first PhD was on physical activity monitoring in acute stroke unit leading to design and delivery of a tailored behaviour change intervention to stroke survivors. The second PhD was on an educational intervention for pre-diabetic patients in urban and rural communities in Thailand.
Research Interests: physical activity in long term neurological conditions; behaviour change; biomechanics, service evaluation and educational research.