Two university academics honoured by the Queen

University of Brighton Emeritus Professor Ann Moore has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. The award has been made in recognition of services to physiotherapy.

Ann qualified as a chartered physiotherapist in 1973 at Coventry School of Physiotherapy and held a number of clinical posts in the Midlands before taking up physiotherapy teaching posts in 1979 in Birmingham and later in Coventry. It was whilst a senior lecturer at Coventry Polytechnic that she was awarded membership of the Manipulation Association of Chartered Physiotherapists and completed a PhD in the field of low back pain.

In 1991 Ann moved to the newly opened Brighton School of Physiotherapy and in 1998 was awarded a personal chair in physiotherapy by the University of Brighton. She subsequently became Head of the Clinical Research Centre for Health Professions and was more recently Head of the Centre for Health Research based at the Falmer and Eastbourne campuses of the University of Brighton.

Ann received a Fellowship of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in 1999 and a Fellowship of the Manipulation Association of Chartered Physiotherapy in 2004. In 2011 she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Bedfordshire for her contribution to research capacity building in the Allied Health Professions and Osteopathy. Various external roles have included Chair of the National Council for Osteopathic Research (NCOR) from 2003 to 2012 and instigator and Chair of the National Physiotherapy Research Network (NPRN) from 2004 until it became the AHPRN (Allied Health Professions Research Network) in 2012. The AHPRN became the Council for Allied Health Professions Research (CAHPR) in 2014 and Ann is Director of the CAHPR. Ann has been an active researcher since 1980 but has always been committed to building research capacity and capability in her profession of Physiotherapy and other Health professions.

Professor Ann Moore

Commenting on her award Professor Moore said: "I was initially very surprised and slightly shocked at the news of the award but I feel extremely proud and honoured to have been awarded a CBE for services to physiotherapy. As a physiotherapist for the last 40 years I have always gained considerable satisfaction in being able to help patients and members of the public deal positively with their musculoskeletal conditions. I have also enjoyed my research activities and contributing to the growing physiotherapy evidence base as well as facilitating members of my profession in their research. I am so delighted to have been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, especially in Her Majesty’s 90th Year.”

Professor Andrew Lloyd, Dean of the College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences at the University of Brighton said: “I am delighted that Professor Moore has been recognised in this way for her substantial contribution to physiotherapy over many years. Ann was instrumental in establishing and developing physiotherapy research at the University of Brighton alongside raising the national profile of physiotherapy through her work on national bodies. Through developing the evidence base in the field, Ann’s research has had global influence on physiotherapy practice and direct impact on patients.”

Professor Nick Webborn, Professor of Sport & Exercise Medicine, based in Eastbourne and Medical Director of Sportswise, the sport and exercise medicine clinic based at the University of Brighton in Carlisle Road, was awarded an OBE in for his contribution to paralympic medicine and the British Paralympic Association.

Born in Swansea, Professor Webborn studied medicine at the Royal London Hospital and at the age of 24 he suffered a spinal injury whilst playing rugby when serving as a doctor in the Royal Air Force. After a year in rehabilitation he completed his RAF service and came to East Sussex in 1986 to work as a Polegate GP. He completed his Diploma in Sports Medicine before moving full-time into sports medicine and has dedicated himself to working with paralympic athletes since 1992.

Professor Webborn has worked tirelessly to bring sports medicine to paralympic athletes, both for the British Paralympic Association and The International Paralympic Committee (IPC). He worked with LOCOG to bring the 2012 Games to London and was Chief Medical Officer for ParalympicsGB during the 2012 Games. He started the IPC‘s injury surveillance programme in 2002 and has attended eight Paralympic Games in various roles. Professor Webborn’s academic research has been focused on injury and illness prevention and he is the most widely published author worldwide in this area.

Professor Nick Webborn

As an athlete Professor Webborn represented Great Britain in Wheelchair Tennis in 2005 and in 2015 he was named among the top 100 most influential people with a disability in the UK by the Shaw Trust.

Asked about receiving the honour, Professor Webborn said: “It was a huge surprise and tremendous pleasure to open the letter telling me about this honour. It is truly humbling to be recognised in this way. It has been an enormous privilege to work with so many wonderful athletes and colleagues over this time. None of this would have been possible without the support of family, friends and colleagues.

“Thirty-four years ago I was lying in a hospital bed thinking that my life had ended and I can now look back and reflect that my own struggle has shaped my life to help advance a field of medicine for athletes with disabilities that had received little attention.”

So what next for Nick? He said: “This has been such exciting news and not easy to keep quiet about it but now that the announcement has been made I can look forward to celebrating with my family and friends. I turn 60 in October and this really is the most perfect way to mark an already significant year. It has been an honour to serve medicine, sport and my country and receiving the OBE is unexpected and thrilling. I am immensely grateful.” 

Professor Webborn lives in Eastbourne with his wife Stephanie. He has four children and two stepchildren.