I worked as a physiotherapist in Greece and in the National Service for several years, specializing in neurological rehabilitation, particularly children with neurodevelopmental disorders. In 1999 I was awarded a Scholarship from the ‘State Foundation of Scholarships’ (Greece) to do my MSc (full-time) in Neurorehabilitation at Brunel University and a PhD (part-time, partially funded) in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder at University of Leeds.
My first teaching job was as a lab teaching assistant in the Sports and Exercise Department (Leeds). In 2003 I worked as a senior lecturer in Physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University and in 2004 I moved to Leeds Metropolitan University. In 2014 I became the principal lecturer and the Head of Physiotherapy at the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at York St. John.
In 2005, I was appointed as leader of the Yorkshire Allied Health Professionals Research Network (AHPRN) formerly known as the National Physiotherapy Research Network (NPRN). Since then the Network has grown and changed its structure. In January 2013, the Yorkshire Hub of the Allied Health Professionals Research Network amalgamated with the York Allied Health Professionals Research and effectiveness forum and the NIHR North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire comprehensive local research network to form a Pan Yorkshire speciality Allied Health Professionals research network.
The aim of this network is to:
- Achieve greater AHP research engagement and research collaborations
- Promote the development of high-quality innovative research activity and expand AHP research capacity across the region
- Raise the profile and impact of Yorkshire AHP research activity
- Identify local AHP research priorities
- Achieve wider dissemination of AHP research findings
- Encourage greater utilisation of research in the development of practice, in the planning and management of AHP services and in AHP leadership and professional development.
Qualifications
- PhD School of Education, Special Educational Needs, Psychology, University of Leeds - 2007.
- MSc Neurorehabilitation, Health, Brunel University - 2001.
- Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE), Faculty of Sport and Education, Leeds Metropolitan University- 2009.
- BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, Technological Educational Institution of Thessalonica, Greece - 1998.
- Diploma in Radiology/Radiography, Thessalonica, Greece - 1994.
I currently teach and lead on the following modules:
MSc (pre-reg) Physiotherapy – Audit Research and Service Evaluation (Module Director)
- MSc (pre-reg) Physiotherapy – Research in Physiotherapy (Module Director)
- MSc (pre-reg) Physiotherapy – Long Term Conditions
- BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy - Advancing Practice
- BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy - Evidenced Based Principles in Neurological Practice
- BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy - Dissertation
I am also involved in PhD supervision and in other courses than physiotherapy such as Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Sports and Exercise Therapy and CPD scheme.
Research interests and expertise
I am interested in developmental cognitive neuropsychology and developmental psychology, and the application of research in rehabilitation focusing on children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders particularly children with Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD or otherwise known as dyspraxia).
Other areas of research interests and expertise include: praxis, imitation and its application to motor learning, imagery, transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and its application to clinical populations, laterality/hand preference, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, mixed- methodologies and single case studies.
Research and other scholarly activity
2010: Book Reviewer for the journal Physiotherapy
2010: Abstract Reviewer for the 2011 World Congress in Physical Therapy (WCPT).
08/2008 – present: Journal Reviewer for ‘Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology’, ‘Physiotherapy’, ‘Research in Developmental Disabilities’ and ‘Child: Care, Health & Development’.
2007- present: Grant Reviewer for NIHR schemes: Program Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR), Research for Patient Benefit Scheme (RfPB), Scottish Executive Health Department (HSRC), Physiotherapy Research Foundation (PRF), Action Medical Research (AMR).
Member of Research and Clinical Interest Groups: i) Leeds Cognition Group (Leeds University) http://www.psyc.leeds.ac.uk/research/cogn/, ii) Leeds University Motor Impairment Group, iii) International Society for research into DCD, iv) DCD-UK, v)DCD Yorkshire Forum.
Successful scholarships, awards and research grants
2014: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP, AHPRN) (£3,000). Applicants: Dr. Charikleia Sinani (PI), and Dr. Angela Green.
2013: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP, AHPRN) (£2,950). Applicants: Dr. Charikleia Sinani (PI), Dr. David Punt and Dr. Angela Green.
2012: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP, PRF) (£20,000). Effects of a school based intervention program with minimal specialist support in children with movement difficulties. Applicants: Dr. Charikleia Sinani, Heather Angilley and Dr. Mary Chambers.
2009: Engagement Funding Bid (Leeds Metropolitan University) (£4,900).Title: Leeds Met, Boccia and Community – a partnership for Sport and Health. Applicants: Charikleia Sinani (PI), Pauline Fitzgerald and Liz Mackay, Bissas Athanassios and Chris Low, Chris Fitzgerald, Helen Dowden and Benita Powrie.
2009: Promising Research Fellowship, Leeds Metropolitan University (£12,924).
2006: Research Informed Teaching Funding (Leeds Metropolitan University) (£5,000). Applicants: David Moore (PI), Charikleia Sinani, Elizabeth Guest, Brigit Cooper, Carnegie, David Little, Carnegie and Steve Rennie 'Researching provision for autistic students in HE'.
1999: The ‘State Foundation of Scholarships’ in Greece awarded a scholarship for the completion of an MSc and a PhD (partially funded).
Internal committees at York St John University
- Member of the Faculty Advisory Group on Student Fitness for Professional Practice
- Member of the Faculty Quality and Standards Committee
- Member of the Faculty Research Committee
- Member of the Faculty Mitigating Circumstances Committee
External professional memberships and activities
2012 to present: Co-ordinator of the Pan Yorkshire Specialty AHP research network.
2010 to present: CSP Approved External Examiner.
2009 to present: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA),
2005 to present: Leader of the Yorkshire Allied Health Professionals Research Network (AHPRN).
2005 to present: Member of the Allied Health Professionals Research Network (AHPRN).
2005 to present: Member of the York AHP Research and Effectiveness Forum.
2006 to present: Theme co-ordinator for the Yorkshire AHPRN: i) children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders, ii) children with Cerebral palsy.
2002 to present: Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC),
2002 to present: Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (MCSP)
Research professional committees and affiliations
- Peer reviewing
Book Reviewer: Journal of Physiotherapy.
Conference abstracts: World Congress in Physical Therapy (WCPT)
Grants: Action Medical Research (AMR), Program Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR), Physiotherapy Research Foundation (PRF), Research for Patient Benefit Scheme (RfPB), Scottish Executive Health Department (HSRC).
Journals: Child: Care, Health & Development, Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, Physiotherapy, Research in Developmental Disabilities.
