Dr Katy Hamana

(she/her)

PhD FHEA

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Keywords

• Neurological Rehabilitation & Physiotherapy
• Physical activity, environmental enrichment 
• Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington's disease, Stroke
• Complex Intervention Design & Evaluation
• Sensor-Based Kinematic Feedback & Rehabilitation
• Digital Health & Co-designed Community Interventions

Living with a progressive neurodegenerative condition or stroke often impacts independent movement, physical confidence, and social engagement. Traditional rehabilitation models do not always address the day-to-day realities experienced by patients and their support networks.

My research directly tackles this gap by involving service users, care partners, and multidisciplinary healthcare teams right from the start. Whether through co-designed physical activity resources, enriched environmental spaces, or patient-led community-based trials, my priority is developing accessible, enjoyable, and evidence-based solutions that translate directly into real-world care and quality of life.

Current and previous projects

• Reimagining Stroke Rehabilitation Environments: Chief Investigator - development of activity-enabling, enriched environments for subacute stroke rehabilitation, in collaboration with European University Cyprus and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
• SParky Samba Trial: Co-Chief Investigator leading a multi-site randomised controlled feasibility trial evaluating a community samba percussion intervention for people living with Parkinson’s disease. (Jacques and Gloria Gossweiler Foundation).(Samba support group banging the drum for Parkinson’s research | Health Care Research Wales)
• Social Participation in Neurodegenerative Conditions: Promoting and supporting participation and social connectedness for people with neurological conditions to reduce loneliness and isolation: empowering local communities through coordination of social care, local community support, and digital technology. (Supervisor/academic mentor – Health and Care Research Wales Next Steps Award, Principal applicant, 1^st supervisor Health and Care Research Wales funded PhD studentship)
• Community based and patient led interventions in Parkinson’s: Factors influencing participation and sustained engagement in a peer-led community rehabilitation table tennis programme for people with Parkinson’s.
• Physical Activity & Huntington’s Disease: Chief-Investigator -Developing co-designed tools, digital e-kitbags, and care-partner guidance to promote sustainable physical activity across all stages of Huntington's disease in collaboration with the Huntington’s Disease Association of England and Wales, European Huntington’s Disease Network ,European Huntington’s Association (e.g., Active Huntington's, PAT-HD, PIVOT-HD; Wellcome Trust / HEFCW, MRC Impact Fund, Research Wales Innovation Funding (RWIF) / Innovation for All). Co-investigator- PACE-HD
• Technology & Sensor-Based Movement Feedback: Evaluating sensor-based kinematic feedback toolkits for movement rehabilitation following Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction.
• Remote Healthcare Delivery: Remote exercise services and perceptions among individuals with cystic fibrosis and multidisciplinary care teams.

Teaching

I currently teach, supervise and examine at pre-registration undergraduate, pre registration MSc, taught postgraduate and doctoral levels.

I am module lead for the postgraduate taught module Neurorehabilitation- a theoretical basis.

Teaching at BSc and MSc level includes research methods, research ethics, physical activity and exercise and behaviour change, and physical activity participation in neurological conditions.

2016-2020 - Admissions tutor for the BSc Physiotherapy Programme

2022- current academic lead for Patient and Public Involvement in the School of Healthcare Sciences

Biography

Education and Qualifications

2018: PhD, Cardiff University. Thesis title: 'An exploration of the physical activity life cycle in Huntington's disease'.

2010: BSc Hons Physiotherapy, Cardiff University

2007: BSc Hons Anatomical Science, Cardiff University

Professional memberships

2019-present: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

2010-present: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

2010-present: Health and Care Professions Council

2016-present: Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology

Committees and reviewing

2026 - present HCRW Task and finish group Public Involvement Models

2026 - Health and Care Research Wales Involvement Alliance

2022-present - Academic lead: HCARE Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Group

2020-2024: Member, HCARE School Research Ethics Committee

2014-2020: Co-chair, Physiotherapy Working Group of the European Huntington's Disease Network

Supervisions

• Physiotherapy treatment approaches in neurological populations
• Participation in neurological populations
• Complex intervention development (lifestyle, physical activity, behaviour change interventions)
• Community based physical activity in Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and other neurological populations 
• The use of digital technology in healthcare

Current supervision

Kevin Nicholas

Hannah Trotman

Manal Gholoum

Past projects

Past projects: 

• Yue Qin An exploration of remote exercise services for people with cystic fibrosis: experiences and perceptions of multidisciplinary team members and people with cystic fibrosis (Graduated 2026)
• Shaima Ghazi Aljahdali Exploring Digital Self-Management Support for Chronic Knee Pain in Physiotherapy Clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Two Phased Sequential Mixed Methods Study. (Graduated 2025)
• Mohannad Fareed Felemban Further Development and Acceptability of a Sensor based Movement Analysis Feedback Toolkit (SMAFT) for Physiotherapy Rehabilitation of People with Knee Pain (Graduated 2024)