Dr Katy Hamana

(she/her)

PhD FHEA

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Between 2010-2016 I coordinated and managed clinical trials of exercise in Huntington’s Disease. These included one national study with sites in Cardiff and Oxford, another with six sites across the UK and an international trial with five sites across the UK and Europe. These roles also included intervention delivery, working one-to-one with people with HD in community gyms and in their homes, developing protocols and standard operating procedures for data collection and intervention delivery, study monitoring, database development and management, training assessors and staff delivering the interventions, data analysis, contribution to funder reports and manuscripts for publication, organisation of dissemination seminars/conferences, Huntington’s Disease Association family days, and conference poster presentations.

I am currently leading the process evaluation for a large international (UK, US, Spain, Germany) randomised controlled trial of physical activity in Huntington’s disease; Physical activity and exercise outcomes in Huntington’s disease (PACE-HD). A recently completed research project as co-applicant (led by Dr Una Jones) was a collaboration funded by the Huntington’s Disease Association to develop a Physical Activity Tool in Huntington’s disease with the Cardiff Huntington’s Disease Physiotherapy Group and a number of international collaborators including physiotherapists of the EHDN PWG. As in integral member of the Cardiff HD group, I am named on the REF 2021 impact case titled ‘Physical Therapy to Improve Prognosis in Huntington’s Disease’.

I have demonstrated high quality REF returnable publications that are international and world leading and have collaborated across HCARE, the college of BLS, Cardiff Huntington’s Disease clinic, and external partners and organisations (European Huntington’s Disease Network, European Huntington’s Association; Huntington’s Disease Association of England and Wales; Huntington’s Disease Youth Organisation; European Huntington’s Disease Network physiotherapy working group (co-chair); Movement Disorders Unit, Tel Aviv Medical Centre, Israel; Teacher’s College, Colombia University, New York).

My PhD focussed on understanding physical activity participation for people with Huntington's disease across the stages of the disease so as to inform knowledge of development of appropriate, relevant physical activity interventions. This led to my involvement in developing the theoretical underpinnings for the PACE-HD intervention. My research interests include physical activity participation, experiences and behaviour in people with neurological conditions, particularly in dementia and Huntington's disease, intervention codesign with stakeholders, and evaluation of complex interventions in physiotherapy.

Research Projects 

SParky samba Trial(Jacques and Gloria Gossweiler Foundation) Neurology Research Grant, 2024. [Dr Katy Hamana (co-CI), Dr Cheney Drew (co-CI), Dr Duncan McLauchlan, Dr Philip Pallman, Dr Heather Strange, Dr Nina Jacob, Dr Claudia Metzler-Baddeley, Eirwen Malin (PPI representative).  

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

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

2020-present: 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

Research student

Shaima Aljahdali

Research student

Hannah Trotman

Research student

Yue Qin

Research student