Could you tell us a bit about your background and career up to this point?
By background, I’m a First-Class Honours physiotherapy graduate from Trinity College Dublin. I also did a Research Masters at Trinity that explored physical wellbeing and quality of life in people with sleep disorders. I went on to do my PhD at the University of Leeds which explored how we can get older adults to sit less and move more. I then completed a Postdoc at the University of Glasgow where I explored healthy ageing and social connectedness in older adults, before moving to my current role at King’s.
What inspired you to focus your research on physical activity and healthy ageing?
I first became interested in healthy ageing during an international clinical placement in Saudi Arabia as an undergraduate. I’d just prescribed some exercises for an older gentleman. I turned away for a moment, and when I looked back, his family were doing the exercises for him.
At first, I was confused. But then I thought about my granny, Sophie. She loved tea and would have five or six cups a day. Whenever she announced that she was getting up to make another cup, someone in the family would immediately say, “No, no, sit down, we’ll do it for you.”
It came from a place of love, care and respect. But making tea was something she was still perfectly capable of doing herself. Had we not been there, she would have got up and made it independently. Without realising it, our efforts to help were gradually encouraging her to move less.
Over time, that pattern spread. She stopped making tea, then stopped going to the supermarket and began getting deliveries. She stopped taking the stairs and started using the lift. In her mind, she was preserving her energy for when she really needed it, but physiologically, the opposite can happen.
Gradually, her strength and confidence declined, and her world became smaller. Eventually, she struggled with some of the everyday activities that had allowed her to live independently.
That experience shaped the work I do today: exploring how we can help older adults remain physically active, socially connected and engaged in their communities for as long as possible.
Can you tell us about your current research project looking at physical inactivity in Arab older adults, and the impact you hope it will have?
My current research focuses on physical inactivity and prolonged sitting among older adults from Arab communities in the UK. We know that people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and more deprived areas are often less physically active. They’re also more likely to experience health problems such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and multiple long-term conditions.
The project aims to work with Arab older adults and community organisations to develop an approach that is culturally appropriate, practical and relevant to people’s everyday lives. Rather than simply telling people to exercise more, we want to understand the cultural, social and environmental factors that shape how active people are and what kinds of support would genuinely help.
The longer-term goal is to develop and test an intervention that helps people spend less time sitting and build more movement into their daily routines. I hope this will improve health and independence among Arab older adults, while also creating an approach that could be adapted for other underserved communities.
Are there any particular challenges, sensitivities or cultural considerations to keep in mind when working with older adults from Arab communities around physical activity?
One important consideration is that Arab older adults are not a single, uniform group. People’s experiences of ageing, health and physical activity can differ depending on factors such as their migration history, gender, financial circumstances, living arrangements and use of health or community services.
For example, the barriers faced by someone who has recently moved to the UK may be very different from those of someone who has lived here for many years. Experiences may also differ between men and women, and between people living alone and those in multigenerational households.
It’s therefore important not to make assumptions about what Arab older adults need or what will motivate them to be more active. Research and interventions need to be developed with communities, rather than for them, so they reflect people’s everyday lives and reach those who may face the greatest barriers to participation.
Looking back over your career so far, are there any moments or experiences that stand out as especially meaningful to you?
One of the most meaningful parts of my career has been working directly with older adults and hearing how their health, independence and everyday routines are shaped by the places and communities around them.
Some of the conversations that stayed with me most were with older adults who said they avoided activities marketed specifically at 'older people' because they often felt patronising and were based on assumptions about what people of a certain age could or could not do. They would have preferred activities organised by level of ability, where people could choose something appropriate to their needs without being defined by their age. It challenged the assumption that age alone tells us what support or opportunities someone needs and reinforced the importance of designing research and services with older adults, rather than simply for them.
Completing my PhD was also a major milestone. It gave me the opportunity to explore how physical activity and sedentary behaviour affect health in later life, while developing the skills and confidence to lead my own research.
More recently, receiving recognition for my work has been very encouraging, but the moments that stand out most are often the smaller ones: when a participant feels listened to, when community members help shape a project, or when research begins to influence how people think about healthy ageing. Those experiences remind me why I chose this area of work.
What is your favourite thing about working at King’s?
My favourite thing about working at King’s is the opportunity to collaborate with people across different disciplines and areas of expertise. My role brings together colleagues working in ageing, rehabilitation, public health and palliative care, which creates a very supportive and intellectually stimulating environment. I also value the emphasis placed on research that has a practical impact. There’s a strong commitment to working with communities, patients and the public, and to ensuring that research responds to real-world needs. That closely aligns with how I want to work and the type of research career I hope to build.
Quick fire:
Hidden talent? I’m very double-jointed so I can lick my elbow.
Favourite film? Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Favourite holiday destination? Alexandria – nothing beats an Egyptian beach.