Professor Kay Cooper
An upcoming professorial lecture at Robert Gordon University (RGU) will explore the role that each individual has in their own healthcare when living with long-term conditions.
Professor Kay Cooper will deliver a public lecture on Wednesday, January 23, titled ‘Self-management of long-term health conditions: Whose role is it anyway?’
The free event, which will take place in the Sir Ian Wood Building at RGU’s Garthdee campus, is part of a series of professorial lectures introduced by the university, where a number of its experts discuss topical and insightful research issues.
Professor Cooper is clinical professor of Allied Health Professions, an innovative position jointly funded by RGU’s School of Health Sciences and NHS Grampian, with a remit to develop research capacity and capability across the Allied Health Professions and to facilitate clinical academic partnerships.
A physiotherapist with a passion for ensuring patients receive care based on the best available evidence, professor Cooper’s research focuses on supporting people to live well with long-term conditions, often by harnessing one of the most powerful, accessible and free “interventions” in the healthcare arena – being physically active.
Her lecture will explore self-management of long-term musculoskeletal conditions such as low back pain, now the world’s leading cause of disability.
Drawing on her own and others research in the field, her lecture will consider issues including the role of “self” in self-management, the power of physical activity and what prevents many of us from using such a powerful tool for managing (and preventing) long-term health conditions.
Speaking ahead of her upcoming lecture, professor Cooper said: “I will be presenting the case of personalised self-management, where people with chronic conditions are supported in a manner appropriate to their individual needs in order to live well.
“This is an increasingly important field of healthcare and there are still improvements to be made, so I will demonstrate to attendees how research and practice might consider doing things differently to ensure every individual receives the best possible care in the future.”
The lecture will take place in the Sir Ian Wood Building at RGU’s Garthdee campus. It will begin at 6pm and will be followed by light refreshments.
To find out more information or to book a place at the lecture, please email professorial.lectures@rgu.ac.uk.