Researcher Details |

Cliona O'Sullivan

Prof.

Cliona is Full Professor in Physiotherapy at Dublin City University. She worked as a clinical physiotherapist for 10 years in Ireland, the UK and Burkina Faso. She has substantial engagement with physiotherapy and health professions education for more than 20 years, first as Clinical Teacher (Trinity College Dublin) and Lecturer, and later Associate Professor in University College Dublin. She has led the development of professional physiotherapy programmes and several initiatives relating to intercultural learning and internationalisation of the student experience.

Her research spans musculoskeletal health, health systems and global health and she collaborates with clinical partners, international universities and NGOs to understand barriers to access services and develop, implement and evaluate innovative solutions and models of care, including technology enabled care pathways, in areas such as low back pain, paediatric orthopaedics, and pelvic health. Current research projects focus on health system strengthening; and include co-creation of musculoskeletal digital clinical decision support systems for GPs (Ireland) and frontline community-based health workers (Uganda); and understanding barriers to rehabilitation for women with disabilities (Ethiopia and Cambodia).

She has represented World Physiotherapy (previously World Confederation for Physical Therapy, WCPT) at World Health Organisation (WHO) meetings relating to rehabilitation and was a member of the WHO Development Group for Priority Interventions for Osteoarthritis. She is a registered physiotherapist with CORU, the Health and Social Care Professions Council of Ireland and a member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP). She is a Visiting Full Professor at the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science at University College Dublin.

Peer Reviewed Journal

	Year	Publication
	2020	Fennelly, O; Desmeules, F; O'Sullivan, C; Heneghan, NR; Cunningham, C (2020) 'Advanced musculoskeletal physiotherapy practice: Informing education curricula'. Musculoskeletal science & practice, 48 . [DOI]
	2019	Barth, CA; Wladis, A; Blake, C; Bhandarkar, P; O'Sullivan, C (2019) 'Users of rehabilitation services in 14 countries and territories affected by conflict, 1988-2018'. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 98 (9). [DOI]
	2019	Ellis, R; Helsby, J; Naus, J; Bassett, S; Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, C; Carnero, SF; Hides, J; O'Sullivan, C; Teyhen, D; Stokes, M; Whittaker, JL (2019) 'Exploring the use of ultrasound imaging by physiotherapists: An international survey'. Musculoskeletal science & practice, 49 . [DOI]
	2019	Redmond, C; Hardie, P; Davies, C; Cornally, D; Daly, O; O'Sullivan, C (2019) 'Increasing competence in wound care: A cross-sectional study to evaluate use of a virtual patient by undergraduate student nurses'. Nurse Education in Practice, 44 . [DOI]
	2019	Whittaker, JL; Ellis, R; Hodges, PW; OSullivan, C; Hides, J; Fernandez-Carnero, S; Arias-Buria, JL; Teyhen, DS; Stokes, MJ (2019) 'Imaging with ultrasound in physical therapy: What is the PT's scope of practice? A competency-based educational model and training recommendations'. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE, 53 (23). [DOI]
	2019	O Mir, M; Oʼ Sullivan, C; Blake, C; Lennon, O (2019) 'An Exploration of Parental Satisfaction With an Advanced Practice Physical Therapy Clinic in Pediatric Orthopedics'. Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association, 31 (2). [DOI]
	2019	Lennon, O; Logeswaran, K; Mistry, S; Moore, T; Severini, G; Cornall, C; O'Sullivan, C; McCarthy Persson, U (2019) 'Effect of the Triceps Brachii Facilitation Technique on Scapulohumeral Muscle Activation during Reach and Point in a Healthy Population'. Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada, 71 (4). [DOI]
	2019	Ó Mír, M.; Rokicki, S.; Lennon, O.; O'Toole, P.O.; Desmeules, F.; O'Sullivan, C. (2019) 'An advanced practice physiotherapy clinic in paediatric orthopaedics: A cost minimisation analysis'. Physiotherapy Practice and Research, 40 . [Link] [DOI]
	2018	Fennelly, O; Blake, C; FitzGerald, O; Breen, R; O'Sullivan, C; O'Mir, M; Desmeules, F; Cunningham, C (2018) 'Advanced musculoskeletal physiotherapy practice in Ireland: A National Survey'. Musculoskeletal care, 16 (4). [DOI]
	2018	Ó Mír, M; O'Sullivan, C; Lennon, O; Blake, C (2018) 'An evaluation of diagnostic agreement rates between advanced practice physiotherapists and paediatric orthopaedic consultants for children with musculoskeletal complaints'. Musculoskeletal care, 16 (4). [DOI]
	2018	Dee, M; Lennon, O; O'Sullivan, C (2018) 'A systematic review of physical rehabilitation interventions for stroke in low and lower-middle income countries'. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42 (4). [DOI]
	2016	Ó Mír, M; O'Sullivan, C (2016) 'Advanced practice physiotherapy in paediatric orthopaedics: innovation and collaboration to improve service delivery'. Irish Journal of Medical Science, 187 (1). [DOI]
	2025	Harscouët, P.; Chimpaye, G.N.; Kazibwe, H.; Kabakyenga, J.; O’Callaghan, D.; Blake, C.; Caulfield, B.; O’Sullivan, C. (2025) 'Managing low-back pain in rural Uganda: a qualitative study exploring the perspectives and practices of frontline health workers regarding LBP management in primary care'. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 26 . [Link] [DOI]
	2024	Barth, CA; Donovan-Hall, M; Blake, C; Akhtar, NJ; Al-Barawi, S; Kazibwe, H; O'Sullivan, C (2024) 'Otherwise … he will be a beggar: a focus group study to understand the Perspectives of physiotherapists about measuring rehabilitation outcomes and impact in low-resource and conflict-affected settings'. Disability and Rehabilitation, 46 (14). [DOI]
	2024	Carroll, M.L.; Doody, C.; O' Sullivan, C.; Perrotta, C.; Fullen, B.M. (2024) 'Co-Design of a website for women with pelvic organ prolapse: A study protocol'. HRB Open Research, 6 . [Link] [DOI]
	2023	Carroll, L; Sullivan, CO; Doody, C; Perrotta, C; Fullen, BM (2023) 'Pelvic organ prolapse: Women's experiences of Accessing Care & Recommendations for improvement'. BMC Women's Health, 23 (1). [DOI]
	2023	Carroll, L; O' Sullivan, C; Perrotta, C; Fullen, BM (2023) 'Biopsychosocial profile of women with pelvic organ prolapse: A systematic review'. Women's health (London, England), 19 . [DOI]
	2022	Ryan, D; Rio, E; O'Donoghue, G; O'Sullivan, C (2022) 'I've got a spring in my step participants experience of action observation therapy and eccentric exercises, a telehealth study for mid-portion Achilles Tendinopathy: a qualitative study'. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 16 (1). [DOI]
	2022	Barth, CA; Wladis, A; Roy, N; Blake, C; Kolo, SM; O'Sullivan, C (2022) 'Ways to improve surgical outcomes in low- and middle-income countries'. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 100 (11). [DOI]
	2022	Ryan, D; O'Donoghue, G; Rio, E; Segurado, R; O'Sullivan, C (2022) 'The effect of combined Action Observation Therapy with eccentric exercises in the treatment of mid-portion Achilles-tendinopathy: a feasibility pilot randomised controlled trial'. BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 14 (1). [DOI]
	2022	Carroll, L; O' Sullivan, C; Doody, C; Perrotta, C; Fullen, B (2022) 'Pelvic organ prolapse: The lived experience'. PLoS ONE, 17 (11). [DOI]
	2021	Ryan, D; Rio, E; O'Donoghue, G; O'Sullivan, C (2021) 'The effect of combined action observation therapy and eccentric exercises in the treatment of mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy: study protocol for a feasibility pilot randomised controlled trial'. Pilot And Feasibility Studies, 8 (1). [DOI]
	2021	Ryan, D; Fullen, B; Rio, E; Segurado, R; Stokes, D; O'Sullivan, C (2021) 'Effect of Action Observation Therapy in the Rehabilitation of Neurologic and Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Systematic Review'. Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation, 3 (1). [DOI]
	2021	Barth, CA; Donovan-Hall, M; Blake, C; Jahan Akhtar, N; Capo-Chichi, JM; O'Sullivan, C (2021) 'A Focus Group Study to Understand the Perspectives of Physiotherapists on Barriers and Facilitators to Advancing Rehabilitation in Low-Resource and Conflict Settings'. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (22). [DOI]
	2021	O'Donoghue, G; O'Sullivan, C; Corridan, I; Daly, J; Finn, R; Melvin, K; Peiris, C (2021) 'Lifestyle Interventions to Improve Glycemic Control in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Living in Low-and-Middle Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)'. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (12). [DOI]
	2021	Barth, CA; Wladis, A; Blake, C; Bhandarkar, P; Aebischer Perone, S; O'Sullivan, C (2021) 'Retrospective observational study of characteristics of persons with amputations accessing International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) rehabilitation centres in five conflict and postconflict countries'. BMJ Open, 11 (12). [DOI]
	2020	O Mir, M; Blake, C; Cunningham, C; Fennelly, O; O'Sullivan, C (2020) 'Orthopaedic consultant surgeons perceptions of an advanced practice physiotherapy service in paediatrics: A qualitative study'. Musculoskeletal care, 19 (2). [DOI]

Other Publication

	Year	Publication
	2020	Fennelly, O; Desmeules, F; O'Sullivan, C; Heneghan, NR; Cunningham, C (2020) Response to letter to the editor regarding advanced musculoskeletal physiotherapy practice: Informing education curricula. [DOI]
	2021	Ryan, D.; O’Sullivan, C. (2021) Outcome measures used in intervention studies for the rehabilitation of mid-portion achilles tendinopathy; a scoping review. [Link] [DOI]