Who we are

Co-Leads

Associate Professor, School of Geography,
University of Nottingham

Dr. Stephanie Coen (she/her)

Dr. Stephanie Coen is an interdisciplinary health geographer using qualitative, arts-based, and participatory methods to identify and intervene in disparities in health, sport, and physical activity. A core strand of her research uncovers how seemingly taken-for-granted features of sport and physical activity environments shape gendered inequities in participation and injury risk. Coen’s previous knowledge translation professional experience working with scientists and stakeholders to realise the societal benefits of health research underpins her collaborative solutions-focused ethos.

Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy,
University of Manitoba

Dr. Joanne Parsons (she/her)

Dr. Joanne Parsons’  research program focuses on examining how the gendered socio-cultural and physical environments surrounding girls and women in sports may impact their injury risk and experiences. Dr. Parsons has a particular interest in resistance training and how it can be optimized to encourage participation and decrease injury risk across diverse populations. Her research is deeply informed by her clinical experience in orthopedic physical therapy and time working on the sidelines of competitive sports, ensuring that research findings translate into real-world impact.

Research Staff & Students

EDGE Collaborative Network

Colleagues, collaborators, and friends who share the EDGE mission and values.

  • Loïc Bel

    Sports Physiotherapist & PhD Candidate

    Institutions: Clinic Movare, and Amsterdam University Medical Centre

    Disciplines: Sports Physiotherapy, Injury Prevention

    Topics:
    • Reducing barriers to access to human resources in sports settings
    • Promoting gender equity in sports and physical activity
    • Building inclusive and safe clinical spaces
    • Promoting healthy performance in youth through injury prevention and interdisciplinary teams

  • Dr. Ali Bowes

    Senior Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University

    Discipline: Sociology

    Topics:
    • Sociocultural research into women’s sport
    • Gendered inequalities in elite sport practice
    • Professionalisation processes in women’s sport

  • Dr. Luis Cereijo Tejedor

    Assistant Professor, University of Alcalá

    Discipline: Physical Activity and Sport Sciences

    Topics:
    • Exercise and physical activity
    • Epidemiology
    • Health inequities
    • Urban health
    • Social determinants of health

  • Dr. Simon Cook

    Senior Lecturer, Birmingham City University

    Disciplines: Human Geography, Mobilities Studies, Sport Studies

    Topics:
    • Everyday experiences
    • Space and place
    • Politics of mobility
    • Changing practices
    • Active practices

  • Dr. Victoria Downie

    Dr. Victoria Downie

    Performance Innovation Consultant & Physiology Technical Lead, UK Sports Institute

    Discipline: Physiology

    Topics:

    • Understanding gendered environments in elite sport
    • Developing female athlete strategies to improve performance in women’s Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Designing and implementing bespoke apparel and equipment for female athletes

  • Lucy Follett

    Lucy Follett

    Performance Innovation Consultant, UK Sports Institute

    Discipline: Physiotherapy

    Topics:
    • Change through innovation in elite sport
    • Gendered environments in Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Athlete health

  • Steve McCaig

    Dr. Steve McCaig

    Athlete Health Lead, UK Sports Institute

    Discipline: Physiotherapy

    Topics:
    • Health surveillance in elite athletes
    • Relationships between musculoskeletal profiling, injury risk, and performance
    • Gender differences in injury rates among Olympic athletes, their contributing factors, and measures to address them

  • Prof. Dr. Anne Reimers

    Prof. Dr. Anne Reimers

    Professor, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg

    Discipline: Sport Science

    Topics:
    • Physical activity promotion
    • Health equity
    • Children and adolescents with disabilities
    • Social and physical environments

  • Anna Stitelmann

    Sports Physiotherapist & PhD candidate

    Institutions: Geneva University Hospitals, and Geneva School of Health Sciences

    Discipline: Physiotherapy

    Topics:
    • Clinician working with athletes
    • PhD work on the effect of the menstrual cycle and its symptoms on neuromuscular performance
    • Physiotherapy teaching assistant in women's health and sport

  • Dr. Stella Veith

    Physiotherapist & U17s Women’s Football National Team Head Physiotherapist

    Institutions: Figtree Physiotherapy, Football Australia, and University of Wollongong

    Discipline: Physiotherapy

    Topics:
    • Injury prevention applying a gendered environmental approach
    • Driving positive change in practice and research in community and elite youth football

  • Dr. Matt Whalan

    Sports Physiotherapist & Football Australia Player Availability Coordinator

    Institutions: Figtree Physiotherapy, Football Australia, University of Wollongong, LaTrobe University, Expert Advisor - Washington Spirit, and FIFA Women’s Division

    Disciplines: Injury Prevention Systems, Rehabilitation and Return to Performance, Injury Surveillance

    Topics:
    • Injury prevention and stakeholder engagement considering the gendered environmental context
    • Inequity in injury prevention system development for the female athlete

  • James Woodward

    PhD Researcher, Ulster University

    Discipline: Biomechanics

    Topics:
    •     Holistic approach to understanding injury risk and mechanisms in women’s sport

Sport & Community Collaborators