Professor Bearne is a registered physiotherapist and has a background in physical activity, rehabilitation, and self-management research. After gaining clinical experience in public, private and sports healthcare facilities in the UK and USA, she obtained an MSc in Sports Science (Loughborough University) and a PhD in Health Services Research (King’s College London).

Professor Bearne’s research is focused on the consequences and rehabilitation of people with long term conditions and the translation of evidence into practice

Alongside her academic role, Professor Bearne is a Senior Research Fellow in Knowledge Mobilisation and implementation science at the National Institute of Health and Care Research.

Scholarship activities

Professor Bearne is a member of the Health and Care Professions Council, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, British Society of Rheumatology and British Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in limb Absence Rehabilitation. She is an Associate Editor of Rheumatology Advances in Practice, a member of the NIHR PreClinical Academic and practitioner Fellowship (PCAF) panel and an NIHR research mentor.

Professor Bearne has a long-standing interest in the consequences and rehabilitation of long-term conditions (particularly rheumatic, musculoskeletal and vascular conditions). As Chief Investigator, she leads multi-professional research partnerships that develop and evaluate novel physiotherapy and rehabilitation interventions that inform practice and improve health outcomes.

In her role as Senior Research Fellow at the National Institute of Health and Care Research, Professor Bearne leads researcher capacity training and a programme of research that aims to understand and optimize knowledge mobilisation and evidence use and understand the barriers and drivers of implementing and sustaining evidenced interventions.

Interests

• Development, evaluation and implementation of complex interventions to help people to manage long term conditions particularly rheumatic, musculoskeletal and vascular conditions.
• Knowledge mobilisation and implementation of evidence into practice.
• Allied health professional research capability and capacity development.

View publications via my ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2190-8590

Recent Selected Publications

Volkmer B., Sekhon M., Bieles J., Fisher G., Galea Holmes M.N., Quirke-McFarlane S., Modarai B., Peacock J., Sackley C., Weinman J., Bearne L.M. Participants’ experiences and acceptability of a home-based walking exercise behaviour-change intervention (MOtivating Structure walking Activity in people with Intermittent Claudication (MOSAIC). Physiotherapy (in press)

Black RJ,  Cross M,  Haile LM,  Culbreth GT, Steinmetz JD,  Hagins H, et al Global, regional, and national burden of rheumatoid arthritis, 1990–2020, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 The Lancet Rheumatology 5 (10), e594-e610 

MS Kim, J Hwang, DK Yon, SW Lee, SY Jung, S Park, CO Johnson, et alGlobal burden of peripheral artery disease and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019  ...The Lancet Global Health 11 (10), e1553-e1565

O’Sullivan, D.J., Bearne, L.M.,  Harrington,  J.M.,  McVeigh J.G., Experience and perceptions of Social Prescribing interventions; a qualitative study with people with long-term conditions, link workers and health care providers HRB Open Research 6, 42

Steinmetz, J.D., Culbreth, G.T., Haile, L.M.,  Rafferty, Q., Lo, J., Fukutaki, K.G.,  et al Global, regional, and national burden of osteoarthritis, 1990–2020 and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study The Lancet Rheumatology 2023 5 (9), e508-e522

O’Sullivan, D.J., Bearne, L.M.,  Harrington,  J.M.,  McVeigh J.G., Can social prescribing put the ‘social’ into the biopsychosocial management of people with long‐term musculoskeletal disorders?  Musculoskeletal Care doi.org/10.1002/msc.1810

Ferreira, M.L., de Luca, K., Haile, L.M. Steinmetz, J.D.,GT Culbreth, G.T., Cross, M et al Global, regional, and national burden of low back pain, 1990–2020, its attributable risk factors, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease The Lancet Rheumatology 2023 5 (6), e316-e329

Robert-Lewis, S, Baxter, H. Mein, G., Quirke-McFarlane, S., Leggat, F., Garner, H., Powell, M.., White. S., Bearne L., The use of social media for dissemination of research evidence to health and social care practitioners: a systematic review protocol Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2023 12 (1), e45684

Bearne, L., Physical activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis – is it time to push the pace of change? Rheumatology Advances in Practice. 2023 7, 1, rkac107

Jenkins N, Jhundoo N, Rainbow P, Sheehan K.J, Bearne L.M. Inequity in exercise-based interventions for adults with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review Rheumatology Advances in Practice. 2023 7, 1, rkac095

McIlroy, S., Vaughan, B., Crowe, H. & Bearne, L., The experiences and acceptability of a novel multimodal programme for the management of fibromyalgia: a qualitative service evaluation Musculoskeletal Care 2022 20, 3, p. 686-696

Bearne, L.M., Volkmer, B., Peacock, J., Sekhon, M., Fisher, G., Galea Holmes, M.N., Douiri, A., Amirova, A., Farran, D., Quirke-McFarlane, S., Modarai, B., Sackley, C., Weinman, J., Bieles, J., Effect of a home-based, walking exercise behavior change intervention vs usual care on walking in adults with peripheral artery disease: the MOSAIC randomized clinical trial JAMA. 2022 327 (14), 1344-1355

LM Bearne, N Delaney, M Nielsen, KJ Sheehan. Inequity in exercise-based interventions for adults with intermittent claudication due to peripheral arterial disease: a systematic review, Disability and Rehabilitation. 2022 1-10

Chapman, L., Backhouse, M., Bearne, L., Cherry, L., Cleary, G., DAvey, J., Ferguson, R., Greive, A., Helliwell, P., Lomax, A., McKeeman, H., Rawlings, A., Rees, R., Rooney, R., Ryan, S., Sanders, L., Siddle, H. J., Varley, S., Warburton, L., Woodburn, J., Roddy, E., Management of foot health in people with inflammatory arthritis: British Society for Rheumatology guideline scope Rheumatology 2022 1-5

Hendry, G., Bearne, L., Foster, N. E., Godfrey, E., Hider, S. H., Sackley, C., Sekhon, M. & Steultjens, M., Gait rehabilitation for foot and ankle impairments in early rheumatoid arthritis: a feasibility study of a new gait rehabilitation programme (GREAT Strides) Pilot and Feasibility Studies. 8, 1, 115.

Stather, P., Bearne, L., Shalhoub, J., Pymer, S., Saratzis, A., Birkett, S., Seenan, C. & Harwood, A., The future of exercise therapy for people with intermittent claudication? Journal of Vascular Societies of Great Britain and Ireland. 2022;1(4):108-109

Meade, L., Bearne, L. M & Godfrey, E., Using Intervention Mapping in the Systematic Development of a Behavior Change Intervention to Enhance Exercise Adherence among People with Persistent Musculoskeletal Pain Physiotherapy Canada 2022 74 (2), 216-223

Current and recent funding awards

2023-2026 Bearne. National Incubator Hub for Community Rehabilitation Research National Institute for Health and Care Research (Infrastructure and Capacity Building) 

2022-2025 Staniszewska, Seers, Rycroft Malone, Langley, Dzeidzic, Stacey, Andrews, Hickey, Gazeley, Thomas, Bearne, King, Bird, Skrybant, Grant, Bain, Developing a role for patients and the public in the implementation of health and social care research evidence into practice National Institute for Health and Care Research (HS&DR).

2023-2024 Bearne, Baxter. Exploring engagement, understanding and perceived value of NIHR Evidence outputs with practitioners and decision makers National Institute for Health and Care Research

2022-2023 Bearne, Baxter. Disseminating scientific evidence to healthcare professionals using social media: A review and qualitative study National Institute for Health and Care Research.

2020-2024 Mcilroy, Norton, Weinman, Bearne. The development and feasibility of a post-operative rehabilitation programme to improve walking in older people with neurogenic claudication Dunhill Medical Trust Research Training Fellowship.

2017-2023 Steultjens, Bearne, Hendry, Godfrey, Mason, Foster, Hider, Williams, McConnachie, McInnes, van der Leeden, Ryall, Ramsay, Sackley Woodburn. Gait interventions for patients newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis of the foot or ankle National Institute for Health Research (HTA).

2017- 2021 Bearne, Weinman, Peacock, Modarai, Galea Holmes, Fisher, Sackley A brief physiotherapist-led behaviour-change intervention to facilitate walking in older people with peripheral arterial disease: A randomised controlled trial Dunhill Medical Trust

Professor Bearne supports healthcare professional research capability and capacity building nationally/internationally through postgraduate supervision and mentorship.

Professor Bearne welcomes enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study.

Current PhD supervision

Booth. G. St George’s, University of London. ‘Development of a Physical Activity Maintenance intervention for people with PERsistent musculoskeletal pain (PAMPER)’ St George's, University of London.

Gohil. M. The development and investigation of walking behavior change intervention for people with peripheral arterial disease in India. Charotar University of Science & Technology, India

McIlroy S ‘The development and feasibility of a post-operative rehabilitation programme to improve walking in people with neurogenic claudication'. King's College London

Samad N ‘Non-communicable Diseases among Adolescents: A School-based e-health Intervention in Bangladesh' King's College London

O'Sullivan D ‘The role of social prescribing in the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions in community-based adults' University College Cork,

Completed PhD supervision

Prentice H ‘Understanding the impact of severe contractures in people with advanced dementia and the burden placed on care providers' King's College London, 2023.

Meade L ‘Understanding exercise adherence in patients with persistent musculoskeletal pain using a behaviour change approach' King's College London, 2019.

Galea Holmes M ‘Increasing walking in individuals with intermittent claudication: The roles of walking treatment and illness cognitions' King's College London, 2015.

Manning V ‘Evidenced based upper limb rehabilitation in Rheumatoid Arthritis' King's College London, 2013.