Dr Danielle Christian

Danielle's current role in the Stroke Research Team involves developing a strategy to implement aspects of the National Stroke Plan at a national level. This include undertaking a mixed methods review of the current Stroke Specific Education Framework (SSEF), updating and improving and improving engagement with the finished toolkit, and evaluating the subsequent implementation strategy.

After gaining her BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Sciences in 2008 from University of Birmingham, Danielle went on to work as a researcher for Bolton Wanderers Community Trust promoting health through the medium of football. She was awarded her PhD in Paediatric Public Health and Exercise in 2016 from Swansea University. Danielle’s mixed methods PhD involved the development, management and process evaluation of two school-based interventions; Active Children Through Incentive Vouchers – Evaluation (ACTIVE) in secondary schools and Community Led Active Schools Programme (CLASP) in primary schools.

Danielle acquired a postdoctoral position at Edge Hill University, rolling out the Youth Sport Trust funded UK Youth Activity Profile and coordinating the process evaluation of the West Lancashire Sport Partnership’s ‘Born to Move’ and ‘Dr FeelWell’ projects, which both focus on improving pupil’s physical activity, health and wellbeing in primary schools. A Senior Research Associate role in UCLan's Research Support Team then developed Danielle's research methodologies further. This role focused on the evaluation of a robotic arm intervention for stroke recovery, the exploration of a scoping review of universal emotional resilience interventions for children and adolescents, evidence syntheses of the impact of pandemics on health care workers and the general population, and various rapid review syntheses.