Post-graduate Researcher

Department: Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation

Before embarking on her PhD, Ruth completed both her honours degree in Sport and Exercise Science and Masters by Research in Applied Science at the University of Chester. Ruth’s research is primarily focused on exercise and prostate cancer recovery and she has recently received a small research grant from The Urology Foundation. Ruth is ISAK level 1 certified, phlebotomy trained and is currently working towards the ACSM Clinical Exercise Physiologist certification.

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Qualifications

Masters by Research in Applied Science
BSc(Hons) Sport and Exercise Science

Overview of Doctoral Research

Supported progressive resistance training for countering the adverse side effects of prostate cancer treatment

The project comprises of three distinct phases. Phase 1 consists of a systematic review and qualitative data collection to help understand the health status and exercise needs of men who have been treated for prostate cancer (radical prostatectomy and hormone therapy). Phase 2 comprises of programme development sessions and an online health professional survey. The experimental pilot work with small groups of prostate cancer patients will be used to develop and refine the progressive resistance exercise intervention(s). The online survey will ask health professionals within the trust their opinions of resistance exercise as part of the patient care pathway. Phase 3 is a randomised controlled study of a supported progressive resistance exercise intervention in prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy. Patients will be randomised to the exercise intervention or standard care control group. Thereafter the research team aim to complete a second randomised controlled study to assess the health benefits of the same resistance training programme in patients on hormone therapy.

Publications/Outputs

Ashton, R., & Twist, C. (2015). Number of Directional Changes Alters the Physiological, Perceptual, and Neuromuscular Responses of Netball Players During Intermittent Shuttle Running. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29, 2731-2737.