Ben Ellis MSc, BSc, MCSP

School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
Head of Education
Lecturer in Physiotherapy

Contact details

Email: b.ellis@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @bendotellis

Address: School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Ben is an innovative and forward-thinking physiotherapy lecturer with an interest in using active learning approaches to develop critical thinking, evidence-based physiotherapists. His research interests include collaborative and digital educational approaches, simulation and clinical reasoning.

Qualifications

PGcert Teaching in Higher Education, Oxford Brookes University
MSc Physiotherapy (Neurorehabilitation), University of Nottingham
BSc Physiotherapy (Hons), University of Nottingham

Biography

Ben worked in the NHS for 10 years after graduating as a physiotherapist from University of Nottingham, gaining a clinical background of interdisciplinary leadership in community neurological rehabilitation. He subsequently worked as a research physiotherapist on a study of unmet spasticity management needs with University of Nottingham before moving to a teaching role at Oxford Brookes University. Ben worked at Oxford Brookes as a Senior Lecturer and subject coordinator for five years before taking up his current post at the University of Birmingham.

Teaching

Ben teaches across a range of modules within the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Science. He is module lead for Functional anatomy and movement and Evidence-based neurological rehabilitation; and on the module team for Widening perspectives in practice and Complex integrated care.

Ben’s teaching interests include clinical reasoning, simulation, internationalization of the curriculum and the movement science approach to neurological rehabilitation.

Research

Ben’s research interests include the teaching and learning of clinical reasoning, including development of collaborative and social reasoning, and the use of digital and collaborative approaches to healthcare education and internationalization of the curriculum.

Ben is currently leading a project funded by Universitas21 to develop a global health challenges digital module for healthcare students.

Other activities

Co-founder of In Beta, an international collaborative physiotherapy education project. Organiser of the annual two-day unconference and student research twitter conferences, host of regular online discussions and podcasts on physiotherapy education.
Editorial board member of OpenPhysio an open access physiotherapy education journal.
Professional Affiliations / Memberships
- Health and Care Professions Council (Registration number PH72901)
- Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (Member number 74655)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology

Publications

Edwards L, Ellis B, Donnellan C, Osman H, Haboubi N, Jones M, Sunman W, Pinnington L, Phillips MF. Prevalence of unmet needs for spasticity management in care home residents in the East Midlands, United Kingdom: a cross-sectional observational study. Clinical Rehabilitation. 2019 Nov;33(11):1819-1830. doi: 10.1177/0269215519859621. Epub 2019 Jul 2.

Conference abstracts

Mackay N, Ellis B. Caring for the dying: how prepared do newly qualified physiotherapists feel about providing care for patients who are dying? Poster presentation at Physiotherapy UK, November 2019. Birmingham, UK.

Patterson N, Ellis B. What outcome measures do students need to be able to use for clinical practice? Poster presentation at Physiotherapy UK, November 2019. Birmingham, UK.

Ellis B, Rowe M, Twycross J. Continuing professional development: Do we really need more conferences? Poster presentation at World Congress of Physical Therapy, May 2019. Geneva, Switzerland.

Ellis B, Stiger R, Ezekiel L, Huguenin J. Home sweet home: Moving simulated-learning opportunities from the hospital to the community. Poster presentation at European Network of Physiotherapists in Education Conference, September 2018. Paris, France

Ellis B, Christe G. Internationalising the physiotherapy curriculum through a transnational collaborative digital learning project. Platform presentation at Physiotherapy UK, October 2017. Birmingham UK DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2017.11.152

Ellis B, Edwards L, Phillips M, Pinnington L. Unmet spasticity management needs in care home residents. Platform presentation at: ACPIN / International Neurological Physiotherapy Association conference, March 2016. London, UK.

Edwards L, Ellis B, Phillips M, Pinnington L. Challenges recruiting care home residents to rehabilitation research. Poster presentation at: British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine conference, December 2015. London, UK.

Conference sessions

Chair of focused Symposium "Learning to manage complexity" at Physiotherapy UK, November 2019. Birmingham, UK.

Campfire Session "What should CPD and in-service training look like in 2020?" at Physiotherapy UK, November 2019. Birmingham, UK.

Speaker at WCPT Professional seminar "#GlobalPT: #BetterTogether, using social media for connection" at WCPT, May 2019. Geneva Switzerland.

Facilitator of "Collaborative design of teaching and learning in physiotherapy education: A participant-led workshop to solve real-life problems" at ENPHE Conference, September 2018. Paris, France.

View all publications in research portal