Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work

About the Centre

Welcome to the website of the National Centre of Excellence for Musculoskeletal Health and Work. This is a multidisciplinary research collaboration, funded by Versus Arthritis and the Medical Research Council. Originally funded 2014-2019, we have recently been awarded new funds to continue our work 2019-2024. Our overarching aim is to identify cost-effective ways to minimise the substantial adverse impacts of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace.

The Centre is a “hub and spoke” collaboration with the involvement of a number of other UK institutions (see Figure). The other grant holders are: Professor Gary Macfarlane (Deputy Director), Professor Cyrus Cooper, Emeritus Professor David Coggon, Dr Julia Smedley, Dr Gareth Jones, Professor Stephen Bevan, Emeritus Professor John Goodacre, Dr Paula Holland, Dr Ira Madan, Professor Alison Hammond, Dr Yeliz Prior, Professor Rob Moots, Dr Nicola Goodson, Professor Katherine Payne, Dr Suzanne Verstappen, Professor George Peat, Dr Ross Wilkie, Dr Gwen Wynne-Jones, Prof Nicola Fear, Dr Elaine Wainwright (more details are available under Partners).

 

The team in Southampton has been involved in epidemiological research on the interrelation of work and health for more than 30 years, with a particular focus on musculoskeletal illness.  It benefits from close links to research programmes in the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre (LEC) on bone and joint disease and sarcopenia.  The Centre is co-located with the MRC LEC directed by Professor Cyrus Cooper.

• Staff
• Research projects led by the Southampton hub
• Research projects involving the Southampton hub

The Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work is led from Southampton with partners in other institutions across the UK, and a number of external collaborators. To find out more about the partners and collaborators, please click on the links below.

• University of Aberdeen
• Bath Spa University
• University of Keele
• University of Lancaster
• University of Manchester
• University of Salford, Manchester
• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
• Institute for Employment Studies
• King’s College London
• External collaborators

At the heart of the Centre’s work are its research projects, which cover a range of topics with an emphasis on informing policy and practice.

Outputs from this research include publications, research tools, and guidance notes.

In addition, the Centre provides a focus for training in research methods across various scientific disciplines that are relevant to musculoskeletal health and work.

Useful links:

• Versus Arthritis (formerly Arthritis Research UK) – http://www.versusarthritis.org/
• Department for Work and Pensions – https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions
• Department of Health and Social Care – https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care
• Health and Safety Executive – http://www.hse.gov.uk/
• Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) – https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/industrial-injuries-advisory-council
• Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre – http://www.mrc.soton.ac.uk/
• The Faculty of Occupational Medicine – http://www.fom.ac.uk/
• The Society of Occupational Medicine – https://www.som.org.uk/