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Staff Profile

Emerita Professor Helen Foster

Emerita Professor

  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 5548
  • Address: Population and Health Institute
    Baddiley Clarke Building
    Newcastle University
    Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Background

Introduction

Helen graduated from Newcastle University medical school in 1985 and then trained in adult medicine, adult rheumatology and subsequently general paediatrics and paediatric rheumatology with a clinical fellowship in Vancouver, Canada.She has worked in the National Health Service (NHS) UK as a Consultant since 1995 at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Helen was appointed as Clinical Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Rheumatology 2001 at Newcastle University and awarded a Personal Chair in 2008.

She is champion of best practice and advocate for 'right care'. She represented paediatric rheumatology at a national and international level to develop and implement changes in clinical practice, training and research. In various national roles she led change in clinical care delivery and training across the UK, NHS England Specialist Commissioning in paediatric rheumatology and development of European Recommendations for Transitional care. She contributed to NICE guidelines for biologics in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and NICE guidance with ‘Rightpath’ (http://www.rightpath.solutions) as a validated community based model of musculoskeletal (MSK) triage in the community. She is member of the WHO Expert Panel for MSK health (2021), contributed to WHO guidance (Chronic pain 2020) and proposals to change the WHO Essentials Medicine List for Joint Diseases (2020). Her academic work research has focused on identifying, describing and addressing barriers and drivers to right care. Key achievements include novel clinical tools (pGALS, pREMS) widely embedded in clinical education and a portfolio of e-resources called Paediatric Musculoskeletal Matters - PMM (http://www.pmmonline.org) - which is a free and open resource targeting medical students, community care and general paediatricians around the world. PMM was transferred to the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society in May 2022.

Helen worked at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia 2018-2020 and set up the Paediatric Global MSK Task Force with a ‘call to action’ to promote better MSK health for all children. 

She retired from the NHS in November 2021. Following her retirement and appointment to Emerita Professor she aims to promote paediatric global MSK health and the importance of access to right care. 


Research

To improve access to best care for children with musculoskeletal problems through greater awareness, insight and understanding of barriers and drivers to inform an evidence based strategy to address unmet need. Our research has been driven by a motivated multi-professional interdisciplinary team with a shared vision of working better together. 

Our work has contributed to education and training of the workforce, standards of care, models of practice and NICE guidance. Key Interventions include:

  • Novel evidence based educational resources targeting all health care professionals involved in care pathways for children (pGALS, V-pGALS, pREMS and the PMM Portfolio).
  • Models of care to facilitate earlier diagnosis and access to specialist care - RightPath, pGALSplus 
  • PMM Portfolio (website, apps and e-modules) and telemedicine (V-pGALS).
  • Updating the WHO Essential Medicines List for Joint Diseases in children to facilitate access to treatments.

Our work has progressed to the wider health care context, in partnership together with stakeholders from low and middle resource income countries around the world to raise awareness, workforce capacity build and lobbying for change.





Teaching

Helen has extensive clinical teaching experience, mentoring and support for medical students and postgraduate trainees in primary care, general paediatrics and sub-specialist training. Her body of work has led to novel e-resources to promote teaching and learning about paediatric musculoskeletal medicine targeting medical / nursing students, trainees in primary care and paediatrics and clinicians in allied health and nursing. She developed pGALS as a validated musculoskeletal examination tool which is widely taught around the world and facilitated through multiple language translations.

As Founder and Editor of Paediatric Musculoskeletal Matters (PMM) - the body of work has grown as a collaborative effort with global partners and latterly with the Paediatric Global Musculoskeletal Task Force to raise awareness, facilitate early diagnosis and access to 'right' care. The PMM Portfolio is free and comprises evidence based e-resources including the PMM website, pGALS app and e-modules. PMM was transferred from Newcastle University to the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society (PRES) in 2022 for long term guardianship and to maintain it being free and open to al.

As lead of the Royal College Paediatrics and Child Health Specialist Advisory Committee, Helen led development of the Competency Framework for paediatric rheumatology training in the UK and inclusion of musculoskeletal competences for all paediatricians. 

As UK representative for the PReS Education and Training Committee (ETC), she worked to develop standards and curricula for training in Europe. Ongoing collaboration with the Global Task Force and PReS support and facilitate workforce capacity building in low and middle resource income countries.

As a member of the World Forum on Medical Education in Rheumatology Helen has worked to promote inclusion of paediatrics musculoskeletal health in undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. 




Publications