Danielle Ramsey

Danielle is currently leading the design, development and validation of the new BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy programme at the University of Suffolk.  Danielle is an experienced Senior Lecturer and brings to the University previous experience as a physiotherapy programme leader at another higher education institution.  Danielle is experienced in course leadership and teaching undergraduate physiotherapy students on a range of topics and believes in providing an enriched active learning experience to students.  Her speciality subjects include neuroscience, research and paediatrics. 

Danielle is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning & Teaching in Higher Education.  At her previous institution Danielle received a finalist award for Teaching Roll of Honour (2019).  She also received the Areles Molleman prize for her work regarding Neurophobia & playful learning in Undergraduate Physiotherapy students.  Danielle is passionate about making difficult and challenging concepts more understandable by using playful and active learning approaches.

Danielle’s research interests mainly lie within the field of neuromuscular conditions and particularly Spinal Muscular Atrophy research.  Danielle maintains an Honorary research position with Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, working on the national SMA REACH UK project and international projects in relation to outcome measure development and SMA natural history.  Danielle has an emerging interest in the research underpinning playful learning pedagogy and the concept of neurophobia in physiotherapy students.

Research Impact:  The Revised Hammersmith Scale is currently being used as part of the NHS England’s NICE Managed Access Agreement for Nusinersen and is also being used in a range of clinical trials and natural history studies in Spinal Muscular Atrophy internationally.

Recent Publications:

Ramsey, D. (2021) Neurophobia – Using playful learning as a pedagogy & investigating troublesome knowledge in the level 5 neurosciences curriculum. Blended Learning in Practice. Spring 2021, pp. 113 – 128.

iSMAC Consortium Group, Pera, M.C., Coratti, G., Mazzone, E.S., Montes, J., Scoto, M., De Sanctis, R., Main, M., Mayhew, A., Muni Lofra, R., Dunaway Young, S., Glanzman, A.M., Duong, T., Pasternak., A., Ramsey, D., et al., (2019) Revised Upper Limb Module for Spinal Muscular Atrophy: 12 month changes. Muscle & Nerve. vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 426-430.   doi.org/10.1002/mus.26419

24th International Annual Congress of the World Muscle Society, Copenhagen, Denmark, Poster Presentation - Ramsey, D., Scoto, M., Mayhew, A., Muni Lofra, R., Main, M., Milev, E., . . . Muntoni, F. (2019). P.220 The Revised Hammersmith Scale (RHS) for Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Longitudinal trajectories in a large international cohort of patients with type 2 and 3 SMA. Neuromuscular Disorders, 29, S131-S131. doi:10.1016/j.nmd.2019.06.334

Salazar, R, Montes, J, Young, SD, McDermott, MP, Martens, W, Pasternak, A, Quigley, J, Mirek, E, Glanzman, AM, Civitello, M, Gee, R, Duong, T, Mazzone, ES, Main, M, Mayhew, A, Ramsey, D. et al., (2018) Quantitative evaluation of lower extremity joint contractures in Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Implications for motor function.  Pediatric Physical Therapy, vol 30, no 3, pp 209-215. doi.org/10.1097/PEP.0000000000000515

Montes, J, McDermott, MP, Mirek, E, Mazzone, ES, Main, M, Glanzman, AM, Duong, T, Young, SD, Salazar, R, Pasternak, A, Gee, R, De Sanctis, R, Coratti, G, Forcina, N, Fanelli, L, Ramsey, D et al., (2018), Ambulatory function in spinal muscular atrophy: Age-related patterns of progression, PLoS ONE, vol. 13, no. 6, e0199657., pp. e0199657. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199657

Ramsey,. D, Scoto, M., Mayhew, A., Main, M., Mazzone, E.S., et al. (2017) Revised Hammersmith Scale for Spinal Muscular Atrophy: A SMA specific clinical outcome assessment tool. PLoS ONE 12(2): e0172346. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172346

Mazzone, E. S., Mayhew, A., Montes, J., Ramsey, D., et al., (2017). Revised upper limb module for spinal muscular atrophy: Development of a new module: RULM in SMA. Muscle & Nerve, doi:10.1002/mus.25430

Pera, M.C., Coratti, G., Forcina, N., Mazzone, E.S., Scoto, M., Montes, J., Pasternak, A., Mayhew, A., Messina, S., Sframeli, M., Main, M., Muni Lofra, R., Duong, T., Ramsey, D., et al., (2017) Content validity and clinical meaningfulness of the HFMSE in spinal muscular atrophy.  BMC Neurology. DOI 10.1186/s12883-017-0790-9

Montes, J, Young, SD, Mazzone, E, Main, M, Bartels, B, Civitello, M, Coratti, G, Young, SD, Duong, T, Estilow, T, Gee, R, Glanzman, AM, Kitsuwa-Lowe, J, Main, M, Mayhew, A, Mazzone, E, Mirek, E, Montes, J, Lofra, RM, Pandya, S, Pasternak, A, Ramsey, D, et al., (2017), First international workshop on rehabilitation management and clinical outcome measures for spinal muscular atrophy, Neuromuscular Disorders, vol. 27, no. 10, pp. 964-969. doi.org/10.1016/j.nmd.2017.07.005

Danielle will be working with the local physiotherapy providers across the East of England to create placement partnerships for the undergraduate physiotherapy programme.

Danielle has previously undertaken teaching consultancy activities for ROCHE in relation to outcome measures and Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Registered Physiotherapist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP)

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Member of the Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists (APCP)

Member of Association of Chartered Physiotherapists In Neurology (ACPIN)

Registered Physiotherapist with the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand