Professor of Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, University of Manchester

Joint theme lead: Rehabilitation and Living With Disability, Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre https://gjbrainresearch.org/

Neurorehabilitation with a special interest in stroke. My research aims to improve services for people with neuropsychological impairments and communication difficulties, and informal carers. These resulted in successful research impact cases in the UK's REF2021 and REF2014.

Active research projects (UPDATE PENDING):

Wright-Hughes A (CI), et al. Bowen A (Co-Applicant). Initial steps in the development of a core outcome set (COS) for the treatment and prevention of post-stroke psychological problems. TMRP Mental Health Mission Project Funding. £36K. 2024-2025.

Rossit S (Lead Applicant), et al. Bowen A (Co-Applicant). Spatial Inattention Grasping Therapy (SIGHT) for rehabilitation of spatial neglect poststroke: a randomised-control multicentre efficacy trial with embedded mechanistic study of determinants of therapy response. NIHR EME Stage 2, £1,252,065, 2025-2028.

Bowen A (CI), Thomas S, Chouliara N, Cotterill S, Hill G, Bamford A, Longley V, Conroy P, Zadik J, Patchwood E. Upskilling a workforce to deliver inclusive, accessible psychological support after stroke (the WAterS-2 study). Stroke Association, £225,766. 2023–2025.

Mitchell C. (Supervisor: Bowen A). Postdoctoral Fellowship. Speech after stroke recovery study: exploring speech recovery over time and core outcome set. Stroke Association, £212K, 2021-27.

Mancuso M (CI), et al. Bowen A (Co-I). Rehabilitation and Polymorphisms in Regione Toscana - RE.PO.R.T. E735K euros, 2021 – 2025.

Completed projects being disseminated:

Lucas L. (Supervisor: Bowen A). Postgraduate Fellowship. Understanding therapeutic alliance in supported self-management in community stroke services. Stroke Association £115K, 2021-24. https://www.stroke.org.uk/research/how-does-relationship-between-therapist-and-stroke-survivor-affect-stroke-recovery

King A/Tyrrell P (CI), et al. Bowen A (Co-I). Does Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Improve Outcome following aneurysmal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage (aSAH)? NIHR EME £2.1M, 2017-2024 https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/14/209/07

Radford K (CI), et al. Bowen A (Co-I). Return to work after stroke. NIHR HTA £1.8M, 2017-2023 https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/15/130/11

Harcourt B, Brown R and Bowen A. Informal caregiving following stroke: a qualitative exploration of carer self-identification, care-related language and support experiences. 2021-2024. Unfunded ClinPsyD, Univerity of Manchester.

Bowen A (CI), Williams L. Towards evidence-based consensus on how spatial neglect is identified after stroke. Wellcome EDI Enhancing Research Culture Placements. £3,096, 2023.

Mitchell C, Kirkham J (joint CIs), et al. Bowen A (Co-I). Development of a core outcome set for clinical research on interventions for speech impairments in Stroke: COS-Speech. NIHR RfPB, £117K, 2022-2023. https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR202748

Longley V, Bowen A (lead CI), Edge D, Cheyne J, Naicker R, Zadik J, Bamford A, Rickard S, Kwaku-Odoi C and Ahmad M. A rapid review of Health Inequalities after stroke. Stroke Association, £7K, 2022-2023.

Patchwood E (CI), Hill G, Vail A, Bowen A (CoI). Development and feasibility trial of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Stroke Association PDF £175K, 2019-2022 https://www.stroke.org.uk/research/development-and-early-testing-group-based-psychological-support-life-after-stroke

Clatworthy P (CI), et al. Bowen A (Co-I). Hemianopia Activity-Based InTervention (HABIT): for visual field loss after stroke. NIHR RfPB £160K, September 2019-2022. https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/PB-PG-0418-20040

Gittins M (CI) et al. Improving patient outcomes and experience – translating stroke research expertise to Vestibular Schwannoma. Wellcome Trust Institutional Translational Partnership Award (iTPA) – Access to Expertise (A2E), 2020-2021

SCOPE (Strategies to COPE with cognitive difficulties after stroke). Stroke Association John Marshall Memorial Readership Award, (Bowen personal award) 2015-2020 http://www.stroke.org.uk/research/stroke-association-john-marshall-memorial-reader-award-dr-audrey-bowen

A feasibility Study of Prisms And Therapy In Attention Loss after stroke (SPATIAL feasibility). NIHR RfPB, Bowen A (CI), et al. 2018-20 https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/spatial/ 

http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN88395268

Completed research projects: 

include RCTs evaluating effectiveness of therapy (e.g. SPATIAL, OSCARSS, Big CACTUS, ACT NoW); observational studies of current practice (dementia and stroke, therapy provision, six month reviews, oral care); systematic review/meta-analysis of existing evidence (e.g. unilateral neglect, dysarthria); psychometric development of new patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) to evaluate therapy (e.g. COAST, Carer COAST, PRECiS). See publications.

The PROMs can be downloaded free via Innovation Factory e.g. COAST - University of Manchester - Innovation Factory (uominnovationfactory.com)

Patient, carer and public involvement:

Our research benefits from partnership working with stroke survivors and carers in study-specific research user groups (RUGs) e.g. ACT NOW (aphasia & dysarthria), EverReady (dysarthria), OSCARSS (carers), SPATIAL (neglect/inattention), WATERS (well-being), HEARD (dysarthria) and LEG (self-management).

Our co-authored paper from the carer advisory group on the OSCARSS trial is here https://researchinvolvement.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40900-020-00193-7 

For Annette's powerful 'living with dysarthria' blog http://www.evidentlycochrane.net/living-with-dysarthria-after-stroke/ 

ACT NoW publications and aphasia-friendly resources can be downloaded http://research.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/actnow

Coming soon, reports from the stroke survivor advisory group for the Cochrane review of spatial neglect/inattention and a co-authored paper from the SPATIAL trial advisory group. The easy acccess report and poster/video presentations from the SPATIAL advisory group are here https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/spatial/

I provide undergraduate and postgraduate teaching including research project supervision and an academic advisor role across various programmes: BSc psychology, BSc cognitive neuroscience and psychology, MSc clinical and health psychology, ClinPsyD. 

Collaborators:

• Dr Stephanie Rossit, UEA
• Dr Claire Mitchell, University of Manchester
• Prof Jamie Kirkham, University of Manchester 
• Dr Paul Conroy, Trinity College Dublin 
• Dr Emma Patchwood, University of Manchester
• Prof Andy Vail, University of Manchester
• Dr Matt Gittins, University of Manchester
• Prof Sarah Peters, University of Manchester
• Dr Sarah Cotterill, University of Manchester
• Dr Rachael Powell, University of Manchester
• Dr Hui Guo, University of Manchester
• Prof Kate Radford, University of Nottingham
• Dr Phil Clatworthy, University of Bristol
• Dr Alex Pollock, Glasgow Caledonian University
• Prof Caroline Watkins, UCLAN
• Dr Ailie Turton, UWE
• Dr Peii Chen, Kessler Foundation
• Dr Kimberly Hreha
• Dr Mauro Mancuso
• Dr Helena Fordell
• Dr Patrik Vuilleumier
• Dr Sarah Wallace 
• Lindy Williams

External Committees

• Member, NIHR Development & Skills Enhancement panel  
• Chair, OX - Chronic Steering Committee 
• Editorial Board Member, Clinical Rehabilitation
• Member, Stroke Association Expert Advisory Panel

2013 Chartered member of the British Psychological Society

2002 Fellow (FHEA) Advance HE

1999 Associate Fellow of British Psychological Society

1998 PhD, University of Leeds

1992 MSc Experimental and Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Wales

1987 BA Psychology, National University of Ireland