We are committed to high quality research at both Trusts and participate in National Trials. We will also support anyone wanting to combine a higher degree with their training. Our ongoing research includes:

BASIS: Bracing Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (https://basisstudy.org/).

A national RCT to compare full-time bracing and night-time only bracing. Sheffield Children’s hospital is the lead hospital site for this national trial with Ashley Cole the Chief Investigator.

Polyfix DCM

We are currently recruting for this multicentre trial run by Cambridge looking at whether instrumented stabilisation and decompression is superior to decompression alone in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

FORENSIC

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the first site open to recruitment to the FORENSIC-UK Study. This trial is comparing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of lumbar fusion surgery for patients with persistent, severe low back pain in comparison to Best Conservative care.

Brace Adherence Prediction Questionnaire interview study

This study is trying to understand the factors which help and hinder patient to wear their scoliosis brace,

Brace Adherence Prediction Questionnaire validation study

This research project has been designed to see if a new questionnaire tool can help us predict how patients will get on with wearing the brace

Brace Discrete Choice Experiment study

This study hopes to understand how patients may choose between two types of braces.

 

RECENT Publications

Multicentre external validation of the new England spinal metastasis score (NESMS) in operative and nonoperative patients with metastatic spinal cord compression W Giles, A Watts, V Narayanasway, O Gbenebich, A Burnett, D Koske, C Wilson, N Chiverton, J Tomlinson, S Srinivas

AI versus the spinal surgeons in the management of controversial spinal surgery scenarios. Eur Spine J 34, 3736–3746 (2025).Mehmet, S., Elmarawany, M., Harding, I. A Bowey, J Andrew, D Chan, R Jayasuriya, S Srinivas, J Tomlinson, E Bayley, M Grevitt, S James, A Jones, M McCarthy

Competency-based Training for Orthopaedic Surgery: an Evaluation of the Australian Orthopaedic Association Training Program 2017 – 2021. Accepted for Publication. JSurgEd.

 Educational Interventions for Imposter Phenomenon in healthcare: a scoping review  Z. Siddiqui, H Church, R Jayasuriya, T Bodice, J Tomlinson. BMC Med Educ 24, 43 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04984-w

Notable Presentations:

ICOSET, Edinburgh, June 2025 -Applying Elite Sports Coaching Routines to enhance Cognitive Load Management and Skill Development in Trainee Surgeons. E Howie, J Murray, R Clarke, H Church, N Totton, A Peckham-Cooper, J Tomlinson, S Yule.

ICOSET, Edinburgh, June 2025National Selection Success: Nature, Nurture or Postcode Lottery? M Baker, J Tomlinson

The Ottawa Meeting, Melbourne, Feb 2024.Validity Evidence for Programmatic Assessment of Competence in the Australian Orthopaedic Training Program. B Ashman, A Consenza, J Frank, I Incoll, C Kondogiannis, M Nousianien, L Snell, J Tomlinson, S Vrancic.

AMSE Edinburgh June 2024 -Poster – Known, Involved, Empowered, Student Learning Whiteboards on General Medical Wards, A QI Project,  C Grant, R Siby, J Tomlinson. 

ICOSET, Edinburgh, June 2025WBAs- Poster – Useful, Useless or Underutilised? M Baker, H Daaud, S Iqbal, L Majkowski, S Newman, M Birks, P Harwood, J Tomlinson.

BASS 2022 – Podium – A survey of current practices of delivery of day case lumbar discectomy surgery in the UK. C Molteni, Medical Student.

BASS 2022 – Podium – Assessing The Validity Of A Temperature Sensor To Monitor Patient Adherence To Cervical Spine Orthosis Wear Time. R Jayasuriya

BASS 2022 – Podium – Simple innovation using QI frameworks to deliver sustainable change in documentation practices and standardisation of post-operative care documentation in spinal surgery. J Tomlinson

BSS 2022 – Poster – Value of EOS in serial radiographic assessments for AIS during the pandemic recovery. C Molteni, Medical Student.

BSS 2022 – Podium – Predicting progression of AIS with Surface Topography: A single centre experience. E Bayley

BSS 2019 – Poster – Paediatric ESP versus MRI: Does the clinical diagnosis match the MRI findings? C Sutcliffe

BSS 2019 – Poster – Outcomes of SpineCor bracing in Juvenile idiopathic Scoliosis: a single centre experience. E Bayley

BSS 2018 – Poster – Can topographical scanning accurately measure spinal curvature in children with cystic fibrosis? E Bayley

BSS 2017 – Podium – Physiotherapy provision for children having surgical correction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in the UK. C Sutcliffe

BSS 2017 – Poster – Patient opinion: Would physiotherapy input have been beneficial after scoliosis surgery? C Sutcliffe