Keith is the current Managing Editor of the Journal of Sports Therapy. Since January 2009, he has been based as a full-time lecturer at University College Birmingham. Having first qualified in sports therapy in 1995, Keith worked to carve out a career as both practitioner and educator. Along this route, he has achieved a degree in Rehabilitation Studies from the University of Wolverhampton; diplomas in subjects such as Naturopathy and Acupuncture; and a number of post-graduate qualifications. He maintains a weekly clinical practice in Cannock, Staffordshire, and is a member of the Society of Sports Therapists (SST), the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and the European College of Sports and Exercise Physicians (ECOSEP). Keith is also currently completing an MA in vocational education. In 2004, Keith devised and published the popular textbook Hands-On Sports Therapy (Cengage Learning). Keith is obviously passionate about contributing to the development and consolidation of the sports therapy profession, as such he has produced a number of commentary articles for the JST; he is also currently working on a new sports therapy textbook which is due for publication in Autumn 2013.
In recognising some of the major the challenges facing the profession, and its gathering number of practitioners, Keith feels that the best way forward is simply to continue to build the academic infrastructure of sports therapy; to forge greater working links (both inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary) with other health professionals; and to gradually, clearly and formally demonstrate (educate and inform) the potential evidence-based benefits, applications and indications of sports therapy (as well as the potential limitations). All individuals, institutions and associations have a role to play in this ongoing process.
Whilst Keith is appreciative and respectful of his position as Managing Editor of the JST, he is also mindful of the need to continue to promote the opportunity that the JST offers to all motivated practitioners, academics and writers. The intention, therefore, is to faciltiate the momentum of the JST and it’s website, to develop it’s use as a platform for relatively intellectual discussion, and to build steadily from the foundations. As identified in an article in the Winter 2013 Issue (Volume 6 Issue 1), the JST has a short but significant history and tradition, and people such as Rob Di Leva, Ian Lahart, Philip Smith, David Jenkins, Adam Hawkey and Aaron Caseley must each be recognised for having helped to build these foundations.
