Best Researcher Award
Chathurani Sigera
University of Sydney
Chathurani Sigera is a physiotherapy and health-services researcher associated with the University of Sydney and the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health. Her published research spans physiotherapy service delivery, musculoskeletal health, emergency-department care, physical activity, critical-care physiotherapy and evidence-informed clinical practice. Publicly available academic sources identify her as a registered physiotherapist and researcher whose work has included multidisciplinary and clinically oriented research collaborations. [1][2]
Abstract
The Best Researcher Award profile for Chathurani Sigera presents a research record centered on physiotherapy, musculoskeletal health, clinical service delivery and evidence-informed healthcare. Her scholarly work includes research conducted across clinical, educational and health-service settings, with publications addressing physical inactivity, critical-care physiotherapy and physiotherapist-led management of musculoskeletal presentations. [1][3] More recent work has examined primary-contact physiotherapy in emergency departments and virtual models of care for low back pain. [4][5]
Keywords
- Physiotherapy research
- Musculoskeletal health
- Emergency-department physiotherapy
- Clinical service delivery
- Evidence-informed practice
- Health services research
Introduction
Physiotherapy research contributes to the development, evaluation and implementation of interventions intended to improve mobility, function, pain management and healthcare delivery. Contemporary research in the field increasingly connects clinical practice with health-services research, implementation science, patient experience and economic evaluation. Within this context, Chathurani Sigera’s published work provides examples of research addressing physiotherapy education, critical-care practice and models of musculoskeletal care.
A 2016 study involving Sigera examined physical inactivity among physiotherapy undergraduates and investigated the relationship between knowledge and physical-activity practices. [1] Her earlier clinical research also included the workforce and service profile of physical therapists working in critical-care settings in Sri Lanka. [2] These publications provide a foundation for considering her broader research trajectory in physiotherapy and healthcare service delivery.
Research Profile
Public academic information identifies Chathurani Sigera with the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, and the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney. A professional profile published by the University of Colombo describes her as a registered physiotherapist and reports postgraduate training in applied statistics and medical statistics. [6]
Her research profile is multidisciplinary in scope. It includes clinical physiotherapy, musculoskeletal conditions, emergency-department pathways, critical-care physiotherapy, physical activity and research methods. Current bibliographic records also associate her with research evaluating physiotherapist-led models of care and virtual approaches for people presenting with low back pain. [4][5]
Research Contributions
The documented research contributions associated with Chathurani Sigera can be grouped into several connected areas:
- Physiotherapy education and physical activity: Research has examined physical inactivity among physiotherapy students and the relationship between knowledge and health-related practice. [1]
- Critical-care physiotherapy: Published work has described the professional profile of physical therapists in critical-care units and explored structured skills training for critical-care physiotherapists in resource-constrained settings. [2][3]
- Musculoskeletal healthcare: Her recent research includes work on physiotherapist-led care for musculoskeletal presentations in emergency departments and virtual models of care for low back pain. [4][5]
- Evidence-based service development: The research program connects clinical questions with healthcare pathways, patient needs, service models and evaluation of interventions.
The potential significance of Sigera’s research lies in its connection between physiotherapy evidence and practical healthcare delivery. Research on critical-care physiotherapy addresses workforce capabilities and professional training, while more recent work investigates alternative pathways for managing musculoskeletal conditions in emergency settings. [2][3][4]
The RESHAP-ED research program is particularly relevant to service-delivery research because it evaluates primary-contact physiotherapy for musculoskeletal presentations in emergency departments and incorporates economic evaluation. [4] The Back@Home research further reflects interest in virtual healthcare models for patients with low back pain presenting to emergency departments. [5] Together, these studies demonstrate a research direction concerned with how physiotherapy can be integrated into different clinical pathways while remaining subject to empirical evaluation.
Award Suitability
For a research-recognition profile, the documented record provides several independently identifiable areas for consideration. These include peer-reviewed publications, multidisciplinary collaboration, research addressing clinically relevant physiotherapy questions, and participation in studies evaluating healthcare delivery models. Publicly available academic sources also describe research and professional recognition associated with Sigera’s work. [6]
The supplied bibliometric information for this profile records 40 documents, 612 citations and an h-index of 18. Such metrics can provide quantitative context for a research record, but they do not independently measure research quality, clinical relevance or societal impact. A complete award assessment should therefore consider bibliometric information together with publication quality, methodological contribution, originality, collaboration, documented outcomes and the relevance of the research to the stated award criteria.
Conclusion
Chathurani Sigera’s documented research profile is focused on physiotherapy and health-services research, with work extending across physical activity, critical-care practice, musculoskeletal health and models of clinical care. Her publication record includes research in established peer-reviewed journals and more recent studies examining physiotherapist-led and virtual approaches to musculoskeletal healthcare. [1][3][4][5] The supplied bibliometric indicators provide additional context for the profile, while a formal recognition decision should remain based on the published criteria and verified evidence.
External Links
References
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- Ranasinghe, C., Sigera, C., Ranasinghe, P., Jayawardena, R., Ranasinghe, A. C. R., Hills, A. P., & King, N. (2016). Physical inactivity among physiotherapy undergraduates: exploring the knowledge-practice gap. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 8, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-016-0063-8
- Sigera, P. C., Tunpattu, S. U. S., Jayashantha, T. P., et al. (2016). National Profile of Physical Therapists in Critical Care Units of Sri Lanka: Lower Middle-Income Country. Physical Therapy, 96(7), 933–939. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20150363
- Tunpattu, S., Newey, V., Sigera, C., De Silva, P., Goonarathna, A., Aluthge, I., et al. (2018). A short, structured skills training course for critical care physiotherapists in a lower-middle income country. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 34(9), 714–722. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2018.1423593
- de Campos, T. F., Coombs, D., Sigera, C., Williams, C. M., Rogan, E., Edwards, J., et al. (2025). Effectiveness of primary-contact physiotherapy in managing musculoskeletal conditions in emergency departments: protocol for the RESHAP-ED randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, 15, e096044. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-096044
- Sigera, C., Oliveira, C. B., Melman, A., et al. (2026). Effectiveness of a virtual hospital model of care for patients with low back pain presenting to emergency departments (Back@Home). npj Digital Medicine, 9, 191. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-026-02425-8