For more information on the programme, please watch our video and visit our website
Sports and Exercise Medicine is now an established medical specialty. With an increasing interest in sports and leisure activities, together with the growing problem of obesity and chronic disease, the importance of treating injuries and preventing illness through exercise has grown considerably. The increasing focus on exercise medicine is reflected in the legacy aspects of the successful London 2012 Olympics, amongst many other initiatives.
Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) has been taught at Queen Mary for many years, with the post-graduate MSc programme being the oldest in Europe, and possibly the world. The undergraduate intercalated degree started as a younger sibling to the MSc but rapidly established its own niche as the first UK intercalated BSc in SEM and typically the most popular course at QMUL. Graduates go on to include SEM in their clinical practise as a sub-speciality, for example in general practise, orthopaedics, rheumatology or emergency medicine, or more directly via specialist training in SEM. SEM was finally recognised as a speciality in the run-up to the London 2012 games, with many SEM graduates from QMUL playing critical roles in the games and now the legacy delivery.
The iBSc is a 120 credit undergraduate (level 6), organized in six modules. We encourage applications from QMUL after MBBS year two, but also encourage and support applicants from other universities - with the interview and application process being handled equitably. The iBSc SEM syllabus addresses the fields of musculoskeletal injury, medical problems in sport and exercise medicine alongside biomechanics and injury rehabilitation or applied exercise physiology. From 2024-25 students will be able to choose to undertake either Biomechanics and Rehabilitation module or Applied Exercise Physiology module.
Further, strong emphasis is placed both on paper based and quasi-experimental research with intercalating students undertaking both a systematic review and a full research project as part of their degree. These projects are supported by a Human Performance Laboratory and expertise in a range of different types of study design. Students’ publication and dissemination rates are exceptionally high; some recent examples are listed below.
Whilst keeping sight of our vision for excellence in Sports and Exercise Medicine education, the course continues to develop and innovate. In recent years we have amended the course by recognizing the significant amount of teaching delivered, and student work done, outside the core modules by adding a dedicated core module in place of the literature review element of the project. The aim of the Literature Reviewing module is to enable even more focus on structured evidence translation, enhancing the possibility of publication of your review work and augmenting the transferable skills gained on your iBSc. Most recently we have redesigned the learning outcomes for the Exercise Medicine & Physical Activity promotion module and added a practical element to the assessment to Biomechanics & Rehabilitation module.
Please note the Intercalated BSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine requires students to have completed at least two years of their MBBS programme or equivalent.
Throughout the years we have developed several collaborations with external partners which have translated into external placements which were offered (where possible) as part of the extra curriculum activities.
We look forward to your application.
The course begins in mid-September and ends by mid-June. There are two twelve week semesters (Sep – Dec, Jan- Apr) with exams taking place during exams week (semester based exam policy). Hand-in of the research project dissertation is in late May/ beginning of June.
Modules
Research methods in Sports and Exercise Medicine (15 credit)
As an emerging specialty, the importance of research in relation to sports and exercise medicine is paramount. This module will give you an understanding of the research process, from the initial idea, to its final presentation.
Through a series of lectures and interactive workshops you will learn how the different types of research relate to sports and exercise medicine, along with their advantages and disadvantages. Your preparation for each lecture will involve reading papers, which will give you the opportunity to become familiar with some research in this field. Discussion of what you have read will provide the basis for learning about how statistical data may be analysed and presented. In addition we will provide opportunities to use novel e-learning tools that the team has recently developed to enhance active learning in relation to research method - G.A.M.E.R.S.
You will also learn about the practicalities of carrying out research; by the end of this module you will have the skills to design a research proposal and critique a research paper.
Injuries and Medical Problems in Sport (15 credit)
This module covers the principles of sports and exercise medicine. It aims to provide you with a unique understanding of the evolving role of the sports physician. Through a series of interactive lectures and practical sessions, you will learn about the day to day injuries and medical problems encountered by doctors working within this speciality. You will develop your musculoskeletal examination skills, giving you the ability to diagnose a wide range of conditions.
Practising assessment skills on fellow students necessitates dressing suitably for practical sessions and the need to model and undress appropriately for your peers. If you have any concerns about this, e.g. for religious reasons, please contact the programme organiser to discuss the matter before applying.
Literature Reviewing (15 credit)
The literature review is an essential part of the research process. Through the process of reviewing, researchers identify knowledge gaps, make conclusions based on scientific evidence and formulate new research questions. The Literature Reviewing (LR) module will focus on the review processes most commonly used in sports and Exercise Medicine as well as developing critiquing and scientific writing skills.
You will learn about how to conduct a systematic review, how to use Quality Assessment Scales and graphic/presentation skills for review purposes (flow charts, table designing). Meta-analysis principles and skills will be taught. The overall aim of the LR module is to enable students to produce high quality systematic review (SR) papers of or near to publication standard.
Applied Exercise Physiology
Exercise Physiology is the study of how our bodies' structures and functions are altered when we are exposed to acute and chronic bouts of exercise. This module is designed to provide insight into how concepts of exercise physiology apply to i) training athletes and enhancing the athlete’s sport performance and ii) improving and maintaining function in chronic disease patients and members of the general population. Topics covered within this module include musculoskeletal, cardio-respiratory and metabolic adaptations to exercise training and methods of fitness testing and application of physiological principles to different population groups.
The module will run in a 12 week block, in semester 1. Teaching will comprise of lectures, seminars and lab work. The total amount of contact time will be 30 hours (15 Hours of Asynchronous and 15 Hours of face to face/practical sessions). All asynchronous material will be made available via QM plus page. Pre-recorded lectures will be made available on QM+.
From 2024-25, students will select whether they wish to attend AEP or B&R - both delivered in week 1.
Research Project (45 credit)
This module will give you experience of the entire research process, in an area of sports medicine that is clinically relevant. Your project will contribute 37.5% of your final marks and you will therefore spend a significant amount of the year preparing it. It is expected that you will produce a piece of high quality research that will be potentially publishable. Intercalating students have had increasingly high levels of success in publishing and presenting their work.
Though you will be given possible project ideas, you will be expected to take ownership of the project, with suitable guidance and supervision. You may initially work in groups, but will then be responsible for carrying out and writing up your own 'strand' of the research.
Considerable emphasis will be placed on presenting your research in a professional manner, as well as giving an oral presentation and sit a Viva exam.
Exercise Medicine & Phyiscal Promotion (15 credit)
As future doctors you will be seeing an increasing number of patients with obesity and chronic health problems; such as heart disease, diabetes and back pain. The pharmacological agents to treat these conditions are well established, but have recent decreases in activity levels contributed to their increased prevalence? Can exercise be used to reverse this trend?
This module will provide you with a unique opportunity to learn about the latest evidence linking exercise and health. You will learn how specific exercise prescriptions can be used to treat cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal and psychological conditions. The module will be taught through a series of lectures given by national experts.
Biomechanics and rehabilitation (15 credit)
In the Injuries and Medical Problems in Sport module (semester 1) you will be studying injuries in relation to specific body regions. In parallel, within this module you will gain an understanding of the biomechanics underpinning musculoskeletal function; how movement abnormality can lead to injury or disease and how different sports have specific injuries associated with abnormal biomechanics.
Finally, you will apply these principles to the biomechanical and sports-specific principles of rehabilitation.
At the beginning of the module you will learn the theoretical basis underpinning biomechanics and the general principles of rehabilitation. You will learn how to assess and describe movement. Finally, you will be expected to be able to use our theoretical knowledge to design assessment and rehabilitation programmes, using specific sports and injuries examples.
If you would like any further information please contact:
Dr Manuela Angioi: m.angioi@qmul.ac.ukContact number: 0207 882 5015Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Mile End Hospital (Royal London), Bancroft Road, London, E1 4DG
Recently published iBSc projects:
S Lack, L Anthony, J Noake, K Brennan, B Zhang… (2018) Medial and Lateral Patellofemoral Joint Retinaculum Thickness in People With Patellofemoral Pain: A Case‐Control Study; Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine
Abdulhussein H, Chan O, Morton S, Kelly S, Padhiar N, Xavier V, King JB, Williams S, Morrissey D. (2017) High Volume Image Guided Injections with or without Steroid for Mid-Portion Achilles Tendinopathy: A Pilot Study. Clin Res Foot Ankle 5: 249. Doi: 10.4172/2329-910X.1000249
Morton, S, Williams, S, Valle, X, Diaz-Cueli, D.de, Malliaras, P, Morrissey, D Patellar (2017) Tendinopathy and Potential Risk Factors: An International Database of Cases and Controls Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine Volume 27, Issue 5, Pages 468-474
Chan, O., Morton, S., Pritchard, M., Parkes, T., Malliaras, P., Crisp, T., Padhiar, N., Maffulli, N., King, J., Morrissey, D. (2017) Intratendinous tears of the Achilles tendon - A new pathology? Analysis of a large 4-year cohort Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons Journal, 7 (1), pp. 53-61
Chaudhry S, Fernando R, Screen HRC, Waugh C, Tucker A, Morrissey D (2017) The use of medical infrared thermography in the detection of tendinopathy: a systematic review. Physical Therapy Reviews Vol. 21, Iss. 2
G Pugh, P O'Halloran, L Blakey, H Leaver, M Angioi Integrating physical activity promotion into UK medical school curricula: testing the feasibility of an educational tool developed by the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/bmjosem/6/1/e000679.full.pdf BMJ open sport & exercise medicine 6 (1), e000679, 2020
E Husain, M Angioi, R Mehta, DN Barnett, K Okholm Kryger A systematic review of plantar pressure values obtained from male and female football and the test methodologies applied. Footwear Science 12 (3), 217-233, 2020
M Angioi, K Okholm Kryger, K Hodgson An updated Systematic Review of Turnout Position Assessment Protocols used in Dance Medicine and Science Research. Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 2021