Professor Manoj Sivan MD FRCP Ed

Profile

I graduated in Medicine in 1999. I was the UK’s first NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Rehabilitation Medicine in Leeds (2007-2012) and completed my MD (Research) in Rehabilitation Robotics in the Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine (ADRM) at the University of Leeds.

I was appointed as a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust in 2012 and joined the Human Pain Research Group (HPRG) at the University of Manchester as an Honorary Senior Lecturer. HPRG is a collaboration between pain researchers from Univeristies of Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool.

Since 2017, I have been in a clinical academic role as Associate Clinical Professor in Rehabilitation Medicine with Leeds Institute for Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine (LIRMM) at the University of Leeds and an NHS Consultant at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and Leeds Community Healthcare Trust. I lead the Leeds arm of the HPRG. 

In 2024, I got promoted to Clinical Professor in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine and Honorary NHS Consultant at LTHT and LCH NHS trusts.

Other responsibilities

• President of the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine BSPRM (https://www.bsprm.org.uk/) 2022-2024
• UK representative for European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ESPRM)
• Chair for the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) taskforce INFORM (www.informspecialty.com)
• Editor-in-Chief for the SAGE journal Advances in Rehabilitation Science and Practice (https://journals.sagepub.com/home/rpo)
• Editor-in-Chief for the Oxford Handbook for Rehabilitation Medicine (https://academic.oup.com/book/29871)
• Royal College of Physicians (RCP) CPD lead for the specialty of Rehabilitation Medicine in the UK
• Advisor for the World Health Organisation (WHO) Europe – Disability and Rehabilitation during the pandemic
• National Advisor for the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) since 2023 www.nationalrehabilitationcentre.nhs.uk

Awards

• 2024  ISPRM Sidney Licht Award for lifetime outstanding contribution to disability care and PRM specialty (first British physician to receive this honour)
• 2022  George Burniston Medal for contribution to the field of Rehabilitation Medicine research
• 2022  Innovate UK Outstanding Collaboration with Industry award
• 2021  BMJ Clinical Leadership Team of the year award
• 2021  Medipex NHS Innovation award for developing digital PROM
• 2016  Jill Simpson award for clinical excellence, Salford Royal Hospital Foundation Trust
• 2014  European Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (EARM) Prize for best research in rehabilitation in Europe
• 2014  UK Philips Nichols research prize
• 2007  UK's first NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in Rehabilitation Medicine

Total research grant income £8.0 million (in the last 6 years)

Grants (as Chief Investigator) £4.6 million 

• 2024  ME Association: Dysautonomia management protocol for chronic fatigue
• 2023  NHS Scotland: Evaluation of outcomes from NHS Scotland Long COVID services using ELAROS digital PROM data 
• 2023  NHS England: Evaluation of outcomes from NHS England Long COVID services using ELAROS digital PROM data 
• 2022  Medical Research Council MRC DiMeN DTP: Exploring the biomarkers for new-onset chronic pain in long covid. A mechanistic study
• 2022  Research England Policy Support Fund: National policy on peer support interventions to address an unmet need in Long Covid
• 2021  National Institute for Health Research NIHR: Long Covid Multidisciplinary consortium: Optimising Treatments and servIces acrOss the NHS (LOCOMOTION)
• 2021  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EPSRC Impact Acceleration: HEART rate variability biofeedback (HRV-B) in home settings for LOng Covid management (HEARTLOC)
• 2021  Medical Research Council MRC CiC: Validation of Covid-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale: a new self-report outcome measure for long covid syndrome (C19-YRS)
• 2019  QR-Global Challenge Research Fund GCRF: TEleRehabilitation to improve quality of life in individuals with long term disability in Nepal (TERN)

Grants (as Co-Investigator) £3.4 million 

• 2024  Australia Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF): Optimising pathways for post-acute sequelae of COVID-19
• 2019  Medical Research Council MRC DTP: Pain phenotypes and using Bayesian models in pain prediction 
• 2019  International Spinal Research Trust ISRT: Combining transcutaneous stimulation with functional practice to drive recovery of upper limb function in individuals with a cervical spinal cord injury
• 2019  RCP Rosetrees Trust: A feasibility study of home-based Brainwave Entrainment Technology (hBET)
• 2018  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EPSRC: Real-time brain modelling for personalised neuro-therapeutic interventions
• 2017  Dunhill Medical Trust: Measuring and enhancing resilience to chronic pain in elderly patients

Responsibilities

• Lead for Leeds Human Pain Research Group (HPRG)
• Lead for Leeds Dysautonomia Research (LEDR)
• Editor-in-Chief Advances in Rehabilitation Science and Practice

Research interests

• Physiology of pain and novel therapeutic approaches in chronic pain
• Autonomic Medicine and clinical interventions for dysautonomia
• Post-COVID syndrome mechanisms and clinical interventions
• Exercise Medicine and restorative robotic rehabilitation technology
• Ultrasound for diagnosis and intervention in musculoskeletal problems
• Sleep disturbances in chronic conditions
• Outcome measurement and developing PROMs for long term conditions
• Health services research and developing integrated care pathways for Long Term Conditions (LTC)

• Evaluation of national Long COVID data in England
• Evaluation of national Long COVID data in Scotland

Qualifications

• FRCP Ed
• MD
• Diploma Exercise Medicine
• PgC Medical Imaging
• MBBS

Professional memberships

• Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
• General Medical Council
• British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
• Medical Protection Society
• Society for Research in Rehabilitation
• International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

Student education

Current postgraduate students

• PhD  Norah Almutairi University of Leeds: Autonomic Dysfunction in musculoskeletal conditions
• PhD  Barbara Silva Passadoura University of Leeds: UNICO: UNnderstandIng Chronic pain in long cOvid
• PhD  Omar Khoja University of Leeds: MUSLOC: Musculoskeletal pain in long Covid
• MD   Michelle Lumley University of Leeds: Optimising the dose of BrainWave Entrainment (BWE) for chronic pain management
• MD   Stephen Halpin University of Leeds: Home-based Brainwave Entrainment Technology (hBET) for management of chronic pain and sleep disturbance

Previous completed students

• PhD  Ariane Delgado Sanchez University of Manchester MRC DTP scheme: Validation of a new tool for pain phenotyping
• PhD  Chao Wang University of Leeds: Upper limb rehabilitation robotic technology for stroke patients
• MRes  Nafi Iftekhar University of Leeds: HEARTLOC: Heart rate variability biofeedback for dysautonomia in Long Covid
• MRes  Rosie Solomon University of Leeds: TERN: Telerehabilitation in Nepal

Teaching responsibilities 

• Faculty in MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine – https://courses.leeds.ac.uk/i210/sport-and-exercise-medicine-msc
• Lead for the National Musculoskeletal Medicine and Rehabilitation course  – https://medicinehealth.leeds.ac.uk/dir-record/short-courses/1239/national-musculoskeletal-medicine-and-rehabilitation-course
• Leeds Lead for the Human Pain Research Group – http://research.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/pain/
• MRes students
• ESREP students

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine
• Non-Inflammatory Musculoskeletal
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Long-term conditions
• Health services research