Dr Gemma Whatling

Biography

Dr Gemma Whatling is a Chartered Medical Engineer specialising in Biomechanics and Orthopaedics. Her research interests include human movement, osteoarthritis, orthopaedics, treatment planning, rehabilitation, gait retraining, monitoring patient recovery, functional classification and medical device design. She is a co-investigator for the Biomechanics and Bioengineering Research Centre Versus Arthritis, where she co-manages two work packages, leads a package of work developing gait retraining and works with a team to understand biomechanical and biological changes for patients undergoing high tibial osteotomy and total knee replacement surgery. She also leads research in the area of hand and wrist biomechanics, collaborating with local surgeons, occupational therapists and physiotherapists within the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Current grants in this area include the 2020 FESSH basic research award to define 'Kinematics at the base of the normal thumb' using novel imaging methods and MRC funding to develop novel solutions for hand rehabilitation. She is a co-investigator for the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Facility, contributing to the design and development of this £5M Facility and the novel techniques developed within. She works with clinicians and Industry to develop research aligned to healthcare priorities, driven by impact, innovation and clinical translation to maximise patient benefit.