Protecting the Athletes Heart
Research from the Cardiovascular Health Sciences Research Group has played a leading role in advancing the understanding and clinical assessment of the athlete’s heart. Our work underpinned internationally recognised REF impact case studies in 2014 and 2021 entitled “Protecting the Athlete’s Heart – From Research to Secondary Care”, demonstrating how research conducted at Liverpool John Moores University has directly influenced clinical practice and athlete healthcare.
Original research from the group has informed national and international cardiovascular guidelines, including those of the British Society of Echocardiography, the European Society of Cardiology, and other international consensus statements. Members of the group have authored key guideline documents highlighting the role of echocardiography in the assessment of the athlete’s heart, translating research discoveries from LJMU into evidence-based recommendations used by clinicians worldwide.
Our impact extends beyond guideline development into real-world athlete care. The group works closely with elite sporting organisations, including the Football Association, Rugby Football League, GB Taekwondo, British Cycling, England Netball, and British Sailing, to deliver large-scale pre-participation cardiovascular screening programmes and develop evidence-informed cardiac screening policies. Athletes identified through these programmes receive specialist follow-up care through our close collaboration with the Sports Cardiology Service at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.
The international reach of our work continues to grow through collaborations supporting athlete cardiac screening services globally, including partnerships with Wadi-El-Neel Hospital (Egypt), MP Shah Hospital (Kenya), the Inspire Institute of Sport (India), and Alsalam Hospital (Kuwait). Through these activities, our research contributes to improving athlete cardiovascular care and promoting safer participation in sport worldwide.
Establishment and recognition of Clinical Exercise Physiologists as a registered health professional in the UK
Research from the Cardiovascular Health Sciences Research Group has played a leading role in advancing the understanding and clinical assessment of the athlete’s heart. Our work underpinned internationally recognised REF impact case studies in 2014 and 2021 entitled “Protecting the Athlete’s Heart – From Research to Secondary Care”, demonstrating how research conducted at Liverpool John Moores University has directly influenced clinical practice and athlete healthcare.
Original research from the group has informed national and international cardiovascular guidelines, including those of the British Society of Echocardiography, the European Society of Cardiology, and other international consensus statements. Members of the group have authored key guideline documents highlighting the role of echocardiography in the assessment of the athlete’s heart, translating research discoveries from LJMU into evidence-based recommendations used by clinicians worldwide.
Our impact extends beyond guideline development into real-world athlete care. The group works closely with elite sporting organisations, including the Football Association, Rugby Football League, GB Taekwondo, British Cycling, England Netball, and British Sailing, to deliver large-scale pre-participation cardiovascular screening programmes and develop evidence-informed cardiac screening policies. Athletes identified through these programmes receive specialist follow-up care through our close collaboration with the Sports Cardiology Service at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.
The international reach of our work continues to grow through collaborations supporting athlete cardiac screening services globally, including partnerships with Wadi-El-Neel Hospital (Egypt), MP Shah Hospital (Kenya), the Inspire Institute of Sport (India), and Alsalam Hospital (Kuwait). Through these activities, our research contributes to improving athlete cardiovascular care and promoting safer participation in sport worldwide.
LJMU Clinical Exercise Physiology
The LJMU Clinical Exercise Physiology Clinic was established in response to the growing burden of long-term and complex health conditions, which account for a large proportion of healthcare use in the UK. Around 26 million people in the UK live with a long-term condition, contributing to half of GP consultations and 70% of all healthcare spend. Despite strong evidence that targeted exercise interventions can prevent and manage many chronic conditions, access to structured, specialist exercise services remains inconsistent and fragmented across the UK healthcare system.
The LJMU CEP clinic provides a community-based clinical exercise service designed to support people living with long-term conditions through individualised, evidence-based exercise programmes delivered by Clinical Exercise Physiologists (CEPs). By embedding this service within the university environment, the clinic helps bridge the gap between community health, rehabilitation services and preventative care, while providing additional specialist support to the NHS.
Importantly, the clinic is also an education and training platform for students studying Clinical Exercise Physiology at LJMU. Supervised by registered CEPs, students gain hands-on experience working with real patients in a safe, structured clinical environment. This model enhances clinical training, supports workforce development, and provides meaningful health and wellbeing benefits to the local university community.
NIHR-funded international collaboration in atrial fibrillation rehabilitation
Researchers within the Cardiovascular Health Sciences Research Group are leading internationally collaborative work focused on improving rehabilitation and long-term care for people living with atrial fibrillation (AF). Supported through NIHR-funded research, the group has contributed to the development of an Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis (IPDMA) programme examining the effects of exercise and rehabilitation interventions in patients with AF, bringing together trial datasets and expertise from research teams across multiple countries.
An outcome of this work will develop an international consortium dedicated to advancing rehabilitation research and clinical care for people with AF. The consortium will bring together exercise physiologists, physiotherapists, cardiologists, researchers, and healthcare organisations with a shared aim of improving the evidence base for lifestyle and rehabilitation approaches in AF management. Through collaborative data sharing, harmonisation of outcome measures, and joint research initiatives, the consortium seeks to address key gaps in understanding around exercise prescription, symptom management, quality of life, mental health, physical activity behaviour, and long-term cardiovascular outcomes in AF populations.
The programme aligns closely with growing international recognition of the importance of integrated and preventative approaches to AF care, complementing existing guideline recommendations from organisations such as the European Society of Cardiology and international arrhythmia societies. By establishing a coordinated international research network, the group is helping to position rehabilitation and lifestyle management as central components of AF treatment pathways, alongside conventional medical and procedural interventions.
Beyond research outputs, this collaboration is supporting the development of future multicentre trials, international clinical guidance, workforce development, and implementation strategies aimed at embedding rehabilitation within routine AF care. The consortium also provides opportunities for several early career researchers, clinical exercise physiologists, and allied health professionals to contribute to international cardiovascular rehabilitation research, strengthening global capacity in this rapidly developing field.
