Helens PhD, supervised by Dr Sarah Derrett, Professor Peter Herbison and Associate Professor David McBride, was awarded in 2012. Her thesis, “A mixed methods study of musculoskeletal disorders in New Zealand nurses, postal workers and office workers” involved both quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative component was the New Zealand arm of the international CUPID (Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) study with New Zealand additions and consisted of a longitudinal cohort postal survey with a one-year follow-up. The qualitative component of her thesis involved face-to-face interviews with a selection of participants who had completed the postal surveys.

Helen has an extensive clinical background as a physiotherapist and is currently working at IPRU as a Research Fellow on the Prospective Outcomes of Injury study (POIS).