Sport for Confidence CIC is celebrating the selection of Lisa Westhorpe, Occupational Therapist and National Lead, onto the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Developing Research Leader (DRL) Programme.
The three-year programme supports nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (including occupational therapists) to develop their research leadership skills, strengthen research capability within their organisations and embed a stronger culture of research across health and care practice.
Lisa’s selection recognises her commitment to advancing occupational therapy and developing a stronger evidence base for the role of community-based, person-centred approaches in improving health, wellbeing and participation.
Through the programme, Lisa will have the opportunity to further advance her research leadership skills, develop a co-produced Research & Innovation Strategy and Action Plan to guide Sport for Confidence’s research activities, and contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting occupational therapy and physical activity in community settings.
Lisa says: “I’m delighted to have been selected for the NIHR Developing Research Leader Programme. This is a fantastic opportunity to build on my experience as an occupational therapist and explore how we can use place-based research to generate evidence that makes a real difference to people and communities. By better understanding what works, for whom and in what circumstances, we can use our professional skills and knowledge to advocate for centring the voice of lived experience in the development and delivery of services, and ultimately improve opportunities for people to participate, connect and thrive.
“I’m particularly interested in supporting all allied health professionals to feel confident in seeing research and innovation as part of their day-to-day work; whether that’s developing connections with academic institutions to support sharing innovative ideas so research is orientated to the needs of communities, supporting clients to be aware of and involved in research if that’s meaningful to them, or staff/volunteers being directly involved in research and innovation activities.
“I’m looking forward to using this opportunity not only to develop my own research leadership at Sport for Confidence, but also to share learning and build research capacity across the wider occupational therapy and allied health professional community.”
The programme has recently commenced [October 2026] and will run for three years. For Sport for Confidence, Lisa’s appointment represents an important opportunity to strengthen the organisation’s contribution to research and ensure that the value of occupational therapy and inclusive physical activity is better understood, recognised and reflected in future service development across the system.
Find out more about the NIHR Developing Research Leader Programme: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/
