Dr Sara Glithro
- 01202973249
- sglithro at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
- http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5825-2070
- Faculty Apprenticeship Academic Lead
- Bournemouth Gateway Building BG405, St Pauls Lane, Bournemouth, BH8 8GP
Biography
Dr Sara Glithro is the Faculty Apprenticeship Academic Lead within the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at Bournemouth University. She is a committed academic, experienced healthcare professional, and proud to have contributed to BU’s ‘Outstanding’ rating from Ofsted, achieved during the university’s first full apprenticeship inspection in June 2024.
A registered chiropractor and Fellow of the Royal College of Chiropractors (Pain Faculty), Sara brings a unique combination of clinical, academic, and leadership expertise to her role. Since 2012, she has run a successful private practice, managing a large and complex caseload of patients with chronic pain. Her professional background also includes senior operational management roles across the Virgin Group and RBS, offering valuable cross-sector insight into workforce development and service excellence.
Sara is particularly passionate about developing apprenticeship programmes that meet local workforce needs and create high-quality, accessible career pathways—especially for those who might not otherwise consider university... Reporting to the Deputy Dean, she works closely with regional practice partners to ensure BU’s programmes are not only academically rigorous, but also responsive and inclusive.
Her research interests centre on chronic pain, sensory function, and perception—specifically how neuroplasticity may be influenced to improve health outcomes. Her PhD explored these themes in depth, culminating in her thesis "Neuroplasticity and chronic low back pain: an investigation into altered tactile discrimination, body schema and motor function."
Sara has extensive experience in curriculum design and teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Since 2017, she has led the Faculty’s final-year interprofessional education unit, supporting nearly 600 students annually through collaborative, practice-based learning. Since 2014, her teaching portfolio spans a wide range of subjects, including therapeutic communications, professional practice teaching, anatomy and physiology, developing literature reviews, and leading evidencing professional learning at Levels 6 and 7.
In addition to her academic and clinical work, Sara served two terms (2017-2025) as a registrant panel member on the Investigating Committee of the General Chiropractic Council. This regulatory role involved reviewing professional conduct and fitness to practise cases, helping uphold public confidence in the profession and ensuring patient safety.
Sara has been a registrant of the General Chiropractic Council since 2012 and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Chiropractors. She has previously been a member of both the British Pain Society and the International Association for the Study of Pain.
moreExpertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person's work contributes towards the following SDGs:
Good health and well-being
"Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages"
Quality education
"Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all"
Journal Articles
- Glithro, S., Newell, D., Burrows, L., Hunnisett, A. and Cunliffe, C., 2015. Public health engagement: Detection of suspicious skin lesions, screening and referral behaviour of UK based chiropractors. Chiropractic and Manual Therapies, 23 (1).
Conferences
- Glithro, S., clark, C., Osborne,, N., Newell,, D. and Docherty, S., 2017. Tactile acuity, body schema and motor control and clinical outcome measures – A comparison study of adults with chronic low back pain and matched controls. In: British Pain Society - 50th Aniversary Annual Scientific Meeting 3-5 May 2017 Birmingham. The British Journal of Pain.
- Glithro, S., Clark, C., Osborne,, N., Newell,, D. and Docherty,, S., 2017. Chronic low back pain: The source of pain or a symptom? In: Bournemouth University 9th Post-Graduate Researchers Conference 8 March 2017 Bournemouth.
- Glithro, S., clark, C., Osborne,, N., Newell,, D. and Docherty, S., 2017. Tactile acuity, body schema and motor control impairment in adults with chronic low back pain – A systematic review and comparison of chronic low back pain and pain free subjects. In: Royal College of Chiropractors Winter conference 1 February 2017 London. Conference Proceedings.
- Glithro, S., Clark, C., Osborne,, N., Newell,, D. and Docherty, S., 2016. Tactile acuity, body schema and motor control impairment in adults with chronic low back pain – A systematic review and comparison of chronic low back pain and pain free subjects. In: International Association for the Study of Pain – 16th World Congress on Pain 26-30 September 2016 Yokohama, Japan. International Association for the Study of Pain.
- Glithro, S., Clark, C., Newell, D., Osborne, N. and Docherty, S., 2016. Tactile acuity, laterality discrimination and motor control impairment in adults with chronic low back pain - A review. In: British Pain Society 10-12 May 2016 Harrogate.
Theses
- Glithro, S., 2019. Neuroplasticity and chronic low back pain: an investigation into altered tactile discrimination, body schema and motor function. PhD Thesis. Bournemouth University, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences.
Posters
- Glithro, S., Clark, C., Osborne, N., Newell, D. and Docherty, S., 2016. Tactile acuity, laterality discrimination and motor control impairment in adults with chronic low back pain - A review. In: British Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting.
External Responsibilities
- General Chiropractic Council, Investigating Committee member (registrant) (2017-), https://www.gcc-uk.org/
Qualifications
- PhD in Neurophysiology (chronic pain) (Bournemouth University, United Kingdom, 2019)
- MChiro in Chiropractic (University of Wales, 2012)
- BSc (Hons) in Aquatic Bioscience (University of Glasgow, 1996)
Honours
- Fellow of the Royal College of Chiropractors (Pain faculty) (Royal College of Chiropractors, 2020)
Memberships
- International Association for the Study of Pain, Member (2015-), http://www.iasp-pain.org/
- The British Pain Society, Member (2015-), https://www.britishpainsociety.org/
- Royal College of Chiropractors, Member (2011-), http://rcc-uk.org/