Research Areas
- Ageing
- Anaesthesia and Critical Care
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular
- Dermatology
- Diabetes
- Ear, Nose and Throat
- Gastroenterology
- Genetics
- Haematology
- Hepatology
- Infectious Diseases
- Mental Health
- Metabolic and Endocrine
- Musculoskeletal Health
- Neuroprogressive and Dementia
- Ophthalmology
- Oral and Dental
- Paediatrics
- Pain
- Primary Care
- Regenerative Medicine
- Renal
- Reproductive Health and Childbirth
- Respiratory
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- Trauma and Emergencies
Musculoskeletal

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Our role is to develop and support the delivery of high-quality clinical research in musculoskeletal disease and manage participant recruitment to time and target, both for studies which are led from Scotland, and studies led from other nations which Scottish sites are participating in. We provide support in the following areas:
- Managing the study portfolio record
- Monitoring the attainment of recruitment targets
- Providing advice on study design and feasibility
- Troubleshooting issues with poor recruitment
- Identifying potential sites for studies
- Facilitating access to resource to support research, for example through Clinical Research Facility (CRF) Research Nurses.
- Facilitating research links and networking
Musculoskeletal Studies
Our remit is to support research that deals with interventions that can be applied to the prevention and treatment of patients with musculoskeletal diseases. A wide range of research studies are included such as those involving medicines, lifestyle interventions, multifaceted (complex) interventions, medical devices and comparison of surgical approaches for the prevention and treatment of bone and joint diseases both in adults and children.
These studies focus on a range of conditions including:
- Fibromyalgia
- Osteoarthritis and joint replacement surgery
- Osteoporosis and fracture prevention
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthropathies
- Paget’s disease of bone
- Lupus, vasculitis and connective tissue disease
- Diseases of skeletal muscle
- Rare and inherited diseases that affect the musculoskeletal system.
Patient, carer and public information
NHS Research Scotland is committed to actively involving patients, those who care for them and the public in all aspects of the research process, including shaping future research activity. Read more
Key Contacts
Champion Lead: Professor Stuart Ralston
Research Champion Support Manager: Carol Williams