PhD Project - Understanding Engagement and Resistance to Evidence-Based Practice in Osteopathy
Applications for this PhD project are now open. The deadline for applications is 6 April 2026.
Overview
Across international osteopathic communities, a minority of practitioners actively reject or resist evidence-based practice (EBP). While global surveys show generally positive attitudes toward EBP (Sundberg et al. 2018; Leach et al. 2019; Cerritelli et al. 2021; Alvarez et al. 2021; Pelletier et al. 2024), they also reveal wide variation in knowledge, skills, uptake and philosophical alignment. Importantly, a distinct subgroup of osteopaths view EBP as incompatible with osteopathic identity, autonomy, holism, or traditional epistemologies (Figg-Latham and Rajendran 2017). Despite this, there is very limited in-depth qualitative work that has examined the beliefs, values, lived experiences or identity processes of osteopaths who reject or engage with EBP. Existing research has largely been descriptive and survey-based, leaving a lack of explanatory theory to account for why these orientations emerge and persist.
A theoretically informed, exploratory programme of research is therefore required to understand the underlying mechanisms shaping osteopaths’ orientations toward evidence before effective educational or professional interventions can be designed. This represents a significant gap in professional knowledge and limits the profession’s ability to address epistemic diversity, regulatory expectations, and the integration of osteopathy within wider healthcare systems.
This PhD project will examine the UK osteopathic profession as a case study to develop theory concerning how evidence-based practice is negotiated within osteopathy, with the primary emphasis on exploratory theory development and the secondary aim of informing the design and feasibility of future interventions, with implications for comparable international professional contexts.
Project Contact:
Dr Oliver Thomson
Email: oliver.thomson@hsu.ac.uk
Details
- To explore how osteopaths understand and make sense of evidence-based practice in relation to professional identity and clinical autonomy.
- To examine the psychosocial processes underpinning engagement with, resistance to, and selective use of EBP.
- To develop a grounded theory explaining how these orientations develop, shift, and are sustained.
- To identify implications for osteopathic education, CPD, and regulatory communication that are sensitive to epistemic diversity.
Funding 
HSU is offering up to three fee waivers for UK home applicants starting in October 2026. All eligible UK home applicants will automatically be considered for fee waiver support, which is awarded competitively based on the excellence of the candidate.
International applicants are unfortunately not eligible for fee waivers.
All applicants are expected to have financial plans in place to cover their studies and should not rely on a fee waiver.
Self-funded students are also welcome to apply for this project. Self-funded students can be UK home students or international students.
Availability
Available to both UK and International students.
Potential Supervisors
Dr Oliver Thomson
Dr Niklas Sposato
Dr Carlo Martini
References
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