Member Profile

Ms. Melanie Bladen
MSc, PT

Ms. Melanie Bladen is a physical therapist in the UK who has been specializing in working with hemophilia for the last 14 years. She received a BSc in Physiotherapy in 1993 and her masters in Physiotherapy in 2007 and has experience of over 20 years treating persons with hemophilia. Ms. Bladen has been promoting the use of HJHS throughout the United Kingdom’s National Health Service guidelines for comprehensive care for over 11 years. She established the national physiotherapy hemophilia meeting that aims to improve research in physiotherapy and has been running for over 12 years. Due to her early advocacy, the UK nationwide has incorporated the use of the HJHS at all comprehensive clinic visits. Ms. Bladen has authored a paper focusing on gait as an early sub-clinical indicator of joint disease. She is involved in a study looking at physical function in adolescents with hemophilia and has been a co-author for numerous papers. Ms. Bladen has published 2 specific papers that focus on the use of the HJHS and has expressed her interest in the development of an electric version of the HJHS.

Key Publications

Bladen M, Main E, Hubert N, Liesner R, Khair K. Factors affecting the Haemophilia Joint Health Score in children with severe haemophilia. Haemophilia 2013;19: 4 626-631

Nijdam ABladen MHubert NPettersson MBartels Bvan der Net JLiesner RPetrini PKurnik KFischer K Using routine Haemophilia Joint Health Score for international comparisons of haemophilia outcome: standardization is needed. Haemophilia. 2016 Jan;22(1):142-7

Bladen M, Carroll L, Dodd C, Drechsler W, Hashem F, Patel V, Pellatt-Higgins T, Saloniki E, Stephensen D.  Results of feasibility and safety of randomised controlled trial of a musculoskeletal exercise intervention versus usual care for children with haemophilia. Haemophilia 2020. DOI: 10.1111/hae.14026

 

Isolde A.R. KuijlaarsJanjaap van der Net , Brian M. FeldmanMagnus

Aspdahl ,Melanie BladenWypke de Boer,Rubén Cuesta‐BarriusoRuth E.D. Matlary , Sharon M. Funk,  Pamela Hilliard, Judy A. John, Christine L. Kempton, Piet de Kleijn,Marilyn Manco-Johnson, Pia Petrini,Pradeep Poonnoose, Jean St-Louis,Sylvia Thomas, Merel A. Timmer, | Sonata Saulyte Trakymiene, Leo van Vlimmeren, Kathelijn Fischer. Evaluating international Haemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS) results combined with expert opinion: Options for a shorter HJHS. Haemophilia 2020 DOI: 0.1111/hae.14180

 

Thorpe N, Harniess P, Main, E, Hubert, NRand S, Stephensen D, Liesner R, Bladen M.  Feasibility, safety and acceptability of select outcome measures in a physiotherapy study protocol for boys with haemophilia. Pilot Feasibility Stud 7, 105 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-021-00831-1

Current Positions/Chairs:

  • Physical Therapist
    Hemophilia Center at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London

Key Institutions

  • Hemophilia Center at Great Ormond Street Hospital
    London, UK

Research Activities

  • Co- director of the IPOP study

Research Interests

  • Ms. Bladen is interested in the effective use of the HJHS and concerned with creating advancements and developments to the tool that could result in the reduction of limitations.

Publications

October 15, 2020

Evaluating international Haemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS) results combined with expert opinion: Options for a shorter HJHS.

Authors
Kuijlaars IAR, van der Net J, Feldman BM, Aspdahl M, Bladen M, de Boer W, CuestaBarriuso R, Matlary RED, Funk SM, Hilliard P, John JA, Kempton CL, de Kleijn P, MancoJohnson M, Petrini P, Poonnoose P, St-Louis J, Thomas S, Timmer MA, Trakymiene SS, van Vlimmeren L, Fischer K
Citation
Haemophilia. 2020 Oct 15. doi: 10.1111/hae.14180. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33058441.