Dr Malika Felton
- Senior Lecturer in Health and Exercise Physiology
- Bournemouth Gateway Building BG504, St Pauls Lane, Bournemouth, BH8 8GP
Biography
Malika joined BU in 2017 to complete her PhD in Health Sciences and joined the Department of Rehabilitation and Sport Sciences in February 2021 as a Lecturer in Health and Exercise Science. In September 2023, she was promoted to Senior Lecturer and she is currently the Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy and teaches physiology, research and innovation units on this programme.
Her research interests are in women's health, especially related to maternal health, and in the areas of physical activity and non-pharmacological treatment methods. She won the Early Career Researcher Award at the Women in Sport & Exercise Academic Network (WiSEAN) Conference in 2023 and the Best Oral Presentation at the same conference in 2024.
Malika is passionate about improving the quality of women's health research and supporting academics and students within this area. She will be a WiSEAN mentor for the 2024/25 academic year, and is happy to hear from anyone looking to study within this area (see research summary below)...
Malika is a This Mum Moves Ambassador and plans to use this role to teach the next generation of healthcare professionals the importance of physical activity during and after pregnancy. She is also an ISAK Level Two Anthropometrist, trained as a technician in the measurement of body composition, and assists in teaching Level One ISAK courses in the UK and Ireland.
moreResearch
After submitting her PhD in 2021, Malika joined the University of Exeter as a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the Moving Through Motherhood (MTM) research team. The MTM group is a multi-disciplinary team from University of Exeter, University of Bath, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and King's College London, funded by the GW4 Alliance. Malika's role was to organise and run a series of co-design virtual workshops aimed to discuss how we can improve the information, resources and services that women receive regarding physical activity during and after pregnancy. The workshops were attended by pregnant women, new mothers and key stakeholders including healthcare professionals from maternity care, physios, local government, public health and physical activity providers from across the South West of England and South Wales. Malika remains part of the Moving Through Motherhood research team and won the Early Career Researcher Award at the WiSEAN Conference (Women in Sport and Exercise Academic Network) 2023, for presenting this work. The award is given for outstanding work in the field of women in sport and exercise science and Malika was selected for the award by members of the WiSEAN scientific committee and fellow Early Career Researchers.
To take forward the outcomes of this post-doc work, Malika has contributed to the work by the Active Pregnancy Foundation on creating a national physical activity directory for pregnant women and new mothers. She is also a This Mum Moves Ambassador to share physical activity and guidance with the next generation of healthcare professionals at Bournemouth University...
Malika is part of the SwimHer Research Network, including experts from the fields of cold water physiology, exercise physiology, fertility, obstetrics, maternal health, water epidemiology, and community cold water swimming organisations. The group are looking to build an evidence base for cold water swimming during/after pregnancy, and are also researching the cold water benefits related to women's health such as menstrual and perimenopausal symptoms (see recent publications). Malika presented the group's work related to pregnancy and cold water swimming at the WiSEAN Conference in 2024 and won the award for Best Oral Presentation.
Malika's PhD investigated the influence of pregnancy on the cardiovascular responses to slow and deep breathing during pregnancy, with the aim to pilot the feasibility of using a slow and deep breathing as an intervention to treat high blood pressure during pregnancy. Further funding is being sought to continue this work, however the breathing element of her PhD is being integrated in a new app aimed at supporting the early (latent) phase of labour. Malika is working with a group of cross-faculty researchers, combining the breathing graphic used within her own PhD alongside content from other BU PhDs including use of a birth birth, co-designed early labour information and pain catastrophisation. NIHR funding has been granted to support undergraduate interns to develop and test the prototype of the app with women, midwives and birthing partners.
Continuing Malika's work within blood pressure and pregnancy, Malika is working with a local company called Xim, to help develop a protocol to collect data to train their Lifelight app to be used within a pregnant population. Patient and Public Involvement work is ongoing, alongside consultancy work with Xim to collect additional data in non-pregnant populations to support the algorithm development of Lifelight.
Malika is open to supervising students in the areas of women's or maternal health in the areas of physiology and physical activity. Projects using co-design methodology or non-pharmacological interventions for health conditions are particularly welcome.
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"
