Professor Patrick Wheeler

Professor Wheeler holds an Honorary Clinical Professorship in Sport & Exercise Medicine. He has been employed in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS) at Loughborough University since 2013, and is currently engaged across a wide number of roles supporting research, teaching, and enterprise. He is the Programme Director for the Intercalated Medical Students at Loughborough University, and he is the Module Lead for an MSc module focusing on sports injury risk factors, prevention, and return to sport. In addition, Professor Wheeler guest teaches on a range of postgraduate modules, and he supervises a number of current Doctoral Researchers.

Professor Wheeler graduated from Leicester University Medical School in 1998. He holds an MSc in Sport & Exercise Medicine from Nottingham University (2004), and an MSc in Physical Activity and Public Health from Staffordshire University (2012). He completed his PhD at Loughborough University in 2019 investigating medical management options for patients with chronic plantar fasciitis, studying the effectiveness of a range of different treatments, and comparing treatments with those used in other chronic tendinopathies. 

In addition to his work at Loughborough University, Professor Wheeler works for the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, where he has been employed as a Consultant in Sport & Exercise Medicine since 2009, having joined the department originally in 2000. He serves as the Head of Service in the Sports Medicine Department at Leicester Hospitals since September 2023 and previously held this same post from 2013-2017. He is the vice-chair of UHL Clinical Senate, is a Consultant Appraiser, and is involved in the training of postgraduate Drs in this medical speciality.

Professor Wheeler is a Fellow of the Faculty of Sport & Exercise Medicine (FSEM) and was one of the first doctors entered onto the GMC Specialist Register in Sport & Exercise Medicine in 2009. He was elected to the FSEM Council in 2016, was appointed to the Executive Committee in 2020, and appointed to the position of FSEM Honorary Treasurer from late-2020 where he served until late 2023. In addition, he was elected as a Trustee / Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAG) for the British Association of Sport & Exercise Medicine (BASEM) in 2020 and then elected as BASEM Chair in August 2023. In this role he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of this large multiprofessional membership association.

** PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PROFILE AND THE ATTACHED UNIVERSITY EMAIL ADDRESS RELATE SOLELY TO PROFESSOR WHEELER’S EMPLOYED ROLE AT LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY. DUE TO INFORMATION GOVERNANCE REQUIREMENTS, HE CANNOT RESPOND TO EMAIL CONTACTS BY PATIENTS AT THIS PLACE OF WORK AND EMAILS WILL BE DELETED. ANY CONTACTS RELATING TO HIS NHS CLINICS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE SPORTS MEDICINE DEPARTMENT AT UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST. THE CLINIC CAN BE REACHED ON 0116 2584365 **

Professor Wheeler is the Principal Investigator on ongoing NHS interventional research trials examining the effectiveness of treatments for patients with chronic tendinopathies, and has previously led research looking at physical activity intervention strategies. Professor Wheeler has recruited more than 1100 patients to his NHS research studies to date and continues to remain research active within both his clinical and University roles.

Professor Wheeler has supervised six doctoral researchers to successful completion of their PhDs, with several other doctoral researchers at various stages of their training.

Professor Wheeler is very happy to be contacted by prospective doctoral researchers, particularly those from clinical backgrounds, who are interested in undertaking their Doctoral Studies at Loughborough University.

• Professor Wheeler is the Chair of the British Association of Sport & Exercise Medicine (BASEM) since election in August 2023, having served as a Trustee & Chair of the Scientific Advisory Group from 2020-2023.
• Professor Wheeler was a Council Member of the Faculty of Sport & Exercise Medicine (FSEM) from 2016 to 2020, when he was appointed FSEM Honorary Treasurer, serving in this role from 2020 to Sept 2023.
• Professor Wheeler continues to hold an Honorary post at Leicester University, where he has been involved in supporting clinical academic Foundation Drs, and in the teaching and assessment of medical students.
• Professor Wheeler has previously worked in a variety of roles supporting and teaching on the Sport & Exercise Medicine MSc programme at the University of Bath from 2007-2014, with occasional ad hoc work and involvement since.
• Professor Wheeler has previously worked extensively with elite sports, national governing bodies and International Federations over multiple Olympic and Paralympic Cycles going back to 2004. Professor Wheeler worked for the English Institute of Sport from 2007-2013 and has worked for ParalympicsGB at the Beijing2008, London2012 and Rio2016 Paralympic Games. He considers himself 'on sabbatical' from elite sport currently to allow him to focus on other works…