A science communicator at heart, Emma spent the first part of her career teaching physiology to sports science, physiotherapy and medical students. In 2013 she joined the English Institute of Sport as Head of Physiology to lead the sports scientists supporting our Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
After Rio 2016, Great Britain was described as a ‘sporting superpower’. We won more medals than ever and finished second in the table. It was exceptional, but how could we continue to improve?
Emma realised the answer wasn’t in marginal gains but by tapping into something more fundamental: the female part of the female athlete. With that, she developed and led ground-breaking new programmes to ensure coaches, athletes and sports practitioners could better understand exercising females, their physiology and psychology.
Emma is still on that mission. She wants to tackle the taboos that exist within sport, and within wider society, when it comes to women’s health; topics such as periods and the menstrual cycle, breast health, pelvic floor health and mental health.