Coping with COVID-19 for parents of athletic kids

Marita Marshall, a sports physiotherapist and graduate from UDOTS, was an invited speaker at an online seminar to help parents of athletic children cope with the COVID-19 situation at this time. The webinar took place live from Jamaica and Barbados on June 13th, 2020.

Marita gave a presentation on tips and considerations for parents to cope with current COVID-19 circumstances as well as return to sport post-COVID specifically to sports training and injury management.

Marita graduated with a Masters in Sports and Biomechanical Medicine from the University of Dundee in 2016. Her research investigated the differences in the kinematics of backward treadmill walking compared to forward treadmill walking and how the results could be applied to sports rehabilitation. Her supervisors were Professor Rami Abboud, Dr Graham Arnold and Dr Tim Drew.

Whilst at UDOTS Marita presented her research at the 14th International Conference on Clinical Biomechanics in Staffordshire in 2016. As former West Indies Women’s physiotherapist, she was interviewed recently for the Mostly Cricket website concerning the physical aspect of the crisket and sports in general.

Marita currently operates her own private physiotherapy practice, Physiotherapy & Optimal Performance Services (POPS), and is also a co-founder of health and wellness company, The Health & Wellness Physios Inc. both based in Barbados. Her speciality is sports rehabilitation and she has a keen interest in public health and women’s sport.

Dr Graham Arnold, Gait and Motion Analysis Lab Manager at UDOTS, stated:

“I’d like to congratulate Marita for being invited to speak at this extremely interesting and relevant conference at this time. She has carved out a successful career in Barbados and we are all proud of what she has achieved since studying in Dundee. I remember Marita as an excellent, hard-working student with an omnipresent smile.”