Dr Becky Nightingale

Biography

Becky Nightingale is a consultant respiratory physiotherapist and clinical researcher. She qualified from Southampton University in 2004 and worked at Southampton University Hospital Trust as a senior respiratory physiotherapist, specialising in non-invasive ventilation and chronic lung diseases.

In 2010, Becky moved to Kenya, where she helped develop a small health centre into a 100-bed hospital, serving as CEO for three years before handing over to a Kenyan team. She has a particular interest in health systems in East Africa and improving acute respiratory care in this setting.

Becky completed an MSc in Global Health at University College London, focusing on adherence to antibiotic treatment for children under five with pneumonia. She then completed an MRes in Clinical Sciences at the University of Liverpool and an MRC-DTP PhD at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in 2021, focusing on lung health in complex populations, including heroin users in the UK and people who had completed TB treatment in Malawi.

She holds a non-medical prescriber qualification from Edge Hill University and works both clinically and academically. Her research includes post-TB lung disease, where she contributed to the development of the first international clinical statement.

Becky is co-chair of the International Post-TB Symposium and a member of the steering committee for TB Centre at LSTM. She likes to encourage other Allied Health Professions into global health research and is a board member for physio research society.

In 2015 she received the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Distinguished Service Award and in 2021 was part of a team that received the HRH Prince of Wales award for upskilling nurses and AHP’s during COVID

Research interests

Becky is interested in complex chronic lung diseases in populations that are underserved by current health systems and policies. For her PhD, she followed up a cohort of patients who had completed treatment for TB in Malawi. She currently holds an Asthma and Lung UK grant, which is allowing her to follow up patients in Liverpool who have completed treatment for TB. She is also investigating breathlessness in long COVID patients, and thanks to a National Institute for Health and Care Research Research for Patient Benefit grant, she will investigate whether Continuous Positive Airway Pressure is helpful for patients diagnosed with large airways collapse

Teaching

Becky teaches on the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and leads the Evidence to Clinical Practice module for the Clinical Masters in Tropical Medicine. She also teaches on the Quality Improvement module and provides instruction on respiratory solutions for low-resource settings across all clinical modules. Additionally, she supervises multiple Master’s students and currently has two PhD students.

Selected research publications

Rehabilitation for individuals with post-tuberculosis lung disease – Journal: Breathe – Published: 27th January 2026

Proceedings from the Third International Post-Tuberculosis Symposium: expanding the circle – Journal: IJTLD Open – Published: 10th December 2025

Post-tuberculosis lung disease: a case definition for use in research studies – Journal: The Lancet Infectious Diseases – Published: 10th November 2025

A broader lens on tuberculosis cost-effectiveness analysis: How patient-incurred costs and post-tuberculosis outcomes reshape estimates in a multi-country study – Journal: PLOS Global Public Health – Published: 11th September 2025

Availability, cost and affordability of essential medicines for smoking cessation in low-income and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study. – Journal: Thorax – Published: 3rd March 2025

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