Dr Viktoria Azoidou, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, MHCPC, MCSP, MMACP, MACPIN, MACPIVR

Profile

I am a Postdoctoral Clinical Researcher in the Centre for Preventive Neurology and Co-Lead of Slow-SPEED UK, working at the intersection of neurological rehabilitation, prevention and digital health. As a neurological and vestibular physiotherapist, my research focuses on the pre-diagnostic phase of Parkinson’s disease, where early markers of risk may create opportunities for intervention before clinical disease emerges.

Slow-SPEED is the first international programme of non-pharmacological prevention trials in Parkinson’s disease, spanning the UK, Netherlands and US. I co-lead the UK trial, funded by Parkinson’s UK, evaluating remotely delivered, gamified exercise in 110 people with smell loss, an early marker of Parkinson’s risk.

My research also addresses technology-enabled assessment and treatment. Through an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Charco Neurotech, I contributed to a multi-centre, double-blind, sham-controlled trial of a wearable vibrotactile device across two NHS trusts and led its first evaluation in primary orthostatic tremor, a rare disorder with limited treatment options. Since 2024, I have published seven first-author papers and am Principal Investigator on two NIHR School for Primary Care Research awards, working with primary care, charities and East London communities to strengthen inclusion in research.

I trained in Greece before completing an MSc and PhD in Neuro-Rehabilitation Medicine at King’s College London and a clinical fellowship at Guy’s and St Thomas’. I hold an honorary research position at Barts Health NHS Trust and maintain clinical practice.

My wider interests include neurorehabilitation, digital health, biomechanics and technology-enabled neurological assessment and treatment. I collaborate annually with National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, belong to three International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Special Interest Groups, regularly attend international conferences, and review for international journals in neurology, Parkinson’s and movement disorders, and gait disorders. I supervise students with similar interests and aim to support inclusion of Allied Health Professionals in the research of Neuro-Rehabilitation.

Research

Research Interests:

My research asks whether Parkinson’s disease can be delayed, and whether its earliest footprints in movement, balance and behaviour can be measured sufficiently precisely and equitably to identify meaningful opportunities for prevention. My work brings together clinical neuroscience, rehabilitation, digital health and primary care across the following themes:

Prevention in prodromal Parkinson’s disease: remotely delivered, gamified exercise for people with smell loss, alongside the development of scalable and pragmatic prevention trial methodologies.

Digital and wearable outcome measures: sensor-derived measures of gait, balance, oculomotor function, sleep and motor fluctuations, captured both in clinical settings and remotely at home.

Wearable neuromodulation: vibrotactile stimulation and cueing for gait, tremor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease and rarer movement disorders, including primary orthostatic tremor.

Balance, dual-task gait and falls: investigating their relationships with vestibular function, cognition and ageing, with the aim of improving assessment and rehabilitation.

Eye biomarkers in Parkinson’s and movement disorders: What can we see through the eyes at prodromal disease stage?

The lived experience of Parkinson’s disease and those at risk of Parkinson’s: examining illness perceptions, catastrophising and quality of life to better understand how psychological and behavioural factors interact with clinical outcomes.

Equity in prevention research: developing primary-care pathways and recruitment approaches that enable under-served and digitally excluded communities to participate meaningfully in prevention science.

Publications

1. Azoidou V, Bhadra E, Camboe E, et al. Sternum-worn vibrotactile device in Parkinson’s disease: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial. npj Parkinson’s Disease. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-026-01448-y
2. Oosterhof TH, Mitchell E, Ascherio A, Aslibekyan S, Azoidou V, et al. Slow-SPEED: protocol for three randomised trials of remotely delivered exercise to prevent Parkinson’s disease. npj Parkinson’s Disease. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-026-01463-z
3. Azoidou V, Bhadra E, Camboe E, et al. Perceived consequences and catastrophising help explain health-related quality of life in Parkinson’s disease: a cross-sectional study. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. 2026;150:108421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parkreldis.2026.108421
4. Azoidou V, Rowsell K, Camboe E, et al. A pilot interventional study on feasibility and effectiveness of the CUE1 device in Parkinson’s disease. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. 2025;133:107349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parkreldis.2025.107349
5. Azoidou V, Zirra A, Boyle T, Gallagher D, Noyce AJ, Simonet C. Usability, safety and tolerability of CUE1 vibrotactile device as promising therapeutic approach in orthostatic tremor. Clinical Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. 2025;13:100379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prdoa.2025.100379
6. Azoidou V, Noyce AJ, Simonet C. The effect of tactile cueing on dual task performance in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. 2024;11:100284. doi:10.1016/j.prdoa.2024.100284.

Supervision

I supervise MSc research projects at Queen Mary University of London and contribute to MSc supervision and examination in collaboration with the biomechanics group at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. I supervise MSc and PhD students at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.