Allied Health

Overview of the Research Area

The School of Health Science's Research into research in Allied health extends into the fields of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Paramedicine, Speech Pathology, Podiatry and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Physiotherapy

The WSU Physiotherapy team has a variety of specialised research interest. Equipped with modern research laboratories,  we regularly engage with industry partners to develop innovative interventions and products to enhance individual quality of life and performance. Below is a list of research interest among staff members:

Occupational Therapy

WSU Occupational Therapy researchers aim to enhance the evidence base in occupational therapy through partnerships in research, education, and practice. Our research focuses on questions related to enabling inclusion in life, and fulfillment through engagement, for a wide range of people and communities. We support Honours, Higher Degree Research students, early career researchers, and practitioner-researchers to build their research capacity through training and mentoring in a range of research methodologies. We work in partnership with industry, service providers, consumers, their families, and communities, and strive for the translation of research findings and knowledge into practice, policy, and education to create an impact by improving inclusion and fulfillment through engagement for the people and communities we support.

Paramedicine

The paramedicine program has diverse research engagement and interests. The academic team have expertise in quantitative research including epidemiology and consensus processes, and in qualitative methods including grounded theory, phenomenology, thematic analysis and mixed methods.  Areas of research focus include paramedic professionalism and identity; paramedic education and workforce; immersive simulation; mental health; paramedic wellness; infection control; quality improvement and evidence-based care; inter-professional learning; non-traditional paramedic roles; and occupational violence towards paramedics.  The team are highly collaborative, and are committed to developing capacity for research within paramedicine. The program has strong research supervisory capacity, with three post-doctoral paramedics in the team.

Speech Pathology

Speech pathology academics research communication, swallowing and mealtime management across the lifespan, and contemporary issues impacting the profession. Our research supports members of the community to participate in social, education and vocational experiences through building and translating evidence based practice. Current research topics include:

  • communication and swallowing recovery following stroke or traumatic brain injury and the impacts and outcomes for individuals living with a disability
  • experiences of individuals and families using augmentative and alternative communication across the lifespan
  • health literacy, communication access and participation for individuals living with communication difficulties
  • ethical reasoning in professional practice
  • innovative models of work integrated learning

Podiatry

Specific areas of research focus include:

  • Foot and ankle rheumatology
  • Footwear, wound healing
  • The diabetic foot
  • Morbid obesity
  • Indigenous health
  • Musculoskeletal injury and rehabilitation.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

TCM researchers have made substantial contribution to the ERA ranking 5 in complementary and alternative medicine as well as cancer research at Western Sydney University, the achievement is regarded as 'well above the world standard' according to the national ranking system. Our research focus on exploring scientific evidence on effectiveness and safety on use of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture for many health conditions include cancer. We also explore opportunity of grow high quality of Chinese medicinal herbs in Australia with overseas partner. These are international and multi disciplinary research projects involving researchers and clinicians from South Western Sydney Local Health District, different schools and institutes at Western Sydney and many overseas hospitals and universities.

Recreational Therapy

The Recreation Therapy (RT) team at Western comprises world class researchers with a range of interests and expertise. Common to all of them is an interest in exploring the power of leisure and recreation to improve all aspects of community and individual health and wellbeing. All RT researchers at Western work very closely with community/industry partners to support them in improving their practice through the gathering and analysis of evidence. They provide expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research as well as program evaluation. Particular areas of interest and expertise include, but are not restricted to:

- Clinical outcomes of recreation therapy in public and private health settings

- Leisure and recreation for vulnerable and marginalized groups (e.g. refugees, migrants, low income communities, people in prison, children in foster care, etc.)

- Leisure education to improve health outcomes

- Public spaces and their impacts on leisure, recreation and wellbeing

- Leisure and recreation in aged care facilities

- Recreational therapy professional identity, scope of practice and reasoning


Researchers

To find out more about a researcher, click on their name to be redirected to their staff profile.

Researchers

Associate Professor Elise Baker
Research Expertise and Interests: Research translation and implementation; intervention research; outcome measurement; clinicians' conduct of evidence-based practice; models of service delivery; communication development and disorders in children; speech sound disorders; cultural and linguistic diversity.
Email:e.baker@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Rosalind Bye
Research Expertise and Interests: Palliative care; professional reasoning; theoretical models; qualitative methods; professionalism; health science education 
Email: R.Bye@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Rocco Cavaleri
Research Expertise and Interests: Brain Stimulation; Neuroscience; Pain; Physiotherapy; Exercise
Email:R.Cavaleri@westernsydney.edu.au

Professor Roy Cheung
Research Expertise and Interests: Biomechanics; Gait retraining; Wearable sensor; Motion analysis; Injury prevention; Musculoskeletal health
Email:Roy.Cheung@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Kristy Coxon
Research Expertise and Interests: Driving; Community mobility; Participation; Rehabilitation; Ageing; Older Drivers
Email:K.Coxon@westernsydney.edu.au

Associate Professor Tinashe Dune
Research Expertise and Interests: Community Mental Health; Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations; Minority Populations; Health Sociology; Indigenous Health; Interprofessional Education (IPE) in Health; Migrant Health; Public Health; Sexual and Reproductive Health and Wellbeing; Social Determinants of Health
Email:t.dune@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Genevieve Dwyer
Research Expertise and Interests: Physical Activity in children (with and without disability); Disability in children and optimising participation in their communities; Preterm survivors and motor outcomes; Preterm infants and interventions; Childhood obesity; Health service delivery in paediatric physiotherapy (including telehealth)
Email:g.dwyer@westernsydney.edu.au

Ms Bronwyn Gill
Research Expertise and Interests: Occupational therapy; transition from student to therapist; transformative learning; sexual expression; practice placements
Email:Bronwyn.Gill@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Amitabh Gupta
Research Expertise and Interests: Motor control, Biomechanics, Human Movement Science; Falls, Balance and Gait; Musculoskeletal Science; Physiotherapy
Email:a.gupta@westernsydney.edu.au

Mr Ed Johnson
Research Expertise and Interests: Rural and remote health, education, and social services; disability; public health; public policy; digital health; telepractice; ethnography; phenomenology; qualitative methods; critical theory; cultural relativism; humanism; person-centred approaches; community; inclusion; culturally safe and culturally competent practice; neurodevelopmental disorders; neurodiversity; mental health; intellectual disability; One Health; environmental aetiologies of neuro-psychiatric illness; non-verbal communication; sociolinguistics 
Email: e.johnson@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Belinda Kenny
Research Expertise and Interests: Communication; Swallowing; Ethics and Professionalism; Work Integrated Learning
Email:B.Kenny@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Nerida Klupp
Research Expertise and Interests: Student mental health; animal assisted therapy; evidence-based healthcare; inter-professional learning and teaching
Email: n.klupp@westernsydney.edu.au

Professor Gregory Kolt
Research Expertise and Interests: Health promotion; lifestyle behaviour change; physical activity; public health; Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)
Email:g.kolt@westernsydney.edu.au

Professor Karen Liu
Research Expertise and Interests: Cognitive strategies in rehabilitation to promote learning and participation in daily activities; neurological rehabilitation; memory strategies for older adults; education for dementia caregivers; program evaluation; instrumentation
Email:Karen.Liu@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Caroline Mills
Research Expertise and Interests: Disability and participation; autism; intellectual disability; school based therapy; children and families; sensory processing; behaviour support; service evaluation; mixed methods
Email:Caroline.Mills@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Nicole Peel
Research Expertise and Interests: Therapeutic Recreation, Leisure and vulnerable groups, foster care system, disability, leisure and health , health education, systems change, recreation therapy, leisure and sport for outcomes, arts, music, outdoor recreation modalities.
Email:n.peel@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Stefania Penkala
Research Expertise and Interests: Musculoskeletal Health, Movement Education and Rehabilitation across the lifespan (i.e Osteoarthritis, falls prevention, child development and the diabetic foot). Aboriginal Health and Wellness. Student experience and translation of knowledge into practice. 
Email:S.Penkala@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Arianne Reis
Research Expertise and Interests: Therapeutic Recreation; Leisure, Sport and Physical Activity for Vulnerable and Marginalised Groups (e.g. refugees, migrants, low income communities, people in prison, etc.); Mental Health and Wellbeing; Public Spaces and Leisure; University Students' Learning
Email:a.reis@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Nicole Sharp
Research Expertise and Interests: Qualitative research; co-design; disability; mental health; transitions; lived experience
Email:N.Sharp@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Ellie Sugden
Research Expertise and Interests: Speech pathology; speech sound disorders; evidence-based practice; phonetics; health technology; service delivery
Email: E.Sugden@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Clarice Tang
Research Expertise and Interests: Knowledge translation into clinical practice, physiotherapy, chronic cardiovascular disease management, chronic respiratory disease, culturally and linguistically diverse communities
Email:c.tang@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Caterina Tannous
Research Expertise and Interests: professionalism; health profession education; interprofessional education; student transition and success; professional reasoning, professional identity, vulnerable populations
Email: c.tannous@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Liz Thyer
Research Expertise and Interests: Paramedicine; Burnout; Education; Qualitative research; Work Integrated Learning; Obstetrics; Mental Health
Email:E.Thyer@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Steven Walmsley
Research Expertise and Interests: Rheumatology; Survey Research; Outcomes Measurement; Qualitative; Quantitative; Mixed Methods.
Email:S.Walmsley@westernsydney.edu.au