Who we are

I chose to study occupational therapy because it involves what I value in a career: a background in human science, a holistic perspective of health, and practical ways to help people engage in everyday life. Studying the Bachelor of Health Sciences/Master of Occupational Therapy offers the perfect combination of subjects to explore various areas of health, while preparing you to understand and develop clinical skills.

I am a bioengineer and an accredited exercise scientist with ESSA. My teaching areas include research methods, exercise therapy and new technologies in rehabilitation. I specialise in gait and motion analysis and my research areas include falls and balance in the elderly, gait in multiple sclerosis and exercise therapy for rehabilitation. I have completed a PhD in ‘Kinematic Analysis of the Osteoarthritic Knee’.

From a young age I knew I wanted to be in a helping role and make an important difference in people’s lives. My experience as an external Disability and Developmental Education student at Flinders University was exceptional. Entering the professional world and working in the disability sector, I felt nothing short of prepared. The program has greatly expanded my professional networks and opened up multiple exciting opportunities.  

The highlight for me studying optometry was the placement component of the course. I feel it was crucial to my development towards becoming a practice-ready optometrist. During my placements I was immersed in optometry and received the best support and mentoring from experienced clinical optometrists. It allowed me to put theory in to practice and helped me to continue to develop my clinical skills. As a result, I felt work-ready at the completion of my studies.

I am an Exercise Scientist, a member of Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) and an Accredited SLSSA Beach Coach and Accredited Sprint Coach with Athletics Australia. My research innvolves investigating adolescent girls disengagement with physical activity and working with athletes conducting a range of fitness tests and metabolic measurements testing fitness levels. I'm also heavily involved with Surf Life-Saving SA and their High Performance Surf Sport program and I conduct nutrition workshops for primary school children.

It’s great to be so close to Flinders Medical Centre, where we’re able to follow women through their pregnancy. I particularly like the fact the Flinders nursing and midwifery facilities are so up-to-date. They’re very similar to the real hospital environment, so it’s fantastic to be able to get hands on with real-life equipment from early on in the course.