This picture shows the singlets and caps selected for students in the Exercise and Sports Science major.
Competition for places is intense
[Posted: 21 Feb 2012]
The competition for places in the new BSc (Exercise, Sports and Rehabilitation Science) has been intense!
Excellence in Teaching Award
[Posted: 19 Dec 2011]
The School of Physiotherapy's first year teaching team is the 2011 recipient of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Excellence in Teaching Award. The team, consisting of Renée McLennan, Leo Ng & Emma Turton was recognised for consistently receiving outstanding feedback on their teaching and achieving high student satisfaction over the past three years. The first year teaching team is enthusiastic about their new plans for introducing more innovative teaching & learning strategies for the incoming students in 2012.
Governor of Western Australia, His Excellency Mr Malcolm McCusker AO QC, with his wife, Dr Anne Smith, Professor Peter O’Sullivan and Professor Leon Staker.
Trio receive award for outstanding contribution to Raine Study
[Posted: 8 Dec 2011]
Professor Peter O’Sullivan, Dr Anne Smith and Professor Leon Straker from the School of Physiotherapy recently received an award for the most outstanding contribution to public health utilising data obtained from the one of the world’s most successful scientific studies of pregnancy, childhood and adolescence – the Raine Study.
The award was presented to the team by the Governor of Western Australia, His Excellency Mr Malcolm McCusker AO QC, at a prestigious occasion celebrating 21 years of the Raine Study.
The event was held to thank the 2000 young adults who have participated in the study, and to showcase the research findings and results of the Raine Study conducted over the past 21 years.
The trio have been involved in the Raine Study for the last eight years and have received over $700,000 in research project grants to look at the development of neck and back pain during the adolescent years.
For more information on the Raine Study visit - rainestudy.org.au
Professor Keith Hill
School of Physiotherapy welcomes new Head
[Posted: 2 Dec 2011]
Professor Keith Hill from La Trobe University has been appointed as Head of School at the School of Physiotherapy and will commence in the prominent position on Monday 9 January 2012.
The former Professor of Allied Health brings to the School an outstanding track record in helping organisations to reach their full potential, and in directing multidisciplinary teams to be more effective and productive through a collaborative team approach.
Professor Jill Downie, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Health Sciences, welcomed Professor Hill’s appointment.
“Keith is a qualified physiotherapist with over thirty years clinical and research experience,” Professor Downie said.
“He has worked in various senior management positions including Director of the Public Health Division at the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) in Victoria.
“His commitment to excellence in this role led a transition in the division that saw a 50 per cent growth in its annual budget.
“He is a top international researcher having secured over $9 million in grant funding for research projects over the years, and we are privileged to have him on board.”
Professor Hill’s research interests include falls prevention, gait and balance assessment and interventions, healthy ageing, stroke and hip fracture rehabilitation and residential care. His research has been published in over 115 journals.
He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) from the Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences, Melbourne, a Graduate Diploma in Physiotherapy (Neurology), and obtained a PhD from the University of Melbourne in 1998. His PhD investigated balance dysfunction and falls risk in older people.
Professor Hill said he was looking forward to the new challenge.
“The School has an outstanding reputation for the quality of its graduates and its research,” Professor Hill said.
“It is well known for its strong regional and international focus. These two areas are aligned with my own interests, particularly in my role as President-elect of the Asia/Oceania Region of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics.
“I’m excited and delighted to be directing a School that has been leading the way for five decades. And the excellent work of my predecessor, Professor Tony Wright, provides a great platform in which to take the School to its next level of development.”
Perth born, Professor Hill, will be relocating to Western Australia with his wife, Pek, who is a qualified physiotherapist. The couple have three daughters, two are based in Melbourne, and the third is working as a geologist in Perth.
Alumni Penta-Reunions 2011
[Posted: 3 Nov 2011]
Members of the Class of 2010 along with those celebrating 5, 10 15, 20, 25 and 30 years since their graduations attended the Physiotherapy Alumni Chapter’s annual Penta-Reunion celebrations on Friday October 21st. The fourth floor staff room and balcony was the perfect venue for drinks and canapes in the warm evening air. Afterwards several groups continued their celebrations by enjoying dinner at local establishments. Special thanks are extended to Marilla Hogan and Kerry Higgins who arranged the catering and facilities, Kelly Sheppard from the Alumni Office for managing logistics, Curtin Stadium who sponsored door prizes and the School of Physiotherapy for funding the event.
April 2011 - Obesity in childhood leads to poor posture and back pain
[Posted: 6 Apr 2011]
Being overweight as a child and adolescent can lead to poor postures linked to back pain, according to new research by Curtin University’s School of Physiotherapy, the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.
The research team compared the Body Mass Index (BMI, a common benchmark for obesity), of 1,373 children from the long-term Raine Study over a period of 12 years (from the age of three to 14) with specific standing postures measured at age 14.
Results showed there was a clear relationship between BMI and posture.
Four main posture groups were defined – neutral, flat, sway and hyperlordotic. These were categorised by angular measurements of the pelvis and spine of the teenagers photographed from side on.
"We found that teenagers with higher BMI were more likely to stand with non-neutral postures, placing more strain on the spine and increasing the risk of back pain," Dr Anne Smith, Senior Lecturer at the School of Physiotherapy said.
"This relationship between BMI and spinal posture is concerning, as it suggests increasing load on the spine over the growth period may change the structure of the spine."
The findings also indicated that BMI tracks fairly steadily from early life through to adolescence.
"We found that in terms of BMI for most teenagers where you are at three is where you are at 14," Dr Smith said.
"There was just one group out of the six that had a pattern of increasing BMI.
"This is an important study, because it highlights obesity as an important factor for bone and joint health and development, in addition to being a risk factor for many other well known health problems.
"Our findings emphasise the importance of preventing obesity as early in life as possible."
The next step will be to look at data from the teenagers at 17 years of age, to explore in more detail the links between posture, obesity and back pain.
Contacts:
Dr Anne Smith, Senior Lecturer and Postdoctoral research Fellow, School of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 3650; Mobile: 0421 572 987 Email: anne.smith@curtin.edu.au
Teresa Belcher, Public Relations, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 9085; Email: teresa.belcher@curtin.edu.au, Web: http://curtin.edu.au
About the Raine Study
The Raine Study is jointly conducted by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and The School of Women's and Infant's Health at the University of Western Australia. The study started in 1989, when 2900 pregnant women were recruited into a research study at King Edward Memorial Hospital to examine ultrasound imaging. The mothers were assessed during pregnancy and information was collected on the mother and the father, for example diet, exercise, work, health, etc. After the children were born, they were assessed at birth, at one year, then two, three and five years of age. Further follow-ups of the cohort have been conducted at eight, 10, 14, 17 and now 20 years of age. Find out more at www.rainestudy.org.au
January 2011 - Physiotherapy teaching tour in Nepal
[Posted: 1 Jan 2011]
Members of the NEPTA professional development course group, including teaching staff from Kathmandu University, with Alison Thorpe and Evan Coopes and final year Curtin physiotherapy students.
Curtin School of Physiotherapy staff members Alison Thorpe and Evan Coopes presented a two-day professional development course for Nepalese physiotherapists with the course focusing upon musculoskeletal assessment, clinical reasoning and treatment skills. The course was conducted in collaboration with the Nepal Physiotherapy Association (NEPTA). During the visit Alison met with the teaching team from Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, who coordinate the new Bachelor of Physiotherapy program at Dhulikhel Hospital. Most of this team was able to attend the two-day workshop.
Alison and Evan then presented at "Orthocon 2011" - the Nepal Orthopaedic Association annual conference. At this event they were able to present physiotherapy perspectives of the management of musculoskeletal injuries to an audience of Nepalese surgeons who were less familiar with the role of physiotherapy and the abilities of physiotherapists.
During the past 2 years, final year Curtin physiotherapy students have benefited from the opportunity to undertake 4-week clinical placements in Nepal. These placements have proven to highly successful and have been managed and coordinated collaboratively between Curtin University and NEPTA.
The ongoing relationships between Curtin University, Kathmandu University and NEPTA provide a wonderful learning experience in the understanding of physiotherapy, education and management of disability for physiotherapists from both countries.
Alison Thorpe and Evan Coopes with Prayoush Neupane, the scientific coordinator on the NEPTA committee, at the Nepal Orthopaedic Conference
December 2010 - Curtin Students Visit Bellarmine University, Kentucky
[Posted: 1 Dec 2010]
4th year Physiotherapy students Hayley Edmunds, Needra Ranjithkumar, Brendan Brbich and James Blomberg Visited Bellarmine University in Louisville Kentucky, and participated in the Physical Therapy programs coursework & clinical visits. Curtin University has a Bilateral exchange program with Bellarmine University.
November 2010 - Elite athletes are welcome at Curtin
[Posted: 1 Nov 2010]
Harry Taylor, Geelong defender and part-time Curtin Physiotherapy student.
Geelong defender, Harry Taylor, who is studying Physiotherapy at Curtin University, recently joined the greats of Australian football by being named in the All-Australian team.
The part-time student was chosen for the first time in his career as centre half-back and joined five other Geelong team mates in the star-studded side.
The Geelong player said that it was a great honour to be named an All-Australian.
"I am very proud of this achievement, but I'm also very grateful that I play in a great team with some terrific individual players. My team mates are the ones that have made me an All-Australian player," he said.
Taylor said that completing his degree and playing in the Australian Football League (AFL) was challenging, but that his course had provided him with a distraction from the mental challenges that AFL players face during the season.
"The AFL world can be a stressful place. Physiotherapy has allowed me to focus my attention on something totally different. My studies have enabled me to relax and have taken me away from the pressures of professional sport."
"Thanks to the Elite Athlete program at Curtin, I'm undertaking a study plan that fits around my busy sporting schedule.
"The School of Physiotherapy's clinical coordination team have worked hard to develop a program that allows me to undertake clinical placements in Geelong, and there is also a flexible delivery of course content for my final year. All of these changes have enabled me to study whilst playing for Geelong at the same time."
Taylor aims to complete his Physiotherapy degree in two years and is interested in the gerontology side of physiotherapy.
Found out more about Curtin's Elite Athlete Program.
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