Recent projects

Our higher degree candidates have created an impressive body of research. Browse recent higher degree research projects from across the School of Allied Health. 

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• Social work
• Occupational therapy
• Speech pathology
• Physiotherapy

Social Work

Children's experiences of separation and divorce     
Professor Morag McArthur, Principal Supervisor
Associate Professor Joanna Zubrzycki, Co-Supervisor

Children experiences of family 
Professor Morag McArthur, Principal Supervisor
Associate Professor Joanna Zubrzycki, Co-Supervisor

Human rights as constructed and understood by African families from refugee backgrounds
Associate Professor Joanna Zubrzycki, Principal Supervisor
Dr Jean Burke, Co-Supervisor

"I just keep my tears all inside": experiences of loss from children whose families face complex challenges and change
Professor Morag McArthur, Principal Supervisor
Associate Professor Joanna Zubrzycki, Co-Supervisor

Improving contact between children in out-of-home care and their birth parents: developing and trialling a contact intervention
Professor Morag McArthur, Principal Supervisor
Associate Professor Stephanie Taplin, Co-Supervisor

The mental health and wellbeing of South Indian communities in Australia: a social work study
 Professor Robert Bland, Principal Supervisor 
Dr Venkat Pulla, Co-Supervisor

Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits
Professor Morag McArthur, Principal Supervisor
Dr Tim Moore, Co-Supervisor

Occupational therapy

An investigation into the clinical utility of robot assisted upper limb therapy within an Australian rehabilitative setting
Professor Suzanne Kuys, Principal Supervisor 
Associate Professor Elspeth Froude, Co-Supervisor

Negotiating self-management goals: a qualitative study of the perceptions of people with chronic conditions and their healthcare providers
Professor Karen Willis, Principal Supervisor 
Dr Helen Bourke-Taylor, Co-Supervisor

Daily living transactions; understanding how children and caregivers work together to complete daily living tasks and routines when the child has cerebral palsy
Professor Christine Imms, Principal Supervisor 
Dr Loretta Sheppard, Co-Supervisor

Upper limb orthoses for children with cerebral palsy: exploring effectiveness and clinical application of the Neurological Hand Deformity Classification to guide orthosis prescription
Professor Christine Imms, Principal Supervisor 
Dr Claire Kerr, Co-Supervisor
Dr Melinda Randall, Ass. Supervisor

Developing the evidence base for a classification of functional visual ability for children with cerebral palsy  
Associate Professor Elspeth Froude, Principal Supervisor

Evidence-based assessment of practices by allied health practitioners working with children with cerebral palsy     
Dr Claire Kerr, Principal Supervisor
Professor Christine Imms, Co-Supervisor

Speech pathology

A preliminary study of surgical interventions for patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis
Professor Paul Carding, Principal Supervisor
Dr Erin Conway, Co-Supervisor
Dr Kieran Flanagan, Ass. Supervisor

Drooling behaviour in children with cerebral palsy: investigating the value of using Lee Silverman Voice Treatment - LOUD Approach (LSVT - LOUD): a pilot study
Professor Christine Imms, Principal Supervisor 
Professor Paul Carding, Co-Supervisor

Factors in the successful training of the videofluoscopic swallowing study analyst
Associate Professor Elspeth Froude, Principal Supervisor 
Professor Paul Carding, Co-Supervisor
Dr Gabriella Sharpe, Ass. Supervisor

Physiotherapy

Development, validation, reliability and predictive capacity of motor recovery of the Acquired Brain Injury Physiotherapy Assessment (ABIPA): a tool for physiotherapists during early management of people following Acquired Brain Injury
Professor Suzanne Kuys, Principal Supervisor
Dr Ben Weeks, External Supervisor

Evaluation of the utilisation of an allied health assistant within an Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre: their role and scope of practice and benefits to improved patient related physiotherapy outcomes
Professor Suzanne Kuys, Principal Supervisor
Dr Lyndal Maxwell, Principal Supervisor

Lower limb injury in New Zealand army recruits
Professor Suzanne Kuys, Principal Supervisor
Dr Maria Constantinou, Co-Supervisor
Mr Mark Brown, Assistant Supervisor
Associate Professor Belinda Beck, External Supervisor

Readiness for discharge from hospital to home in community: physiotherapist, family and patient perspectives
Professor Suzanne Kuys, Principal Supervisor
Professor Nancy Low Choy, Co-Supervisor
Dr Ann Rahmann, Assistant Supervisor

Measuring community walking in stroke survivors using physiotherapists perspectives and International Classification of Functioning, Health and Disability (IA+CF) Framework
Professor Suzanne Kuys, Principal Supervisor
Dr Belinda Bilney, Co-supervisor

An investigation of physical activity levels of older adults attending out-patient rehabilitation
Professor Suzanne Kuys, Principal Supervisor
Professor Nancy Low Choy, Co-Supervisor
Dr Simone Dorsch, Assistant Supervisor

A comparison of clinical and cost effectiveness between the Physiotherapist-led Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Vestibular Screening and Rehabilitation Service and the Audiologist-led Logan-Mater Hospitals 
Professor Nancy Low Choy, Principal Supervisor
Dr Ann Rahmann, Assistant Supervisor