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Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit Staff
We anticipate that members of the teaching and research staff will
change as the Unit develops research and responds to the needs of people
doing the Diploma.
Will
Taylor, Head of the RTRU
Will is a Rehabilitation Medicine physician and Rheumatologist whose
clinical work is based at Hutt Hospital and Wakefield Specialist Medical
Centre. His major areas of clinical work are general adult rheumatology,
stroke rehabilitation and hospital based rehabilitation for people under 65
years. His research interests include psoriatic arthritis (member of a
steering committee for an international network of psoriatic arthritis investigators),
epidemiology of rheumatic diseases, musculoskeletal pain and outcome
measurement. He is also interested in the psychological factors associated
with musculoskeletal pain and welcomes inquiries from students interested
in pursuing thesis projects in these areas. He is also the Acting Head of
the Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit. He teaches in REHX703
Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation.
Email will.taylor@otago.ac.nz
Sue Lord
Sue is a physiotherapist based in Nelson whose clinical interest focuses on neuro-rehabilitation. She is particularly
interested in research in stroke rehabilitation, evidence based practice
and clinical gait analysis. Her current PhD research includes a
multi-centre randomised controlled trial to compare two physiotherapy
approaches to improving community mobility for people with stroke, and a
study that investigates community mobility within a dual-task research
paradigm. Sue co-ordinates REHX702
Assessment, Goals and Outcomes.
Email sue.lord@ts.co.nz
Mark Weatherall
Mark works as a consultant geriatrician for Capital and Coast Health DHB
with special interest in ortho-geriatrics, urinary incontinence and the
rehabilitation of older adults. He also has particular expertise in applied
statistics including meta-analysis of health care interventions. Mark
co-ordinates REHX704
Neurological Rehabilitation and REHX707
Rehabilitation for the Elderly.
Email mark.weatherall@otago.ac.nz
Sarah Dean
Sarah has recently taken up the post of senior lecturer in rehabilitation
at the RTRU. She arrived from the
UK
in January 2004 and has been joined by her partner and their two dogs: Tug
(a gentleman black
Labrador
) and Tallis (a crazy black and white Springer spaniel). They
all enjoy walking and running! For the last nine years she has been a
lecturer in physiotherapy at the
University
of
Southampton
UK
, teaching human movement,
exercise therapy, sports injuries and psychosocial sciences. Her background
is health psychology and physiotherapy and her main research interests
involve applying psychology to rehabilitation. This is reflected in her
PhD, which involved using an Illness Perception approach to facilitate
exercise adherence in patients with low back pain. You will meet her on REHX701 and REHX703 and at the seminar. If anyone is interested in doing a research project
please get in touch!
Email sarah.dean@otago.ac.nz
Jean Hay-Smith
Jean trained as a physiotherapist and specialised in continence and women's
health. After training and working in
New
Zealand
, Jean lived and worked in
England
for about nine years.
During this time Jean completed a research Master's degree in the area of
women's health and investigated postnatal dyspareunia (painful or difficult sexual intercourse after childbirth). Jean returned
to
New Zealand
in 1996
to lecture in the
School
of
Physiotherapy
at the
University
of
Otago
.
In 2000 Jean was awarded a three year Training Fellowship by the Health
Research Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, which
enabled her to work full-time on research and her PhD. Jean's PhD thesis,
completed in 2003, addressed the effectiveness and costs of pelvic floor
muscle training for women with stress urinary incontinence and the women's
experiences of training. Jean now works as a Research Fellow in the Department
of Women's and Children's Health. Current research includes the effect of
bladder training, anticholinergic drug, or
combination, for overactive bladder syndrome in women. Jean is the Masters'
Co-ordinator and should be contacted for all enquiries about undertaking a Masters'
qualification with the RTRU.
Email jean.hay-smith@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Rob Griffiths
Rob is an occupational medicine specialist who works primarily as a Senior
Lecturer in Occupational and Aviation Medicine in the Department, but who
works with the RTRU to teach REHX706
Work Rehabilitation. He is also interested in acute low back pain
management and is chair of the Back Pain Expert Panel. He has worked
previously for the ACC, a Regional Health Authority as Planning Manager,
and the National Health Committee.
Email rob.griffiths@otago.ac.nz
William Levack
William is a physiotherapist who has worked in a variety of hospital and
community settings, from intensive care through to slow stream residential
rehabilitation. His clinical interests are diverse, but his research to
date has focused on rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injury.
William teaches the Certificate
in Health Science (Clinical Rehabilitation) papers REHX701 and REHX710. His PhD, which he completed in 2008, investigated the
application of goal planning to the practice of clinical rehabilitation.
William is also editor for the New Zealand Rehabilitation Association's
website: www.rehabilitation.org.nz.
William lives with his partner and three children in the
South
Wairarapa
, where, in his spare time, he can be found gardening
or playing his guitar.
Email william.levack@otago.ac.nz
Elliot
Bell
Elliot is a consultant clinical psychologist at the Central Region
Forensic Rehabilitation and Intellectual Disability Service of Capital
Coast Health. His clinical interests include rehabilitation in major mental
illnesses, cognitive behavioural therapy, clinical neuropsychology,
intellectual disability, the assessment and treatment of posttrauma states, and forensic issues in mental
health. He is currently completing his PhD on theory of mind in
schizophrenia. Recently appointed as a senior clinical lecturer in the
Rehabilitation Teaching Research Unit, in 2006 Elliot will be teaching REHX
708 - Mental Health Rehabilitation.
Email elliot.bell@otago.ac.nz
Suzanne Mackay
Suzanne is based in
Dunedin
and is the main contact for distance learning students for all sorts of
issues to do with enrolments, paying fees and exams.
Email suzanne.mackay@otago.ac.nz
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