Details of past RAIL online forums
2026
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic(s)/Title(s) |
|---|---|---|
| May | Dr. Martin Sénéchal (Professor at the University of New Brunswick and co-director of the Cardiometabolic Exercise and Lifestyle Laboratory) Dr. Danielle Bouchard (Professor of Kinesiology at the University of New Brunswick and co-director of the Cardiometabolic Exercise and Lifestyle Laboratory) Professor Peter Malliaras (Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University) | Exercise innovation for health: New perspectives on diabetes management, tendon pain and falls prevention 1) Is less more? Optimising physical activity for type 2 diabetes 2) Falls prevention and exercise: Please tell me something I don’t already know! 3) Exercise for tendinopathy: is it as effective as we think, and how can we optimise it? |
| March | Andrew Grady (AROC Improvement Facilitator) Dr Annie Lewis (post-doctoral researcher at La Trobe University and Eastern Health, and occupational therapist) Alicia Devlin (Occupational Therapist at Eastern Health and Research fellow with the RAIL Research Centre) | Is clinical complexity increasing in inpatient rehabilitation? What does the evidence tell us, and what does this mean for allied health professionals? 1) Inpatient rehabilitation in Australia: have patient characteristics changed over time? 2) The complexity question: are patients seen by allied health clinicians at Eastern Health becoming more complex? 3) Case study – advice on how to manage complexity |
2025
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic(s)/Title(s) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Dr Marissa Dickins (Senior Research Fellow at Silverchain) Professor Jenny Waycott (School of Computing and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and IT at The University of Melbourne) Dr Aislinn Lalor (Senior Research Fellow and the Ageing Stream Lead in the Rehabilitation, Ageing, and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, as well as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Monash University) | Connected Ageing: Innovation, Inclusion, and Wellbeing: 1) Innovative solutions to improve mental health and wellbeing of in-home aged care clients 2) Innovations in Life Storytelling with Older Adults 3) Ciao! Connecting older adults virtually in aged care |
| August | Sarra Pirmohamed (MSc student at Simon Fraser University, Canada) Zelalem Muluneh (PhD candidate at Monash University, Australia) Matthew Ferris (PhD candidate at Monash University, Australia) | RAIL HDR Student Showcase: 1) Standardising outcomes in randomised controlled trials of physical activity interventions for older adults: A Delphi study 2) Understanding Restrictive Practices (Restraints and Seclusion) in Mental Health Inpatients Settings: Use, Definition, and Measurement 3) Australian Paramedics perspectives of Reasonable Compulsory Overtime: A Delphi study |
| June | Dr Natasha Layton (Senior Research Fellow and international lead with the RAIL Research Centre) Dr Pauline Kleinitz (Technical Advisor for the WHO Headquarters' Rehabilitation Programme) Professor Sarah Anderson (orthotist / prosthetist, Director of the Institute of Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research of Monash University) | Tales from the front line: allied health research and practice in global contexts |
| April | Associate Professor Leah Heiss (Eva and Marc Besen International Research Chair in Design at Monash University, co-chair of the new Technologies Grand Challenge at the Victorian Heart Institute) Dr Christina Ekegren (Rehabilitation Stream Lead within the Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre) Professor Nicola Kayes (Professor of Rehabilitation, and Co-Director of the Centre for Person Centred Research at AUT in New Zealand) | Creative solutions: Embracing ‘Design Thinking’ in health research: 1) Co-design at scale - Global convening to improve health outcomes 2) Co-design and co-production of ‘Tools for ageing well with traumatic brain injury’ 3) Optimising telerehabilitation practice in Aotearoa New Zealand |
| February | Dr Lara Kimmel (Clinical and research physiotherapist and Allied Health Team Leader for the trauma team at the Alfred in Melbourne) Professor Justine Naylor (Senior Principal Research Fellow in Orthopaedics at South West Sydney Local Health District and Conjoint Professor at UNSW) | Hospital or home? The knowns and unknowns of trauma rehabilitation Rehabilitation in the acute hospital following trauma Insights into hospital-in-the-home and rehabilitation-in-the-home programs following low-trauma hip fracture in Australia |
2024
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic(s)/Title(s) |
|---|---|---|
| November | Moa Jederström (PhD candidate in Public Health Medicine at Athletics Research Center, Linköping University (MD-PhD program)) Liz Bainbridge (Physiotherapist and educator at Curtin University and phD candidate) Lisa Licciardi (Occupational therapist, Research Fellow in the Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre and PhD candidate) | RAIL HDR Student Showcase: 1) Young Competitive Athletes’ Health Experiences from Participating in Sports ––“It takes a village to raise a figure skater” 2) Decision making about walking independence in hospital after stroke 3) Examining the Functional Outcomes and Role of Occupational Therapy in the Rehabilitation of Adults with Persistent Post Concussion Symptoms |
| August | Associate Professor Michele Callisaya (Senior Research Fellow, Monash University) Professor Yun-Hee Jeon (inaugural Susan and Isaac Wakil Healthy Ageing Chair at the University of Sydney) Dr Den-Ching Angel Lee (Senior Research Fellow, Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre and the National Centre for Healthy Ageing (NCHA)) | Improving access to rehabilitation, reablement, and physical activity for people living with dementia: 1) The right to rehabilitation for people living with dementia 2) Reablement models of care for people with dementia – evidence and key lessons for implementation 3) “Changing the Focus” project: Co-design of a Novel Approach for People with Mild Dementia to Engage in Physical Activity Programs in a Local Community |
| June | Professor Terry Haines, AM (Head of the School of Primary and Associate Professor Libby Callaway (Occupational Therapist, RAIL Research Centre Independent Living Stream Lead, Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University) | The brave new world of technology monitoring in healthcare and support: Ethical practice and governance |
| April | Dr Margaret Gidgup NoongarWadjuk, Yamatji, Ngadju (Associate Lecturer, Curtin University) Paul Martin Butchulla/Goreng Goreng (Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Relationships and Business Development at EACH) | Researching well with older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples |
| February | Associate Professor Natasha Brusco (Physiotherapist, health economist, Rehabilitation Stream Lead for the RAIL Research Centre and My Therapy Chief Investigator) Sara Whittaker (Occupational Therapist and PhD Candidate at Monash University) Alicia Devlin (My Therapy Community of Practice Lead) Emma Dorward (My Therapy Community of Practice Lead) | Launch of the My Therapy Community of Practice |
2023
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic(s)/Title(s) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Zelalem Muluneh (PhD candidate at Monash University) Sara Whittaker (Occupational Therapist and PhD Candidate at Monash University) Doha Alhashmi (Occupational Therapist, lecturer at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Saudi Arabia and PhD candidate at Monash University) | RAIL Graduate Student Showcase: Understanding restrictive practices (restraints and seclusion) in mental health settings Implementation of the My Therapy program: A mixed-methods process evaluation Driver Assessment and Rehabilitation in Saudi Arabia from the Perspective of Occupational Therapists |
| August | Dr Em Bould (Senior Research Fellow, Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University) Associate Professor Libby Callaway (Occupational Therapist, RAIL Research Centre Independent Living Stream Lead, Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University) | An introduction to Single Case Experimental Design methods: Learning from experience and tools for implementation |
| June | Dr Raphaëlle-Ashley Guerbaai (Postdoctoral researcher at the Rehabilitation, Ageing, and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, Monash University, and a registered nurse by background) Dr Janet Sluggett (Enterprise Fellow at the University of South Australia and affiliate postdoctoral researcher with the Registry of Senior Australians at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute) | Supporting Residential Aged-Care Facilities with hospital transfers |
| April | Professor Maureen Ashe (Department of Family Practice at The University of British Columbia (Canada), Canada Research Chair in Community Mobility, and physiotherapist) Sanya Grover (third-year medical student at the University of British Columbia, Canada). Bobbi Symes, MA, CPG (Assistant Director, Healthy Aging at United Way British Columbia, Canada) | Social Prescribing and Older Adults |
| March | Professor Keith Hill (Director of the Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre) Associate Professor Janneke Berecki (Director of the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit at the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC)) | COVID-19's impact on falls, sedentary behaviour and deconditioning in older adults *** Recording of the forum available here |
| January | Dr Natasha Layton (Occupational therapist and Senior Research Fellow with RAIL Research Centre) | What do advocacy and research have to do with each other? In conversation with Dr Natasha Layton |
2022
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic(s)/Title(s) |
|---|---|---|
| November | Mr Simon Lethlean (St Kilda Football Club CEO) Dr Elise Facer-Childs (Director of Research and Translation at the Danny Frawley Centre for Health and Wellbeing, St Kilda Football Club) Mr Andrew Dick (Head of Strategy for the St Kilda Football Club) Associate Professor Libby Callaway (Occupational Therapist, RAIL Research Centre Independent Living Stream Lead, Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University) | ‘Oh When The Saints Go Marching Into Research’: Building Partnerships Between St Kilda Football Club and Monash University Research Centres |
| Late October | Dr Linda Barclay (Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator of the Masters of Occupational Therapy Practice course, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University) Dr Aislinn Lalor (Senior Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy and Senior Research Fellow with the RAIL Research Centre at Monash University) Dr Melita Giummarra (Evaluation and Translation lead in the Brain Recovery and Rehabilitation Group, Department of Neuroscience, Monash University) | Scoping reviews – How and Why? |
| Early October | Ms Louise Puli (PhD candidate with the RAIL Research Centre, Public Health Professional, Australian orthotist / prosthetist, Access to Assistive Technology Team at the World Health Organization) Mr Kostas Hatzikiriakidis (PhD candidate and research assistant, Health and Social Care Unit within Monash University’s School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine) Ms Lisa Knightbridge (MPhil candidate and senior lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University) | RAIL Graduate Student Showcase |
| August | Dr Em Bould (Senior post-doctoral research fellow, School of Primary and Allied Healthcare, Monash University) Professor Jill Dorrian (Dean of Research for Justice and Society, University of South Australia) Dr Amelia Crabtree (Consultant Geriatrician, Alfred Health and Clinical Lead for Older People at Safer Care Victoria) | Science Communication Skills |
| July | Dr Natasha Brusco (Physiotherapist, health economist, and Rehabilitation Stream Lead for the RAIL Research Centre) Dr Christina Ekegren (Physiotherapist, senior research fellow with the RAIL research centre and project manager for the My Therapy clinical trial) Dr Lisa Higgins (Physiotherapist, senior research fellow and lead of the health economics program at the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC) at Monash University) | Overcoming challenges to conducting clinical trials in health service settings |
| June | Dr Natasha Layton (Occupational therapist and Senior Research Fellow with RAIL Research Centre) Dr Natasha Brusco (Physiotherapist, health economist, and Rehabilitation Stream Lead for the RAIL Research Centre) Ms Lauren Henley (Policy practitioner and senior project lead with COTA Victoria and campaign manager of the AT for All Campaign) | The Australian Assistive Technology Equity Study: Bringing together practice AND evidence, and campaigning to influence systemic change |
| May | Dr Nicole Robinson (Research Fellow, Department of Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering, Monash University) Professor Pei-Lee Teh (Head of Department of Management at the School of Business and Director of Gerontechnology Laboratory, Monash University) Dr Pamela Carreno-Medrano (Research Fellow, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University) Ms Tina Wu (PhD candidate in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Monash University) | Robotics in health care: The future is here |
| April | Professor Keith Hill (Director, Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre) Professor Anne Tiedemann (Lead of the Healthy Ageing research theme at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney) Dr Morag Taylor (Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia, UNSW Sydney) Professor Terry Haines (Head of School of of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University) | Falls prevention in the community - What's new? |
| March | Dr Em Bould (Senior post-doctoral research fellow, School of Primary and Allied Healthcare, Monash University) | Pilot of ‘Dog Buddies’ – A dog-walking program to foster and support community inclusion for people with cognitive disabilities |
| February | Associate Professor Libby Callaway (Occupational Therapist, RAIL Research Centre Independent Living Stream Lead, Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University) | In conversation with - Associate Professor Libby Callaway |
2021
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic(s)/Title(s) |
|---|---|---|
| November | Ms Louise Puli (Australian orthotist / prosthetist working as a consultant with the WHO) Dr Natasha Layton (Occupational therapist and Senior Research Fellow with RAIL Research Centre, Monash University) | Access to Assistive Technology during the COVID-19 pandemic: a global study |
| October | Dr Rachel Winterton (Senior research fellow with the John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research, convenor of the Australian Association of Gerontology Rural, Regional and Remote Special Interest Group) Dr Tshepo Rasekaba (Research Fellow with the John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research, La Trobe University) | Access to care in regional and remote communities for
|
| September | Mr Asher Kirk (Senior orthopaedic physiotherapist at The Alfred Hospital, PhD student at Monash University) Ms Yulisna Mutia Sari (Physiotherapist from Indonesia, international PhD student undertaking research in the Monash RAIL Research Centre sponsored by Australia Awards Scholarship) Ms Helen Kugler (Physiotherapist at Cabrini, PhD student at La Trobe University) | PhD Students -Project showcase
|
| August | Professor Terry Haines (Head of School of of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University) Dr Natasha Brusco (Rehabilitation Stream Lead at the RAIL Research Centre, Monash University, health economist and neurological physiotherapist) Ms Sara Whittaker (Occupational Therapist and PhD student at Monash University) | Cost-effective rehabilitation models of care
|
| July | Dr Leo Ng (Senior lecturer at the School of Allied Health, Curtin University) | Simplifying systematic reviews: Research Screener (Making Science Smarter) |
| June | Associate Professor Louisa Willoughby (Associate Professor, School of Languages, Literature, Cultures and Linguistics, Monash University) Dr Jim Hlavac (Senior lecturer, School of Languages, Literature, Cultures and Linguistics, Monash University) | Multilingualism in health care settings: The challenges and opportunities
|
| May | Dr Ben Gauntlett (Disability Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission) Associate Professor Kate Tregloan (Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning (Teaching Quality) and Director of the Built Environments Learning & Teaching, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne) Professor Nigel Bertram (Director of NMBW Architecture Studio and Practice Professor of Architecture in the Faculty of Art Design and Architecture, Monash University) | Housing, technology and community design - Rules for living |
| April | Dr Julia Gilmartin-Thomas (Pharmacist and NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Development Fellow, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University) Professor Jeff Hughes (One of inventors of PainChek®, along with Mustafa Atee and Kreshnik Hoti, former Head, School of Pharmacy at Curtin University, Chief Scientific Officer for PainChek Ltd) | The challenge of pain assessment and management in people with dementia
|
| March | Associate Professor Libby Callaway (Occupational Therapist, RAIL Research Centre Independent Living Stream Lead, Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University) Professor Nick Taylor (Professor of Allied Health, La Trobe University and Eastern Health) Associate Professor Rene Stolwyk (Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, clinical neuropsychologist, Lead of the Monash TeleNeuropsychology Service) | Healthcare in the time of COVID - The role of telehealth
|
| February | Professor Helen Skouteris (Monash Warwick Alliance Joint Professor of Health and Social Care Improvement and Implementation Science, Head of the Health and Social Care Unit, and Co-Lead of the Division of Evidence Synthesis, Qualitative and Implementation Methods, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University) Associate Professor Christian Barton (Physiotherapist, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, La Trobe University) | Why aren't we better at translating research into practice?
|
2020
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic(s)/Title(s) |
|---|---|---|
| December | Professor Tom Shakespeare (Bioethicist, international disability researcher, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) | What does Disability Right have to do with Rehabilitation? |
| November | Dr Darshini Ayton (Consumer and Community Involvement Fellow for Monash Partners and the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI)) Mr Ben Horgan (WA Health Translation Network within the Consumer and Community Involvement Program as a Consumer and Community Involvement Coordinator sharing his time between Curtin University and The WA Health Departments Research and Innovation Office) | Meaningful engagement of consumers across the research
|
| October | Ms Lizzie Castles (Senior Policy Advisor, Allied Health Workforce, Health Service and Workforce Policy, DHHS Victoria) Associate Professor Libby Callaway (Occupational Therapist, RAIL Research Centre Independent Living Stream Lead, Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University) Dr Em Bould (Senior Research Fellow, Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University) | The Allied Health Capability framework: disability and complex support needs
|
| September | Professor Briony Dow (Director, National Ageing Research Institute) Associate Professor Susan Slatyer (Discipline of Nursing, Murdoch University) Associate Professor Helen Bourke-Taylor (Dept of Occupational Therapy Dept, Monash University) | Valuing, supporting and working with carers to sustain their role
|
| July | Associate Professor Rosalie Wang (Occupational therapist and researcher with Canada’s Age Well network) Ms Louise Puli (Australian orthotist / prosthetist working as a consultant with the World Health Organisation) | Living well across the lifespan and across the globe: perspectives from international researcher/practitioners
|
| June | Professor Derick Wade (Professor in Neurorehabilitation Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University) | Novel approaches to enhance mobility of older adults: targeting injury prevention and physical activity |
| May | Associate Professor Dawn Mackey (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada) | Novel approaches to enhance mobility of older adults: targeting injury prevention and physical activity |
| February | Ms Emma Gee (Inspirational Speaker & Author) Dr Ben Sinclair (Research Fellow, Department of Neuroscience, Monash Data Futures Institute) Associate Professor Libby Callaway (Occupational Therapist, RAIL Research Centre Independent Living Stream Lead, Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University) Kylie Rice (Occupational Therapist, Neurological Rehabilitation, Epworth Healthcare) Dr Natasha Layton ( (Occupational therapist and Senior Research Fellow with RAIL Research Centre, Monash University) | Emerging Technologies for Independent Living Forum |
2019
| Date | Speaker(s) | Topic(s)/Title(s) |
|---|---|---|
| December | Ms Joy Green (Fitness Service Coordinator, Monash Sport) Professor Terry Haines (Head of School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University) Associate Professor Michele Callisaya (Peninsula Clinical School, Monash University) Professor Jane Banaszak-Holl (School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University) Dr Nikos Thomacos (Occupational Therapy) | Who’s doing what in ageing research?
|
| October | Professor Keith Hill (Director, Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre) | Demystifying RAIL – the vision, what it offers to the Monash and external communities, and an introduction to the Director |