Bold Ideas Better Solutions 2025

The Hopkins Centre extends its sincere thanks to everyone who attended and participated in the 9th annual Bold Ideas Better Solutions Symposium (#BIBS25) held on Tuesday 2nd September 2025.

During the day we had over 180 delegates in person and live online and along with 37 speakers and 25 research presentations, everyone contributed to creating a very successful hybrid symposium! The Centre thanks our diverse community and membership of clinicians, researchers, service users, citizens and industry partners, who collectively enriched the discussions and presentations around this year’s theme of Identity and Participation.

The day-long symposium focused on Hopkins model of ‘close to practice’, translational research, which brings together clinicians, researchers, service users, consumers and industry representatives in meaningful research partnerships, to exchange new ideas and spark innovative solutions for the future.

Presentations from lived experience experts, clinicians, and academic researchers on diverse topics including transport equity, sleep, friendships, technology innovations in rehabilitation, inclusive environments, pain management, rehabilitation trajectories, highlighted the value of co-designed, inclusive and engaged research, to enhance the health and wellbeing of people with disability and complex rehabilitation needs, and their support networks.

You can revisit key aspects of the symposium at the following link: symposium resources, presentations and recording.

 
We hope you enhanced your knowledge as well as enjoyed key features of the day including:

  • Official welcome speech by Ms Gaenor Walker, General Manager the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland Agency, our primary funding partner;
  • Dr Lisa Stafford’s engaging presentation on transport equity and why some trips are not made and what we can do about it;
  • Keynote presentation by Emeritus Professor Jacinta Douglas, reinforcing the importance of social communication for identity and participation after injury;
  • A thought provoking lived experience panel, sharing valuable perspectives of participation on identity;
  • Presentations by 37 different speakers on an broad array of interdisciplinary research topics and Hopkins clinical research fellowships and seed grants, focused on translating bold ideas into better solutions for the future;
  • Experiencing a snapshot of the innovative NeuroRhythm Program, connecting people with brain injury through rhythm, drumming and music. You can see more if you Check out the mini documentary; and
  • Poster Displays showcasing research endeavours from across the Centre and partner organisations.


For those who missed out on attending or tuning-in online, copies of event proceedings, presentations and electronic versions of research posters are now available on The Hopkins Centre website, here.

If you had to leave early, you may have missed the announcement of this year’s Hopkins Centre Research Award winners! These annual Hopkins Centre Research Awards recognise the outstanding contributions of Hopkins members, researchers, and clinicians. Congratulations to our award winners:

  • Emerging Researcher award – Kristin Tynan
  • Research impact award – Dr Michael Norwood
  • Early Career Researcher & Citizen Researcher Award: Dr Emily Bray
  • Early Career Researcher  Award - Dr Christy Hogan
  • Sustained Contribution Award: Kylie Pershouse 
  • Sustained Contribution Award: Janelle Griffin 


Once again, thank you for being part of #BIBS25. We are grateful to everyone who attended and were involved in the symposium, exploring bold ideas that are being translated into better solutions for the future. Your commitment to advancing research, innovation, and collaboration in the disability and rehabilitation sector is truly commendable. We look forward to your continued engagement, research interest and future collaboration.

Also, let’s not forget that its Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week (SCIAW 2025) this week – look out for more from us through out rest of the week.

To stay up to date on The Hopkins Centre, research and events, via our website, THC Wrap up newsletter, events and follow us on socials.

If you have any queries, please contact The Hopkins Centre at hopkinscentre@griffith.edu.au. 

 

   

 

Speakers

Keynote Speaker:
Professor Emeritus Jacinta Douglas     
Presentation: So that’s the way it is for me - always being left out: Identity, the Relational Self and Implications for Rehabilitation Following Brain Injury   

 

Bio:  

Jacinta is Professor Emeritus and holds the Summer Foundation Research Chair on Living Well with Brain Injury in the Living with Disability Research Centre at La Trobe University, in Melbourne, Australia. She has qualifications in the disciplines of speech pathology and clinical neuropsychology and has extensive research and clinical experience in the rehabilitation of adults with acquired brain injury. Jacinta is a Fellow of the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment and the Speech Pathology Association of Australia. She has authored more than 220 peer reviewed journal publications and 14 book chapters and has delivered numerous keynote and invited presentations and professional workshops nationally and internationally.

Associate Professor Melissa Kendall

Bio: 
Associate Professor Melissa Kendall is the Senior Research Officer with the Acquired Brain Injury Outreach Service- a community rehabilitation program for people with acquired brain injury and the Transitional Rehabilitation Program- a community rehabilitation program for people with spinal cord injury, both located within the Division of Allied Health and Rehabilitation at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. She also holds an adjunct position as Associate Professor, School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Griffith University and The Hopkins Centre. Her research interests include consumer engagement in healthcare, psychosocial adjustment following injury, community models of rehabilitation and outcome measurement in rehabilitation. Her research has spanned a broad range of transdisciplinary topics and she has over 70 international peer-reviewed journal publications and 4 book chapters.

Evgeniya Zakharova-Luneva 


Presentation: Navigating the Hurdles: Overcoming Complications in Flap Repair Post-Surgery Recovery

 

Bio:
Dr Evgeniya Zakharova-Luneva is a Staff Specialist at the Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service (QSCIS), Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. Dr Zakharova-Luneva is a Rehabilitation Medicine Physician working in the Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service with a particular interest in managing complex pressure injuries. Her vision is to conduct research which would benefit both people with a spinal cord injury and clinicians working in this field to deliver improved healthcare.

Dr. Emily Bray 


Bio:
Dr Emily Bray has worked as an early career researcher in the field of disability and rehabilitation at The Hopkins Centre, Griffith University since January 2023. In this role, Emily collaborates with multidisciplinary clinicians, stakeholders, and research end-users on a range of projects that focus on improving experiences across the rehabilitation continuum and outcomes for individuals with neurological injuries. Emily was awarded her PhD in August 2023, during which she developed expertise in using participatory and co-design research methods. Using these methods, Emily developed and launched the SCI Healthcare Transition website, which is now used in practice to support young people with spinal cord injuries transition from paediatric to adult healthcare. Notably, Emily also qualified as a social worker after experiencing a spinal cord injury over 10 years ago. This experience informs her clinical practice and research, including her focus on supporting individuals with disabilities to thrive in life by addressing their health and psychosocial needs.

Dr. Michael Norwood

Bio:
Michael Norwood is a research fellow in the area of environmental psychology and cognitive and clinical neuropsychology. He is the academic lead of the Brain and Enriched Environment laboratory (BEEHive lab), a collaboration between neurorehabilitation clinicians at Gold Coast University Hospital and Griffith University researchers interested in understanding how the rehabilitation environment can be used to facilitate positive patient outcomes. The research focus includes technology, recreation, and physical environments. One of his goals is to understand the impact of natural environments at all stages of neurorehabilitation. This includes virtual and real nature. 

Jayke Bennett

Bio:
Jayke Bennett is a Senior Research Assistant at The Hopkins Centre, Griffith University. Jayke’s research interest is in cognitive psychology, motor skill learning, and how technology can be applied to assist emotional, physical, and occupational health and wellbeing throughout rehabilitation.

Izak Hollins

 

Bio:
Izak is an architect specialising in social housing, with a particular focus on optimising end-user experience for diverse demographics. With a strong commitment to enhancing built environments, Izak has contributed to several Hopkins research projects that explore the intersection of the built environment and the needs of individuals with acquired brain injuries. Through design and empathetic understanding, Izak strives to create inclusive and functional spaces that improve the quality of life for all users.

Hannah Simmonds (nee Gawne)

 

Bio:

Hannah is a lived experience researcher and PhD student with an Honours degree in Biology. She has lived with a complete spinal cord injury for 24 years and has had experience within the paediatric and adult health systems within Queesland. Her PhD currently investigating access to social inclusion and leisure for people with a disability. Hannah has previously worked in disability inclusion programs, being selected to take part in Brisbane City Councils Disability Action at Work program in 2018, where she was able to interact with fellow lived experience graduates navigating accessible work places. Hannah currently works as a researcher for the Hopkins Centre at Griffith University, assisting in two ongoing seed grants. This research includes utilising new technologies for home modification practice for people with a spinal cord injury and understanding the importance of hospital room personalisation in the rehabilitation of people with a brain injury. Hannah also previously worked on projects relating to public transport access and lived experience co-design of tertiary health education. She also co-teches at Nathan Campus for a third year Occupational Therapy subject. As well as being apart of the Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability program and an ambassador of the Hopkins Centre.

Dr. Christy Hogan

Bio:
Dr Christy Hogan is a Research Fellow at The Hopkins Centre. With specific interests in service access and community integration, vocational rehabilitation, and psychological wellbeing, she collaborates with stakeholders, clinicians, and other researchers on a range of projects that broadly focus on improving outcomes for people with brain and spinal injuries.

Kelly Walsh

Bio:
Kelly is an experienced senior Physiotherapist at the Metro South Pain Rehabilitation Centre. With 20 years of clinical experience, she has worked in musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapy settings before moving into the persistent pain field in 2012. Kelly further advanced her clinical skills and knowledge through her completion of a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Honours Psychology) in 2016. Kelly is dedicated to improving patient outcomes through evidence-based treatment and individualised care. She has a keen interest in supporting patients along their pain rehabilitation journey, in particular, helping patients to understand the complexity of the pain experience, providing support and guidance to patients to facilitate a return to function and the self-management of pain conditions. Kelly is dedicated to improving pain rehabilitation and making it more patient-centred. She has been involved in research focusing on the human aspects of patient care and is currently the Principal Investigator on the research project Making interdisciplinary pain management programs more patient-centred: a qualitative study of patients’ perceptions of the Engage pain group.

Belinda Adams OAM


Presentation: NeuroRythum

 

Bio:
Belinda Adams OAM is a mother, carer, writer and filmmaker originally from Broken Hill in Far West NSW. She studied Creative Business at the University of Canberra, is an Adjunct Fellow at Griffith University and a member of The Hopkins Centre's Ambassador Council. She has co-founded three arts-based rehabilitation programs under her company Citrine Sun Entertainment and has been the recipient of numerous community awards, including the Medal of the Order of Australia in January 2024 for her contributions to community health. Belinda now resides in Brisbane, Queensland, where she works in the film and television industry on Australian and international film and television productions.

Emily Allan

 

Bio:
Emily Allan is an Occupational Therapist with the Spinal Outreach Team at the Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service. Through a Hopkins Centre Clinical Fellowship, Emily Allan is currently investigating the factors influencing usability, usefulness and continued utilisation of aggregate healthcare data dashboards for rehabilitation clinicians, also known as the Rehab Data Dashboard Design Project. Emily has been an Occupational Therapist for 22 years and worked in the Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service (QSCIS) for 16 years. Recently, Emily has been involved in the pilot data analysis of the new arm of QSCIS called QuickStart, which offers in-reach model of support to clinicians working with patients with new spinal cord injuries. This has highlighted the opportunity to leverage data visualisation and data dashboards for communication of actionable data insights for rehabilitation clinicians.

 

The Clinical Fellowship is currently affording Emily the opportunity to (a) conduct a national benchmarking survey on dashboard use in SCI services, (b) conduct a scoping review investigating factors that impact dashboards usefulness, usability and utilisation in healthcare, (c) conducting focus group interviews with QSCIS clinicans to gain deeper insights into how and why clinicians would utilise data in clinical practice and (d) leveraging these findings to build a prototype dashboard for QSCIS clinicians.

Dr. Jessie Mitchell

 

Bio:
Jessie is a Research Fellow with expertise in partnering with people with disability, family members, and clinicians through research to develop solutions to improve rehabilitation service delivery and outcomes. Jessie's current work spans multiple topics, including inclusive and sustainable employment, self-advocacy and health self-management, and rehabilitation and assistive technologies. In her role, Jessie also supports clinicians in building the skills and confidence to develop and conduct research that is embedded in clinical practice.

Dr. Rachel Brough

Bio:

Rachel has been an Occupational Therapist for 25 years and has worked at the junction of individual clinical needs within the context of service delivery models of these statewide schemes responsible for funding assistive technology and other treatment, care and support for Queenslanders. Shehas  contributed to a number of Hopkins Centre projects researching assistive technology use and the transition from hospital to home.

Dr Kesley Chapman

 

Bio: 

Kelsey is a Research Fellow and the research lead of The Dignity Project Flagship program at The Hopkins Centre. She is also the lead researcher on a new collaboration with the Department of Transport and Main Roads. Kelsey specialises in human rights research, disabilty research and rights, critical disability theory, and dignity theory. She has extensive experience in ethics, governance, and data management and security as well as supporting fellow researchers in project and research management.

 

Kaitlyn Spalding

 

Bio:
Kaitlyn Spalding is an occupational therapist with over 12 years experience in the healthcare industry, specialising in adult neurological rehabilitation at major tertiary hospitals in Brisbane, Queensland. She is now a lecturer at Griffith University and research collaborator with the Hopkins Centre, passionate about clinical research with a focus on value-based initiatives that engage meaningful outcomes for consumers and clinicians. Kaitlyn has secured several hospital and seed grants and scholarships to progress her research over the years. Her MPhil in 2021 explored occupation-based groups in inpatient rehabilitation, demonstrating the effectiveness on patient outcomes for this unique, resource-valuable approach in a busy rehab environment. She is now completing her PhD exploring how technology can support the transition to home for people with an acquired brain injury.

Matt McShane

 

Bio:

Matt McShane is a two-time Paralympian and Project Coordinator of Disability Design at Griffith Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability. He is an Industrial Designer and creator of the Design Café, which received Seed Grant funding from The Hopkins Centre earlier this year. Matt is passionate about co-design of assistive technology (AT) with end-users with disability.

Glenn Verner-Wren

 

Bio:

Glenn is a physiotherapist by background and has spent the past six years working on projects aimed at improving care for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and acquired brain injury (ABI). He is currently the Project Manager of the Aus-InSCI Translation Project. 

 

Catherine Cave

 

Bio: 

Catherine Cave is a Senior Physiotherapist who has worked in the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service at Princess Alexandra Hospital for the past 16 years. Where she has developed her special interest and clinical expertise in brain injury rehabilitation and hypertonicity management. Her current role as the Clinical Research Officer for the Queensland Multidisciplinary Hypertonicity service involves leadership of the current Hopkins seed grant funded translational research project and establishing and coordinating research with Industry representatives. She holds an Adjunct Research Fellow Position with Griffith University.

Dr. Kylie Ferguson

 

Bio:

Dr. Kylie Ferguson is a Rehabilitation Medicine Physician focused on improving the independence and quality of life of people with disabilities. She works at Princess Alexandra Hospital and West Moreton Health Service, providing rural rehabilitation at Boonah Hospital and also serves as a Visiting Medical Officer at St Andrew’s Ipswich Hospital. Specializing in neurology with a focus on brain injuries, she holds a master’s in Speech Pathology and later completed her medical degree, specializing in Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. Ferguson also supervises trainees and serves as an examiner in her field.

Kristin Tynan

Bio:
Kristin is a senior clinical pharmacist who has an extensive experience in pain. She graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from University of Queensland 2005 and undertook her pre-registration at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. She also has a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Hons) from James Cook University and a Master of Science in Medicine (Pain Management) at University of Sydney. Kristin is currently working at Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) and Metro South Health Persistent Pain Management Service.  Kristin has coordinated the Pharmacology in pain pre-conference workshops for the Australian Pain Society. Kristin is actively involved in pain and opioid education to staff at the PAH, and has been an invited speaker at a number of seminars.

 

Dr. Kelly Clanchy

 

Bio:

Kelly Clanchy is a Senior Lecturer and Program Director for the Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology, School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Griffith University, and a mid-career researcher. Kelly received her PhD from the University of Queensland with her project relating to the promotion of physical activity participation in individuals with brain impairment. Her primary research area relates to the use of evidence-based, stage matched strategies for the promotion of physical activity participation and community integration for individuals with a disability. Additional research areas also include measurement and mediators of physical activity participation, and the co-design of technologies and interventions to improve practitioner and patient outcomes in rehabilitation.

Dr. Tenelle Hodson

 

Bio:

Dr Tenelle Hodson is an occupational therapy lecturer with a strong research interest in the sustainability of healthcare services, inclusive of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Much of her research has focused on the lived experiences of people with illness and disability, particularly neurological conditions and injuries, in order to better understand what is required from services in order to meet needs.

 

Danielle Pretty

 

Bio:

Danielle is a Senior Research Assistant and PhD candidate with Griffith University. Her research focuses on promoting positive environments for individuals with neurological injury to enhance wellbeing, foster engagement, and expand opportunities for participation. Danielle is in the third year of her PhD. As part of her doctoral research, she developed a co-designed movement and mindfulness program in partnership with an interdisciplinary team of researchers, medical professionals, allied health practitioners, and dance educators. This program was trialled within an inpatient neurological rehabilitation setting, aiming to support wellbeing through creative and embodied practices. She also contributed to a research project that aimed to understand if, how, and why inpatients in neurorehabilitation personalised and/or modified their room environment. In addition to her academic work, she was a content creator and facilitator of NeuroRhythm – a djembe drumming and rhythm program specifically designed for individuals with neurological disorders.