Curiosity has always driven APA Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist Laura Hanson MACP—curiosity about how the body works, how people heal and how teams thrive. 

For Stephanie Hawkins APAM, physiotherapy and teaching have always been intertwined. 

As a clinical educator at Austin Health, she’s combining both interests to improve how clinicians learn and how patients benefit. 

For Dr Rachel Coghlan APAM, physiotherapy was never about sport or injury—it was about people. 

‘Unlike many of my peers, who went into physiotherapy with a view to going into sports physio or private practice, I think I was always in it for the caring aspect. 

Led by moderator Nils Vesk, a business innovation expert, the panel discussion revolved around the evolution of Australia’s allied health landscape and where physiotherapy sits within it. 

Bronwyn Morris-Donovan, the CEO of Allied Health Professions Australia, kicked off the discussion with an examination of the allied health landscape. 

The APA’s next generation white paper—Physiotherapy. Shaping our future together—was launched at APASC25. It explores how we can better support early-career physiotherapists to transition from education to the workforce. In a special plenary session, two panels of physiotherapists discussed the challenges and opportunities for the next generation of physiotherapists. 

Plasticise was developed by physiotherapists Sarah Turner APAM and Kumbelin Levin APAM and allows physiotherapists to film their patient doing an exact exercise, while providing verbal cues, so the patient can watch it back and follow along at home. 

At the October APA scientific conference in Adelaide, delegates were invited to explore what comes next for the physiotherapy profession. Through a series of key presentations, physiotherapists from across the country discovered the latest in research, technology, evidence-based practice and social change. 

What motivated you to investigate not just the effectiveness of telerehabilitation but what people with knee pain actually value in these consultations? 

Paula Raymond-Yacoub, 4 August 1958 – 8 February 2025

Paula Raymond-Yacoub APAM was born in Khartoum, Sudan, to English and Egyptian parents. 

She lived in Sudan, Egypt and England before migrating to Australia with her parents and brother Alan.