Winning the 2025 Yvonne Burns Award has been a deeply personal moment for Alicia Spittle FACP, whose decades-long contribution to paediatric physiotherapy has helped shape clinical practice, research directions and mentoring culture across Australia.

Established in 2001, the award recognises the profound legacy of APA Honoured Member Associate Professor Yvonne Burns AO—a clinician, teacher, researcher and mentor whose work transformed the care of children with disabilities and influenced generations of physiotherapists.

Alicia, a Specialist Research Physiotherapist (as awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists in 2025), was mentored by Yvonne during her PhD. 

So receiving this award carries particular meaning for her—it represents not only professional acknowledgement but a connection back to the woman who helped shape her career trajectory.

‘It is a real honour to receive the award. Yvonne was a very inspirational woman and a great mentor for so many paediatric physiotherapists.’

Yvonne’s career was defined by her dedication to improving outcomes for children with disabilities. 

She was a pioneer of early research within paediatric physiotherapy, particularly into the motor development of preterm infants, and a passionate advocate for evidence-driven practice. 

Alicia remembers her as a skilled clinician, a trailblazing researcher and a generous mentor whose influence continues to ripple across the profession.

Yvonne, who joined the APA in 1958, has long retired and currently lives in Brisbane.

Alicia’s own career is a natural extension of Yvonne’s values—grounded in research excellence, clinical leadership and the belief that improving systems of care begins with robust evidence. 

Today, Alicia is internationally recognised for her work in early detection and intervention for infants at high risk of neurodevelopmental impairment. The alignment with Yvonne’s legacy is not lost on her.

‘Yvonne was one of the first paediatric physiotherapists to do research and her core belief was in having the research and the evidence to understand what we’re doing as physiotherapists.’

Alicia’s passion for neonatal care began early in her career. She was drawn to working with premature babies at a time when physiotherapy in neonatal intensive care units was still emerging. 

Alicia says that when she started there were few physiotherapists working in that space and research on developmental care
in premature infants was limited. 

Some studies even suggested physiotherapy in neonatal care might be harmful—an idea that only strengthened Alicia’s resolve to build an evidence base that could support and guide practice.

‘I could see it was a real opportunity to create an evidence base in an area that we didn’t know a lot about—working with premature babies, who have very fragile brains. 

'It’s important to know that we don’t harm but are actually being beneficial.’

This desire to improve the quality and safety of care—combined with supporting families at their most vulnerable—has anchored
her research for more than two decades. 

Associate Professor Yvonne Burns.

Working with parents and infants in the earliest days of life continues to motivate her. 

‘Everyone wants to do the right thing by their baby. It’s a lovely opportunity to work with both the baby and the parents.’

Neonatal physiotherapy is profoundly rewarding and emotionally challenging. Alicia acknowledges the emotional toll of working with families of babies who face significant health challenges. 

Maintaining a balance between clinical work and research is essential to sustaining her wellbeing and ensuring that her research stays grounded in real-world impact. 

‘It does have an emotional toll so it’s important to have that balance between research and clinical so that it’s not all I’m doing.’

Alicia’s ongoing clinical role informs her research priorities, ensuring that the questions being investigated are meaningful and that research outcomes translate into tangible improvements in care. 

She has also played a central role in major National Health and Medical Research Council and Medical Research Future Fund-funded initiatives, including the Centre for Research Excellence in Newborn Medicine and the CP-Drive research program. 

These multidisciplinary collaborations bring together clinicians, researchers and families to improve diagnosis, intervention and long-term outcomes for preterm infants and children with cerebral palsy.

One of Alicia’s most influential contributions is her work on early detection of cerebral palsy, particularly through implementing the General Movements Assessment in Australia. 

Her PhD research helped establish the General Movements Assessment as a reliable early predictor of cerebral palsy and it has since become standard practice in neonatal care. 

‘I was one of the first people to do the general movements in Australia. It’s amazing seeing that research become part of standard practice.’

Where physiotherapy in neonatal units was once limited and sometimes discouraged, developmental physiotherapy is now integral to the care of premature infants.

Alicia’s leadership has played a key role in this transformation. Yvonne was also known for her unwavering dedication to mentoring, a quality reflected throughout Alicia’s own career. 

Alicia has supervised a large number of graduate researchers, many of whom now mentor students of their own—extending the cycle of leadership Yvonne began. 

Alicia speaks fondly of Yvonne’s kindness and energy as well as the importance of learning from peers and even those younger in the profession.

When asked what advice she would give clinicians who aspire to make an impact in paediatrics or research, Alicia offers encouragement grounded in realism. 

The research path is demanding, she says, but also a deeply fulfilling way to contribute to children’s health and the evolution of physiotherapy practice. 

She emphasises that progress in physiotherapy depends on curiosity, courage and a willingness to challenge current practice.

‘I would say give it a go. It is a very rewarding pathway and an opportunity to make a real difference.’