APA | Chronic health and disability

Chronic health and disability

INMOTION 25 Feb, 2026

ParkinsonNet: improving rural access to care

Professor Michele Callisaya from the University of Tasmania provides an overview of a research project that aims to improve access to high quality Parkinson’s care in rural Australia.

Discover more

A physiotherapists works with a patient who has a disability.

INMOTION 02 Feb, 2026

New voice speaks out in disability

DISABILITY Ashleigh Hoo might be relatively new to physiotherapy but her work in the disability sector has already made a significant impact. Here, Ashleigh discusses joining the APA Disability national group’s New South Wales committee as its new graduate representative.

For Singaporean-born physiotherapist Fang Qi ‘Ashleigh’ Hoo APAM, a career in healthcare has always been about people.

Long before she entered university in Australia, Ashleigh knew that she wanted a profession grounded in human connection.

Discover more

An artist's graphic of lungs to show cardiorespiratory.

INMOTION 02 Feb, 2026

Learning and leading in the ICU

CARDIORESPIRATORY Cardiorespiratory physiotherapists tend to be curious, quick-thinking and great team players and Luke McDonald is no exception. His career as an ICU clinician, educator and researcher shows just how far a love of problem-solving can take you.

Luke McDonald APAM describes his introduction to physiotherapy as a ‘diagnosis by exclusion’.

Discover more

INMOTION 02 Feb, 2026

Greater need for needling nous

ACUPUNCTURE AND DRY NEEDLING Tristan Chai’s physiotherapy career has been shaped by curiosity, collaboration and a drive to deepen his clinical reasoning.

Tristan Chai APAM’s pathway into physiotherapy began with a love of sport and a desire to stay connected to health, even if elite competition was off the cards.

Tristan studied at the University of South Australia and, after graduating, stepped into his first role in private practice in Adelaide.

Discover more

INMOTION 02 Feb, 2026

A life in movement

Gerontology physiotherapist and Physio Health Perth managing director Shabreena Mavi talks to Marina Williams about patience, purpose and the joy of helping older people stay independent.

As managing director of Physio Health Perth, Shabreena Mavi APAM spends her days helping older adults regain movement, confidence and independence.

It’s a role that unites her fascination with how movement transforms lives and her belief that physiotherapy is ‘a perfect blend of compassion, empowerment and movement’.

Discover more

A healthcare worker helping a person to walk along a corridor

INMOTION 02 Feb, 2026

Beyond borders: care, courage and connection

From Melbourne to Gaza, palliative care physiotherapist and humanitarian researcher Dr Rachel Coghlan is helping redefine how compassion, dignity and advocacy intersect in global health.

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.

Discover more

A smiling elderly lady sitting in a wheelchair and holding an umbrella

INMOTION 30 Jan, 2026

Physiotherapy management of multiple sclerosis

A new Invited Topical Review outlines the latest evidence for physiotherapy management of multiple sclerosis, highlighting the benefits of aerobic, resistance, combined and mind–body exercise while identifying gaps and priorities for future research and practice. The author, Dr Yvonne Learmonth, answered some questions about the review.

Discover more

A woman with lower back pain sitting on a couch

INMOTION 28 Jan, 2026

Low back pain diagnostic/prognostic research highlights

Researchers from Canada, Denmark and Australia have authored a Recent Highlights review on the diagnosis and prognosis of low back pain, synthesising influential research published between 2020 and 2025. First author Associate Professor Rafael Zambelli Pinto has agreed to answer some questions about the review.

Discover more

A man in a wheelchair looks through an open door

INMOTION 01 Dec, 2025

Team care works

For 25-year-old Yatish Haveri, a move to Australia brought both opportunities and challenges in dealing with his cerebral palsy.

A quadriplegic, he gets around in his trusty wheelchair and uses a communication device to chat with the world.

He’s studying Micro Business Management and Operations at TAFE, is active in Scouts and is about to start playing wheelchair football.

‘I’m thrilled at the chance to join a team soon— it’s going to be an epic next step,’ Yatish says.

Discover more

The illustration shows a woman walking out of one door and through another

INMOTION 01 Dec, 2025

No one-stop shop for adults with disability

Nicole Kozelj, who lives with cerebral palsy, talks to Melissa Trudinger about her experiences in finding suitable healthcare professionals to manage her disability.

Nicole Kozelj is an advocate for people with disabilities and has lived experience to back it up.

Nicole has ataxic cerebral palsy (CP), a form characterised by disorganised, jerky movement.

Discover more