Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Turia Pitt

Opening Keynote Presentation "Personal stories using OT"

Wednesday 21 June 2023, 9.55am

Turia Pitt is living proof that, with the right mindset, anything is possible.

Caught in a grassfire while competing in a 100km ultramarathon in 2011, Turia suffered full-thickness burns to 65% of her body. But surviving is the least of her achievements.

Current Work:

One of Australia’s most admired and widely recognised people, Turia has gone on to become a bestselling author, two- time Ironman and humanitarian - raising well over a million dollars for not-for-profit Interplast. Through her online presence, books and online programs, Turia has inspired millions to live with more confidence, drop their fears and smash epic goals.

Professor Leeanne Carey

Sylvia Docker Lecture "Ignite your passion, and connect, to make a difference"

Thursday 22 June 2023, 9.00am

BAppSc(OT), PhD, FAOTA, FOTARA

Leeanne is Professor of Occupational Therapy at La Trobe University and Founding Head of the Neurorehabilitation and Recovery research laboratory, Florey Institute. Her program of stroke research focuses on: stroke recovery; brain function and plasticity; restorative rehabilitation; and knowledge translation. Professor Carey has led several major cohort, intervention, and implementation clinical trials.

She has developed a successful, neuroscience-based approach to help survivors of stroke regain a sense of touch so that they can use their hands more effectively in daily activities. She has also investigated the impact of depression and cognition on stroke recovery. An important focus has been to translate these discoveries into clinical practice and better outcomes for survivors of stroke.

Professor Carey teaches in evidence-base neurorehabilitation and leads a multidisciplinary team of experts, emerging researchers, and Master and PhD students in the Neurorehabilitation and Recovery research laboratory. She is a research fellow of the American Academy of Occupational Therapy and the Occupational Therapy Australia Research Academy. Leeanne is inspired by the emerging researchers, research students and therapists she works with.

Caleb Rixon

Caleb Rixon is a stroke survivor, speaker, author and founder of Australian born social enterprise Genyus Network.

Passionate about increasing awareness around invisible disability and mental health, Caleb’s stories are featured on Huff Post, JOY FM, Channel 7’s "House of Wellness", SBS Insight “Cheating Death”, ABC Melbourne “Homespun”, ABC Radio National, ABC News Breakfast and ABC Art Works. 

Keynote presentations include Hunter Medical Research Institute, National Disability Insurance Agency, STROKE 2018, Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA), Australasian Society for the Study of Brain impairment, BUPA, L’Oréal Australia, Health Informatics Conference 2020 and Australasian Institute of Digital Health - Digital Health Summit. 

He has written publications for ABC News and Brain Impairment (ASSBI).

Caleb has presented events for research, education & healthcare sectors including La Trobe, ACU & Monash Universities, Stroke Foundation, Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health and "Fresh Voices in Brain Impairment” for the 6th Pacific Rim Conference (ASSBI, INS, CCN). 

As the MC, he has hosted ‘Will2Walk’ for Stroke Association Victoria, plus facilitated expert panels for OTA & ASSBI Online Webinar Series and genU's special event 'TOGETHER' for International day For People With Disabilities. 

For more, visit www.calebrixon.com

Faye McMillan

Professor Faye McMillan AM is a Wiradjuri yinaa (woman) originally from Trangie, NSW. Faye is a community pharmacist and is recognised as the first Indigenous Australian to hold a western degree in pharmacy in this country. Faye is a strong advocate for improving Indigenous health care across professions, notably being a founding member and past chair of Indigenous Allied Health Australia.

Faye is currently one of two Deputy National Rural Health Commissioners and works at UTS as a Professor in Indigenous Health in the School of Public Health, as well as a board member of The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) and is also the chair of the APC Indigenous health strategy group.

Faye has received numerous accolades for her leadership and contribution to population health, education, equity, and the community. In 2021 Professor McMillan was appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2021 Honours List. Professor McMillan’s appointment recognises her significant service to Indigenous mental health, and to tertiary education. In 2022 she was named the PSA Pharmacist of the year; in 2019 she was named as the NSW Aboriginal Woman of the year; 2022 & 2017 she was recognised in the Who's Who of Australian Women; and in 2014 included in the Australian Financial Review and 100 Women of Influence

Faye holds a Doctor of Health Science, Master of Indigenous Health, Master of Social Change Leadership, B. Pharm, Grad Cert Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage, Grad Cert Indigenous Governance, Grad Cert Education, Dip Counselling, Cert IV Training and Assessment and is a Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy and Lifelong Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity

Invited Speakers

Danielle Bull

Danielle Bull is a highly experienced Occupational Therapist with 20 years clinical experience.  The past decade, Danielle have been working with Associate Professor Tim Mavin (Griffith University) and his Aviation research team in order to determine and better understand the difficulties experienced by pilots in the aviation setting. This experience led to her Master’s dissertation.

Danielle Bull

Danielle Bull is a highly experienced Occupational Therapist with 20 years clinical experience. The past decade, Danielle have been working with Associate Professor Tim Mavin (Griffith University) and his Aviation research team in order to determine and better understand the difficulties experienced by pilots in the aviation setting. This experience led to her Master’s dissertation.

Danielle completed her Master’s dissertation in 2020 which explored the applicability of occupational therapy in pilot assessment using a case study approach. The aim of her study was to provide airlines with greater layers of intervention when performance issues arise with pilots. Her assessors deemed it to be innovated and pioneering research, and her findings provided potential solutions for airline’s long-term struggles with pilot recruitment and training. As a result of this Danielle enrolled into a PhD to further pursue this area of investigation.

With her research findings Danielle has presented workshops to Virgin Airlines, Mount Cook Airlines, and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regarding her work with pilots who have been experiencing occupational performance challenges. Her work also includes being involved in developing and delivery training programs for flight examiner instructors in how to best identify and work with pilots with performance challenges.

Hear from Danielle in Session 1A (Innovative Practice in Occupational Therapy) at 11:30am on Wednesday 21 June 2023.

Genevieve Pepin

Associate Professor Genevieve is a passionate mental health occupational therapist and the Higher Degree Research Director at Deakin University. Genevieve joined Deakin 15 years ago after having worked across diverse mental health services and taught at Laval University, Sherbrooke University, and McGill University in Canada.

Genevieve Pepin

Associate Professor Genevieve is a passionate mental health occupational therapist and the Higher Degree Research Director at Deakin University. Genevieve joined Deakin 15 years ago after having worked across diverse mental health services and taught at Laval University, Sherbrooke University, and McGill University in Canada.

She is an established MOHO scholar. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of mental illness on engagement in meaningful occupations and advancing occupational therapy practice, education, and research in mental health. She is particularly interested in understanding the impact of eating disorders on function and the daily occupations of those with an eating disorder and their family, and the development of innovative interventions promoting best health outcomes.

Genevieve is a strong advocate for occupational therapy in mental health and for the unique role occupational therapists can play in mental health recovery. Genevieve is the research lead of the co-design and lived experience stream of the newly funded Australian Eating Disorders Research and Translation Centre. She has exciting international partnerships, several publications, and presented her work around the world.

Genevieve is a strong believer in multidisciplinary approaches, best practice, and emerging and co-designed knowledge that support occupation-based and client-centred interventions in the mental health sector.

Hear from Genevieve in Session 5A (Eating Disorders and Advocacy) at 1.55pm on Thursday 22 June 2023.

Charmaine Bernie

Charmaine is a senior paediatric occupational therapist, lecturer and researcher with over two decades of clinical and research experience across community, tertiary hospital and university settings.

Charmaine Bernie

Charmaine is a senior paediatric occupational therapist, lecturer and researcher with over two decades of clinical and research experience across community, tertiary hospital and university settings.

She completed her PhD on supporting children and families on the pathway to autism diagnosis with the University of Melbourne in 2022. Charmaine explored a participation-focused coaching intervention with families waiting for diagnostic services, Occupational Performance Coaching, which she now trains others to incorporate into clinical practice, in addition to other occupation-based interventions.

Her special interests include identifying strengths and barriers to supporting function and participation for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other developmental vulnerability, while ensuring families are accessing the right support at the right time, across health and education settings.

Charmaine is currently a senior research fellow with the Early Years Research Lab at Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast.

Lived Experience Panel
Breaking Boundaries: Lived Experience Stories Igniting the Debate

Hear from a range of Lived Experience Experts at our inspiring panel discussion. Facilitated by Caleb Rixon, our panellists will share their expertise to inspire connection and inform meaningful change.

Peter Tully

Peter Tully is a Partner of DCA Mentoring Supports. In Peter’s role as Personal Peer Mentor Capacity Builder his lived experience and decades of service in the disability sector bring a deep understanding and expertise in building new pathways towards inclusion and community awareness for the disability sector.

Peter Tully

Peter Tully is a Partner of DCA Mentoring Supports. In Peter’s role as Personal Peer Mentor Capacity Builder his lived experience and decades of service in the disability sector bring a deep understanding and expertise in building new pathways towards inclusion and community awareness for the disability sector. Peter sees firsthand the roadblocks and successes that people with disability live daily.

Peter advocates not only on behalf of individuals but also at all levels of local and state and federal governments and sees the value and necessity of co-design. Peter engages on boards, advisory councils (Qld Disability Advisory Council QDAC and IAC), local councils, roundtables, royal commission and industry enquiries. Peter is Chair for the Ipswich Disability Interagency Network and is a Board member for Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN).

Peter along with his wife Linda are proud to be the Every Australian Counts (EAC) Queensland Champions and were part of the EAC campaign from its inception. Together, Linda and Peter shine a focus on people with disability within their community.

Peter continues his life’s work with the support of his wife Linda in bridging the gap with his ultimate goal to see inclusion so entrenched in communities that it “just happens without thinking about it”.

Melanie Heyworth

Dr Melanie Heyworth is an Autistic Autism researcher, mother to three exceptional Autistic children whom she home-schools, and PhD student within the Macquarie School of Education.

Melanie Heyworth

Dr Melanie Heyworth is an Autistic Autism researcher, mother to three exceptional Autistic children whom she home-schools, and PhD student within the Macquarie School of Education.

She is the co-CEO and founder of the Australian Autistic-run charity, Reframing Autism, which aims to disrupt the status quo for the Autistic community by providing Autistic-led research, therapies, and education. Mel is passionate about genuinely co-produced research, and regularly contributes to, and provides Autistic insights on, Autism research.

Until recently, she co-chaired the Australasian Autism Research Council (AARC) and is currently deputy co-chair of National Roadmap to Improve the Health and Mental Health of Autistic People Working Group (run by the Department of Health and Aged Care for the National Autism Strategy). Mel’s current research foci are Autistic wellbeing and the experiences of parenting Autistic children.

Saran Chamberlain

After suffering a stroke in 2013 at the age of 38, Saran Chamberlain is a passionate advocate for stroke survivors within her home state of South Australia and at a national level. Before the stroke, Saran was managing an international software company, travelling once a month and loving life. In one brief moment her life was turned upside down.

Saran Chamberlain

After suffering a stroke in 2013 at the age of 38, Saran Chamberlain is a passionate advocate for stroke survivors within her home state of South Australia and at a national level. Before the stroke, Saran was managing an international software company, travelling once a month and loving life. In one brief moment her life was turned upside down.

Saran currently works in several Research Projects giving her lived experience to improve lives of survivors of trauma and is a member of the Stroke Foundation’s Research Advisory Council and the Stroke Community of Practice in South Australia. Beyond these roles, Saran is involved in many stroke research programs and advocacy activities as well as Support Coordination for people touched by stroke. Saran enjoys sharing her experience with health professional students as they put theory into practice, through her involvement in student workshops. She knows from her own experience with NDIS there is a need for compassion, empathy and direction in this field.

Through her own experience, Saran knows the journey after stroke can be long and isolating for young stroke survivors. She strives for increased awareness of young stroke, to ensure young stroke survivors are connected and have the supports they need to make their journey that little bit easier.

Thomas Banks

Thomas Banks is a writer, comedian, professional dancer and business owner. He runs Centre for Access where he delivers a range of training programs, presentations and workshops which are centred around the topics of disability, communication, sexuality, discrimination and accessibility based on his lived experiences as someone who lives with mild Cerebral Palsy.

Thomas Banks

Thomas Banks is a writer, comedian, professional dancer and business owner. He runs Centre for Access where he delivers a range of training programs, presentations and workshops which are centred around the topics of disability, communication, sexuality, discrimination and accessibility based on his lived experiences as someone who lives with mild Cerebral Palsy.

He talks about some of the barriers which he faces in the community, but also how he navigates his way through the world to live a reasonably normal life. He has a zest for life like no other.

With more than 14 years of professional experience speaking publicly, Thomas is a skilled presenter, facilitator, storyteller and public figure who is never afraid to hold back from being his authentic self. His insights are rare, honest and sometimes confronting for an audience to hear. He brings his energetic personality into the room to make people feel safe and comfortable to have these sometimes difficult conversations.

For more information about Thomas Banks and his business Centre for Access, you can check out his website www.centreforaccess.com.