Student Careers Forum 2022

MC: Faustina 'Fuzzy' Agolley

Faustina Agolley, affectionally called Fuzzy, has enjoyed a career over 15 years across Broadcast Television, Music, Djing, Writing, and Theatre. She's a proud Black and Asian gay Australian of Ghanaian and Chinese-Malaysian heritage. Faustina began her career interviewing her idols like Alicia Keys to then icons-in-the making like Adele, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga while bringing joy to Australian homes on Video Hits. She's also co-hosted The Voice and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. She openly speaks and writes about queer matters, queer life and overcoming her own mental health struggles for Women of Letters, ABC, Netflix Pause, and Huffington Post. She was personally chosen by the Harpo team to be Oprah Winfrey's touring DJ across Oprah's tour of Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand and can verify that Oprah gives some of the best hugs ever. Since early 2021 Faustina has embarked on her entrepreneurial journey, founding a haircare brand for textured hair that will launch in the United States at the end of 2022. This brand was selected to be part of Credo For Change, an entrepreneurial program for BIPOC founders established by America's fastest-growing clean beauty retailer, Credo. She loves nature, surfing, and traditional practices from her heritage for personal health, wellbeing, and care for the environment. Faustina’s practice in Arts and culture, work in unison to imagine and transform new, sustainable and inclusive ways of working, promoting cultural safety and distancing a practice of grind culture - cause that has never done any good for anybody.

Sue Benn

Sue is an occupational therapist with 31 years’ experience across both Australia and the United Kingdom. Sue has predominantly worked with adults across a range of practice areas including vocational rehabilitation, disability, and aged care. Sue is now running her own private practice, working with people living with a disability receiving NDIS funding.

Brianna Cattanach

Brianna commenced her career working as an Occupational Therapist with a speciality in occupational health and wellbeing. Her role as a workplace consultant provided exposure to a wide range of industries and employers and the vast array of challenges workplaces face in proactively supporting, managing and engaging their teams in occupational health and wellbeing. From here Brianna’s passion and work grew in the space of workplace education and training programs which build capacity, manage risk and enhance an organisations existing culture and processes, creating a truly preventative and predictive approach. Now as the lead of Gallagher’s national education and training services, Brianna has been integral in developing and facilitating a range of bespoke workforce education projects and training courses which ultimately drive improved productivity, cultural, financial and most importantly people outcomes for organisations. Her projects balance best practice content with engagement and ensure that organisational collaboration and buy-in are at the centre of achieving results in areas such as mental health and wellbeing, injury management, safety, ageing workforce strategies, occupational violence and aggression and team dynamics. In addition to her work with Gallagher, Brianna routinely presents as an expert speaker on occupational health and wellbeing at a range of industry and corporate events. Brianna is a guest lecturer in the field of Occupational Therapy at Swinburne University and La Trobe University. Brianna also sits on the Academic Advisory Committee for La Trobe University's Masters of Occupational Therapy degree and is involved with OT Australia.

Ingrid Cole

Ingrid Cole is the Director of People and Culture at Everyday Independence with a passion for building a future fit workforce that delivers impact to the NDIS. Ingrid is particularly passionate about the role of the new graduate year in the NDIS and how organisations can build and provide a supportive environment and career pathways for graduates to flourish and learn. The evidence shows that a high percentage of graduates experience symptoms of burnout even before they commence their first role. So how can a graduate choose a role that will support them to learn and deliver impact, whilst ensuring they fulfilled and healthy? Everyday Independence (EI) is united by a single vision of building a more inclusive society where everyone has the same choices and opportunities to thrive. We listen to the needs of people and work with them to expand their boundaries and step outside their comfort zones, so they live to their full potential. Our values are what we live and breathe every day. We inspire with belief, champion the person and change the game. We’re one team with a single vision, we keep things simple, and we simplify and go.

Hannah Crockett Naini

Hannah completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Principles of Occupational Therapy) and Master of Occupational Therapy at Flinders University in 2021. She is currently working in a new graduate role at Brain Injury SA, supporting individuals to embrace life after they have acquired a brain injury. Hannah is passionate about supporting people with acquired brain injuries to lead meaningful lives that reflect their values and beliefs. She is motivated to enhance community participation of individuals with acquired brain injuries to build a sense of connection and belonging with their community. Hannah supports individuals in developing and relearning skills both lost and kept, to increase participation in meaningful activities, roles, and communities.

Kirrily Cheal

Paige Cummins and Kirrily Cheal are part of a wonderful team of 10 OTs at Qualia Occupational Therapy for Children, a clinic in Hunters Hill, Sydney. Both Paige and Kirrily joined Qualia early in their career. They love providing services to children and their families in both the clinic and within a number of local schools. They work with children of all ages, with different occupational performance issues across home, school and community environments. Paige and Kirrily facilitate individual therapy, as well as groups such as Sportstars, Gotta Dance, Lego Club, Scribe Tribe and We Thinkers - all of which are designed to work on goal attainment in a group environment as well as open up social and group interaction opportunities for children who may benefit from additional support. Every day is fun and different! Outside of regular therapy, Paige, Kirrily and the team at Qualia enjoy engaging in professional development including training, journal club, case conferences and supervision. They also love creating resources, developing new service offerings and engaging in social team activities. The whole team thinks that being a paediatric OT is the world's best job! Also interviewed in the video are senior therapist and supervisor Mark Maddison and the directors Avalon Nixon and Sophie-Anna Barling.

Will Crowe

With a significant interest in the intersection between technology and activity participation, Will Crowe is an OT whose dominant area of practice involves the prescription of assistive and inclusive technological equipment to assist his clients achieve their goals. Voice and sensor-controlled home automation and alternative smart device and computer access methods are the primary focus of Will’s interventions, however, his area of professional passion lies in facilitating accessible video game engagement with clients living with a range of physical and cognitive disabilities. Will has a broad scope of professional generalist OT experience, working largely in private practice and for not-for-profit organisations. This work involved providing largely rehabilitation, equipment prescription and worksite and ergonomics assessment services before moving into his current inclusive technology advisor role. Will also currently part-time lectures for Flinders University in the ‘Information and Technology for Occupational Therapy’ course with first-year masters students. Will has recently published research which explore the benefits that Australians, over the age of sixty-five, experience through the guided use of Smart Home technology and was a key speaker at the Diabetes SA, World Diabetes Day Seminar in 2021.

Paige Cummins

Paige Cummins and Kirrily Cheal are part of a wonderful team of 10 OTs at Qualia Occupational Therapy for Children, a clinic in Hunters Hill, Sydney. Both Paige and Kirrily joined Qualia early in their career. They love providing services to children and their families in both the clinic and within a number of local schools. They work with children of all ages, with different occupational performance issues across home, school and community environments. Paige and Kirrily facilitate individual therapy, as well as groups such as Sportstars, Gotta Dance, Lego Club, Scribe Tribe and We Thinkers - all of which are designed to work on goal attainment in a group environment as well as open up social and group interaction opportunities for children who may benefit from additional support. Every day is fun and different!Outside of regular therapy, Paige, Kirrily and the team at Qualia enjoy engaging in professional development including training, journal club, case conferences and supervision. They also love creating resources, developing new service offerings and engaging in social team activities. The whole team thinks that being a paediatric OT is the world's best job! Also interviewed in the video are senior therapist and supervisor Mark Maddison and the directors Avalon Nixon and Sophie-Anna Barling.

Erin Garner

Erin is the General Manager of Occupational Therapy at Occupational Therapy Australia. Erin is an experienced occupational therapist who has worked across a range of health areas including public health, community practice and paediatric services. She is the lead clinical expert at Occupational Therapy Australia, leading a team responsible for the provision of clinical oversight of professional practice for occupational therapists including practice scope and standards, and learning and development. Erin is an experienced leader, having held a number of senior management positions at major public hospitals, following a solid grounding in various clinical roles. She holds a Master of Business Administration and Master of Advanced Occupational Therapy.

Ashleigh George

Ashleigh is a private practice occupational therapist, graduated from the University of Sydney. She is working in the paediatric community sector, specialising in assisting children achieve their functional goals to participate meaningfully in their daily lives. Ashleigh has developed a skill base across a variety of diagnoses and complexities, and has undertaken diverse post-graduate training in essential elements of paediatric development and therapy intervention.Ashleigh has sought out a variety of post-graduate experiences to add to her knowledge and understanding of her role as a new graduate occupational therapist, such as becoming a member of the Occupational Therapy Australia NSW Divisional Council.She hopes to extend to others the benefits of being a part of the larger occupational therapy community that aims to assist and develop balanced and inspired OTs.

Simon Gibson

Simon Gibson is the Graduate Program Manager for the APM Group, a multinational Allied Health organisation. With over ten years’ experience within Graduate Recruitment across Professional Services, Mining and Allied Health, Simon has led multifaceted teams to deliver some of the country’s largest graduate intakes.A specialist within the industry, Simon sat on the Board of Directors of the Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) from 2019 – 2021 and was an active Committee member for 5 years prior. Simon is passionate about early careers and ensuring candidates receive genuine advice, get clarity and are empowered to pursue their ambitions.

Mikhaelha Goodman

Mikhaelha is a Grade 2 Occupational Therapist at the North West Area Mental Health Service, Moreland Community Team. Mikhaelha knew while completing her Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) at Monash University that she wanted to work in mental health, having also experienced the public mental health system in her role as carer for a close family member. On graduating, she was fortunate to be accepted into the Entry Level Program at North Western Mental Health. Through this, she has gained experience both as a case manager in a community team, as well as in a discipline specific role as an Occupational Therapist on an inpatient psychiatric unit. Currently, Mikhaelha is working as an Enhanced Support Clinician. The Enhanced Support Function works with consumers linked to the community mental health team who present with a high level of complexity, whether that’s due to risks associated with their mental illness, physical health comorbidities or difficult social circumstances. The function focuses on providing an increased intensity and flexibility of support to assist consumers in achieving their recovery goals. The Enhanced Support Function at Moreland has recently been revamped and Mikhaelha has been lucky enough to champion this process. It has been challenging yet exciting to be involved in the planning and development of key structures and processes, while bringing an occupational perspective, to support the success of the function. Mikhaelha is passionate about having fellow Occupational Therapists join her in the public mental health field and looks forward to sharing her experiences with you!

Jessica Heron

Jessica Heron is a Lawyer in the Employment and Industrial Law section at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers. She has assisted numerous clients with various workplace issues, including breach on contract, bullying, unfair dismissal, general protections, disciplinary proceedings, and whistleblower protections. Prior to completing her Juris Doctor at Monash University, Jessica worked in international development and legal protection for various multilateral organisations across the United States and the Asia Pacific. It was here that her interest in employment law developed, after investigating modern slavery in global supply chains abroad.

Clare Jones

Clare Jones, Director at MediRecruit, is a qualified Occupational Therapist from the University of Queensland, with 20 years of recruitment expertise in the healthcare sector. During her career, Clare has spent time working in paediatrics, out in the community and locuming in the UK. Clare is passionate about supporting Allied Health Professionals throughout their entire career.

Reece Jones

Reece is a Lived Experience Coordinator at Inner West Area Mental Health Service, part of NorthWestern Mental Health in Melbourne. Reece has been working in the lived experience field for 5 years and wider community services for over 10 years. He had an active role is designing national programs such as the NDIS and he is passionate about improving the quality of life for people accessing mental health services. He is a strong advocate for the positive and inclusive use of language in mental health field. In his role he works closely with occupational therapists to co-produce therapeutic interventions and groups. He is committed to coaching and encouraging the lived experience workforce to bring their best to their roles every day.

Tarsha Kennedy

Tarsha has lived experience as a consumer of occupational therapy services. She was diagnosed with Wilson’s disease at the age of 21 which caused an acquired brain injury. She underwent 3 years of rehabilitation including inpatient, outpatient and community therapy, working with a multidisciplinary team of health professionals. Tarsha’s determination to achieve her goals has led to her regaining function, returning to participation in daily life and resuming full time work as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. Tarsha is passionate about health and social equity and educating health professionals about a client perspective of health service delivery. Prior to her diagnosis, Tarsha graduated from Monash University with a Bachelors in Public Health Science and Minor in Human Rights. Tarsha lives her life in a state of gratitude and if given the opportunity, she wouldn't change what has happened in the past because it has made her who she is today.

Rachel Knight

Rachel is an occupational therapist with experience as a clinician, manager, researcher project manager and service transformation lead. She has held various positions in the mental health sector in both Australia and the United Kingdom. Currently, Rachel is employed as the Senior Occupational Therapy Advisor for NorthWestern Mental Health in Melbourne, Victoria. In this position she is responsible for professional leadership and strategic oversight of the discipline. In addition, she has an academic role at Deakin University and is a PhD researcher. She has been involved in leading service transformation, driving culture change and building workforce capability. Rachel is a systems thinker and has a particular interest in how the structure of health services impact on a person’s ability to receive the right treatment at the right time.

Edwyn Lai

Edwyn is a Partnership & Growth Executive, Affinity-Health at Aon. He commenced with Aon in the Affinity – Health segment in 2020, specialising in Professional Indemnity for the health sector, additionally Edwyn’s expertise includes a wide range of insurance products to assist the needs of health professionals. Building on the skills and technical knowledge gained during his years in the Open Market Health team Edwyn has commenced as the Partnership & Growth Executive providing advice and support on risk and insurance to Aon’s Health Association partners. Edwyn has a Diploma of Insurance Broking (Tier 1 Insurance Broking) and a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Monash University.

Kate Laver

Associate Professor Kate Laver is an experienced occupational therapist with over 15 years clinical experience working in neurological rehabilitation and aged care settings. She has worked in a number of different settings including acute care, inpatient and community rehabilitation and private practice.  She has over 120 research publications and supervises a number of PhD students.  She completed a Masters in Clinical Rehabilitation in 2009 , PhD in 2012 and a certificate in Implementation Science from the University of California, Her research seeks to delay functional decline and maintain independence and social participation in older adults. 

Karen Maurer

Karen first dreamed of being the ‘person who gives people computers’ when she was 13, seeing how Occupational Therapists helped a friend with CP in her class. Since graduating from University of Newcastle in 1998 and working for over 2 decades, she has finally found herself working in the field that originally attracted her to being an OT. Karen runs a Community-Based Occupational Therapy service in Newcastle NSW, supporting adults with progressive neurological conditions and spinal cord injuries. Karen and her team at Capable Spaces use a variety of interventions to help people live as independently as possible in their homes, including home modifications, home automation, helping people access technology, and assistive technology. Karen and the team at Capable Spaces are passionate about training the next generation of Occupational Therapists, and provide practical training and supervision in assistive technology and home modifications. Our goal is to see OTs thrive in this profession, by identifying and working to their strengths, and helping them develop their scope in areas they’re passionate about.

Jess Muller

Jessica has worked in rural South Australia in both government and tertiary education sectors since graduating from the University of South Australia. Jessica has clinical experience across a range of areas in rural practice contexts, particularly working with adult populations in community-based settings and compliments this with experience in service development, delivery, evaluation, and research. Jessica loves the diversity of her role as a rural clinician, helping people and teams to solve complex issues creatively and resourcefully to ensure they can participate in meaningful occupation whilst working towards achieving positive health and well-being outcomes.

Sarah Munn

Sarah Munn has been working in healthcare since 1989 and now owns and manages Barefoot Therapists which is a multi-disciplinary child and family team based in Rosebud, Mornington Peninsula. Sarah also owns Gadara Farm where her team provide a comprehensive Outdoor Program of Horticulture, Nature, Farm Skills, Animal and Equine Assisted Therapy programs. Sarah is also a leading trainer for Equine Assisted Occupational Therapy - Levels One, Two and Three. Sarah qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1996, and worked initially with adults and children with mental health, developmental and learning disabilities and community paediatrics in London. Then as the senior clinician OT in neurology and neurosurgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. After Sarah moved to Australia, she took the position of OT acute and outpatients service manager with a paediatric and SCN caseload at Peninsula Health and then in 2012 began working privately which grew into the team of therapists she has now. Sarah was raised training and riding horses and now includes horsemanship and husbandry in her work with families. Additional to paediatric and management post graduate courses Sarah has studied Equine Facilitated Learning, Clinical Inclusion of Dogs in Therapy and completed a Certificate of Mindful Education for Children. Sarah sits on the Victoria & Tasmania committee for Animal Therapies Ltd, a not for profit organisation which is leading the way with animal assisted therapy standards in Australia. She also sits on the National Professional Practice and Standards Committee for OTA.

Lisa Nguyen

Lisa is a Graduate Occupational Therapist working in Community Practice at National 360 in Brisbane, QLD. Lisa sees clients from a wide range of ages and abilities including paediatrics, adults, and aged care with a special interest in intellectual disabilities and mental health. Lisa loves working in community practice to be able to provide continuous long-term care for clients and to work towards their unique goals. She also appreciates the flexibility and freedom of working in the community and can't imagine herself working anywhere else. Lisa graduated from the Australian Catholic University in 2021, where she volunteered her time as a student representative of the OTA Queensland Divisional Counsel as well as the President of the Brisbane Occupational Therapy Student Society. Working as an occupational therapist has been incredibly rewarding for Lisa. As a new graduate, her main priority has been expanding her clinical experience in as many areas as possible, and community practice has given her the opportunity to do that. She hopes to one day work overseas in the UK to continue growing her skillset and then return to Australia to start her own practice in the community space. Through Lisa’s work she has seen a huge demand for occupational therapists in the community right now, and she is very excited to be working in such an exciting and unique field.

Anna Pannuzzo

Anna Pannuzzo is the Director of WorkPlacePLUS - OTA’s partner in human resources, industrial relations, and workplace support. Anna has 25+ years of senior HR management experience in the healthcare, social services and NFP sectors. She is degree qualified and a professional member of several highly regarded industry associations, including AHRI and the Australasian Association of Workplace Investigators. She has also given advice on ABC Radio National’s “This Working Life” and “Best Practice” programs. Anna’s nursing background provides a unique insight into the HR challenges facing many employers.All OTA members receive special OTA member benefits through WorkPlacePLUS for support with HR issues and employment matters.

Marilyn Pattison

Marilyn Pattison graduated as an occupational therapist in 1975 in the UK where she worked for four years before setting off on her great adventure in Australia. Today she is the founder and General Manager of MPOT/Access Fitness, a leading provider of health services in South Australia, the General Manager of Talking Matters a leading provider of paediatric services in South Australia and the Immediate President of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT). Marilyn has been recognised by the occupational therapy profession in Australia and internationally. She has been awarded the OT Australia National Award for her contribution to her professional association as well as the Sylvia Docker Lectureship for her contribution to the profession. Internationally Marilyn has been made an Honorary Life Member of the Swedish Occupational Therapy Association, an Honorary Life Member of the Moroccan Occupational Therapy Association, an Honorary Life Member of the Australian Occupational Therapy Association, and an Honorary Fellow of WFOT, the highest international honour an occupational therapist can receive. Marilyn continues to be a strong advocate for mainstreaming of disability and the rights of people with disabilities and she believes passionately in occupational therapy and the unique contribution it can make in how all people with and without disabilities live their lives.

Chris Pearce

Chris is a passionate occupational therapist with a wide range of experience. Over the past 19 years, Chris has established one of the largest occupational therapy specific practices in WA providing a range of services for different funding bodies. Chris diversified the organisation in-line with healthcare funding changes to establish a strong foundation, enabling this service to become a key stakeholder in WA. Within his specialty area of practice, driving, Chris has been instrumental in developing this service area, both locally and nationally. Chris currently represents WA on the National Driving Taskforce, co-convenes the WA Driving Interest Group and is the Chair of the WA Division of OT Australia. He has a long-standing history with OT Australia, and enjoys having input into a range of policies shaping our profession, and is passionate about unifying the profession in this ever-changing environment. Whilst Chris continues to work as a clinician, he is also dedicated to supporting the next generation of practitioners through mentoring and providing professional development opportunities. Chris has also been involved in research and service development, presenting at many state and national conferences. Chris has been recognised with different awards at a state level, and last year was a finalist in two categories of the National Allied Health Awards.

Cherie Rogers

Cherie Rogers is an experienced Talent Acquisition Lead at Everyday Independence with a passion for recruitment and a strong belief that getting the right person in the right role is all about the ‘fit’. Her approach to finding the right fit begins with a chat. Learning about your values, life experiences, what drives you professionally and your life aspirations gives her a clear picture of you and whether you will be the right fit for Everyday Independence. Just as important is whether Everyday Independence is the right fit for you! Naturally a people’s person, Cherie is committed to personal growth that enhances insightful leadership, coaching and active listening skills as well as her ability to build genuine relationships with people. These skills have allowed her to be an intuitive and insightful recruiter who is passionate about people. Everyday Independence (EI) is united by a single vision of building a more inclusive society. We listen to the needs of people and work with them to expand their boundaries and step outside their comfort zones, so they live to their full potential. Our values are what we live and breathe every day. We inspire with belief, champion the person and change the game.

Danielle Rowan

Danielle is a first year occupational therapist employed by Royal Melbourne hospital in a 2 year rotational mental health graduate program. Her journey towards becoming an OT was slightly longer, after first completing a bachelor of Speech, hearing and language sciences at Macquarie University, it was when Danielle was working at Barwon health in a gap year that she saw the wide variety (and fun) things occupational therapists do. Danielle then made the decision to change career paths. She completed a Masters of Occupational therapy practice at Latrobe University in Bendigo. Danielle gained experience from clinical placements at Barwon Health and Bendigo Health and completed a project placement for OTA on social prescribing. Danielle really found her passion for public mental health after completing a placement at the acute mental health unit at Bendigo health.

Pauline Russett

Pauline is a senior occupational therapist at a private hospital, involved in the clinical education of students, new graduates and fellow occupational therapists. Pauline graduated with the University Medal and First Class Honours from the University of Sydney in 2018 and has since worked in the occupational rehabilitation and private hospital settings. Pauline has been involved in coordinating and expanding the occupational therapy services provided across the acute, inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient rehabilitation settings. Pauline has also created an outpatient occupational therapy service and contributed to new policies and procedures to meet updated national clinical care standards. In 2022, Pauline has joined Occupational Therapy Australia’s NSW Divisional Council.

Karen Shaw

Karen has been employed as an Occupational Therapist at Star Health since 2000 and worked within the community health sector for the past 27 years. She graduated from Latrobe University with a B App Sci (OT) in 1991 and completed a Post Grad Dip (Health Promotion) in 1999. She was an executive committee member of AAOT Vic in 1996. Karen has worked within the acute, rehab and spinal injury settings in Melbourne, country Victoria, the UK and the Channel Islands. She took leave from Star Health in 2002 to work in Robinvale as part of the new primary healthcare service and provided outreach to indigenous communities in remote NSW. Karen has taken up a range of leadership positions including Allied Health Co-ordinator, eReferral administrator and ‘Trak Star’ staff trainer for Trakcare. She provides clinical supervision to a new graduate OT and is supporting OT Australia in the accreditation of an OT from overseas. Her specialist practice areas include home modifications, pressure care, motorised mobility devices and other assistive technologies to support adults with health and disability issues to live independently and to achieve their highest quality of life.

Fiona Turk

Fiona Turk is currently the Graduate Program Manager at Ability Action Australia, a leading NDIS provider in Australia. Fiona has over 20 years’ experience, both locally and abroad, in the early careers landscape practising in the corporate sectors across investment banking, professional services and telecommunications, as well as in emergency services and health. The Australia Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) named Fiona in their Top 30 Graduate Recruiter within Australia in 2014 as well as Top 25 in 2020. This year, Fiona was appointed as a member of the AAGE Committee, and her involvement is increasing the profile of the Allied Health sector as graduate/early career employers. Fiona’s expertise is establishing early career programs and pipeline channels as well as managing programs from end to end, including attraction, recruitment and integration / development of emerging talent. Fiona is particularly passionate and focused on providing students and graduates with career opportunities that match their skills, motivations, and career goals.

Abbey Walker

Abbey Walker is a registered Occupational Therapist who completed her studies in Sydney, N.S.W. Whilst a student she had placements that encompassed not only major hospitals and rural settings but a role emerging placement. Upon graduation Abbey relocated to Hobart, Tasmania to take up contract work with the Tasmanian Health Service Community Rehabilitation Unit and after this she worked at a private hospital in inpatient rehabilitation before securing a permanent position at Tasmanian Health. These jobs provided her with exposure to health services in Tasmania which has led to her continued interest in Rural Service Delivery. Abbey was successful with her application for the 2021 Elspeth Pearson Award which has enabled her to undertake the Allied Health Rural Generalists Training Program through James Cook University. Her current position has provided the opportunity to be actively involved in research and quality improvement with her focus being Chronic Disease and rural service delivery.

Jess Wallace

Jess is an Occupational Therapist who has been working in paediatric private practice for nearly two years. She relocated back to the ACT after completing her Bachelor of Applied Science (Occupational Therapy) from the University of Sydney in 2020. While finishing her studies, Jess has also had experience working in areas involving assistive technology and equipment prescription in both community and hospital settings through working as an assistant with the Independent Living Specialists. Since relocating to Canberra, Jess has also joined the ACT OTA Divisional Council as a new graduate and provides support to the Council by providing insight into challenges for students and new clinicians transitioning to professional practice. Jess has recently accepted a position with the acute OT team at Canberra Hospital and is looking forward to diversifying her clinical skill set in this role.

Rebecca Watson-Brown

Rebecca is the Allied Health Manager and Clinical Lead, Occupational Therapy at National 360. She has an extensive history working in health and disability services both in Australia and Overseas. Rebecca is passionate about developing supervision structures for new to practice therapists as well as pathways for clinicians to develop clinical expertise. Lifelong learning is central to this belief, and she has undertaken several post-graduate qualifications which enable her to do this including a Graduate Diploma in Burns and Trauma Rehabilitation, Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education as well as currently studying a Masters in Medical and Health Leadership.

Danielle Weedon

Danielle Weedon, Director at MediRecruit, is a qualified Physiotherapist from the University of Melbourne, with 20 years of recruitment experience in the healthcare sector. Danielle's expertise span across clinical allied health, occupational rehabilitation and injury management, and healthcare sales. She shares personal experience when it comes to the importance of career diversification and is dedicated to guiding healthcare professionals throughout their journeys.

Ellice Willcourt

Ellice Willcourt is a lecturer in Occupational Therapy at Flinders University in the Master of Occupational Therapy and Bachelor of Health Science programs. She graduated in 2003 from James Cook University in North Queensland with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy. Ellice has spent most of her clinical career working in adult mental health services across adult services in crisis, community, inpatient, and community residential settings within Southern Adelaide and Central Queensland. Ellice has worked at Flinders University since 2012. She is currently course coordinator of the master’s program and completing a Master of Health and Clinical Research. Ellice enjoys contributing to the OTA Association as a member of the SA Divisional Council to support the occupational therapy profession into the future.

Vivienne Williams

Vivienne is passionate about living her potential so that others can live theirs. As the owner and director of Kids Matters Occupational Therapy, she values quality occupational therapy that works, providing and fostering a safe and supportive community for her team to grow and become the best therapists they can be and excellent customer service. She loves to support Occupational therapists to become competent and confident therapists, who make a difference to kids and their families’ lives through helping them to overcome their occupational challenges. Vivienne has always desired to help others, which initially led her on the journey to become an Occupational Therapist (graduated 1997 from University of Qld), develop her skills working with children as an OT, to start a solo private practice in 2003 and then later develop her group paediatric private practice Kids Matters OT from 2005. She currently manages three clinics across Brisbane. She still works with kids with a range of sensory, motor, executive function, learning and developmental challenges and loves seeing the kids grow in confidence and succeed at what is important to them. Her favourite areas are sensory, learning and play development, as well as coaching and problem-solving to help clients reach their goals.

Alison Wirtz

Alison graduated from Latrobe University with a B App Sci (OT) in 1992 and Post Grad Dip (OT) in 2000. She has worked as an Occupational Therapist in the UK and Melbourne in a range of clinical settings including hospitals, a special school and community health services. She has been employed at Star Health since 1998 and in addition to her clinical role, has experience in clinical supervision and Allied Health team coordination. Alison’s practice is primarily focussed on falls prevention, home modifications and AT prescription to support adults with chronic health conditions to engage in their daily activities at home and out in the community.

Student Careers Forum

SPEAKERS

Thursday 25 August 2022