THE AUSTRALIAN FEMALE MILITARY PELVIC HEALTH STUDY
Not so secret women's business
DR SIMONE O'SHEA
Principal Investigator
Simone is an Australian registered Physiotherapist who combines work as an educator and researcher at Charles Sturt University with clinical work in the area of women's health and being a mother of four children.
She is passionate about working with women to maintain their health, physical and leisure activities, as well as their career roles whilst they navigate different life phases that may influence their pelvic health (e.g. pregnancy).
Simone has managed and conducted several research projects. She has experience with a variety of research designs and multi-site project management skills. She has published peer-reviewed journal articles, a book chapter, and presented her findings at Australian and international conferences. Her awards include the Menzies Foundation Scholar in the Allied Health Sciences (2004), the Margaret & Alan Hamer research prize from La Trobe University (2000), and more recently, Most Outstanding Poster (Asia Pacific region) at the World Confederation of Physical Therapy Congress (2017).
For more details about Simone's previous research:
https://csu.pure.elsevier.com/en/persons/da72502c-19ce-44ff-b92f-a75a91a735e3
PROFESSOR ROD POPE
Co-investigator
Rod is a registered Physiotherapist with 30 years of experience in the profession, encompassing: Physiotherapy practice; tactical forces injury risk management; applied and translational research; university teaching and research supervision; contracting and consultancy; and leadership and management of a range of organisations, businesses, programs and projects. Rod has provided professional services and program oversight across many locations, including leadership of the implementation project for the ADF’s Defence Injury Prevention Program 2000-2006, and principal investigator roles in a range of multi-site research projects.
Rod is Professor of Physiotherapy in the School of Community Health at Charles Sturt University, and co-leads tactical forces protection and physical performance research with Associate Professor Rob Orr from Bond University. He works with colleagues, internationally, to conduct research and provide advice for military, law enforcement and fire and rescue organisations, collaborates in research on active ageing and allied health care, and facilitates Physiotherapy student learning.
A/PROFESSOR ROB ORR
Co-investigator
Rob joined the Australian Army as an infantry soldier before transferring to the Defence Force Physical Training Instructor (PTI) stream. As a PTI, Rob designed, developed, instructed and audited physical training programs for military personnel from both Australian and foreign defence forces. Posted to the Australian Defence Force Physical Training Instructor School he developed and delivered modules on the Combat Fitness Leader Course, The Basic PTI and Advanced PTI courses. Following completion of his master’s degree in physiotherapy, Rob served as a military physiotherapist where his role included the clinical rehabilitation and project management of physical conditioning optimisation reviews. Serving as the Human Performance Officer for the Royal Military College and Special Operations units before joining the team at Bond University in 2012, Rob continues to serve in the Army Reserve as a Human Performance Officer and as a sessional presenter.
As co-lead of the Bond University Tactical Research Unit, Rob’s fields of research include the physical conditioning and injury prevention of tactical personnel from trainees to specialists. With a doctoral degree in tactical load carriage, Rob's passion is researching the impacts of load carriage on tactical personnel.
Rob is the educational director of Tactical Strength and Conditioning - Australia and is the section editor for the Australian Strength and Conditioning Journal and editor for the NSCA TSAC Report.
DR KATE FREIRE
Co-investigator
Kate trained as a physiotherapist in Edinburgh, Scotland; graduating in 1996. She worked for several years in both the UK and US before moving to Australia in 2003. She has worked in both public and private settings across a wide range of areas including: inpatients, outpatients, rehabilitation and occupational health. Kate has been working as an academic at CSU and working as a researcher on several projects. She is also due to commence a new research role with the Three Rivers UDRH in 2020.