Our people are linked by a common conviction in delivering better health outcomes. IIMPACT in Health has identified several challenges that we think are particularly well suited to our ‘discovery to care’ approach, and our expertise and training as allied health professionals. Those Big Challenges in Health include persistent pain, persistent breathlessness, stroke recovery and healthier kids and adolescents. Each of these areas also contribute to our final challenge - the rural-metro health divide. Together with UniSA’s Department of Rural Health, we are combining skills and expertise to optimise our impact on each of these Big Challenges.
Our Challenge Leaders are Professor Susan Hillier (stroke recovery), Professor Marie Williams (breathlessness), Dr Margarita Tsiros (kids and adolescents), Professor Lorimer Moseley AO (pain) and Prof Esther May (rural-metro divide).
Marie Williams doesn’t think that breathlessness is something you just have to put up with as you get older. She leads the Persistent Breathlessness theme within IIMPACT focused on this common troublesome sensation and the possibilities for living life unlimited by breathlessness.
Lorimer is fascinated by protective feelings. Most of his work has focussed on pain and other bodily feelings that go with it. He leads the Persistent Pain theme within IIMPACT, through the internationally renowned Body in Mind Research Group, which just celebrated 10 years of investigating the role of the brain and mind in persistent pain.
If you live outside a metropolitan centre, as one third of Australians do across our vast brown land, your health is likely to be poorer than that of a city dweller. The Rural Health Research Team members within IIMPACT are focussed on addressing this inequity through creating understanding of, and finding solutions to, health access, quality care and consumer experience.
Indika Koralegedera
Susan Hillier has worked with the most inspiring people recovering from stroke. How does someone learn to navigate a new life with a brain that does not perceive, think or issues orders like it used to? This question leads to so many more... and that is what gets us out of bed in the morning at IIMPACT.
Dr Brenton Hordacre – Lead for neuroplasticity and mechanisms of recovery after stroke; use of TMS and TDCS in recovery
Margarita has spent over 20 years in child health, working as a clinician, educator and researcher. Her research interests include children of all ages with movement challenges, although she has a special interest in overweight and obesity, helping kids to move well and move more. She leads the Child Health Theme at IIMPACT, exploring ways to help children with developmental or health challenges thrive.
Dr Kobie Boshoff - (children and youth with disability, developmental conditions and difficulties, Autism, neuro-developmental conditions, child development, neuro-affirmative practice, social inclusion, capacity building, co-design with end-users, including people with disabilities/conditions)