ENHANCING OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SERVICE PROVISION WITH MILITARY VETERANS
With
Carol McKinstry,
Professor of Occupational Therapy &
Deputy Dean, Rural Health School,
La Trobe University,
Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed Online | April 2025
Carol McKinstry is Professor of Occupational Therapy and Deputy Dean with La Trobe University’s Rural Health School at the Bendigo campus. She is currently Chair of Academic Board and member of University Council.
After completing her Bachelor of Occupational Therapy in Melbourne, she returned to Bendigo to work in local health services, where she developed a strong foundation in rehabilitation, assisting individuals recovering from strokes, accidents, trauma, chronic pain, and spinal cord injuries.
Prof McKinstry was instrumental in the development of the occupational therapy course at the La Trobe University’s Bendigo campus and also the establishment of the Rural Health School.
Prof McKinstry’s research focus is on health workforce, particularly developing a sustainable rural health workforce through recruitment of rural students for health courses, innovative and flexible delivery of health courses, telehealth and emerging areas of practice for occupational therapists.
She is particularly interested in addressing the needs of returning military service members, especially in rural areas where access to services is often limited. Motivated by her upbringing in a regional area, Prof McKinstry is passionate about ensuring equitable health services for those living in rural communities, aiming to tackle workforce shortages and improve health outcomes for these populations.
She is a current board director of Occupational Therapy Australia having been the past president between 2020-2024. She is on the Board of Bendigo Health and was on the Rochester and Elmore District Health Service Board for nine years, also serving as Board Chair and appointed as Life Governor.
Although not excelling in any particular sports, she has had a long involvement with a number of sports at a club and association/organisational board/committee level. She was the first female chair of the Bendigo Football Netball League in its 140 year history and is a life member of several local sporting organisations. Prof McKinstry looks to combine her health background and love of sport, particularly in the areas of participation in sport for all ages to improve health and wellbeing.
Source: Supplied and supplemented
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6383-6313
-
Oral administration of insulin for Type 1 Diabetes
Huiwen Pang is a 3rd year PhD candidate in the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, focusing on biomedical health research. Prior to commencing his PhD, Huiwen studied animal genetics in his Masters degree at Huazhong Agriculture University in China.
People with diabetes, especially Type 1 diabetes, largely rely on the insulin injections or insulin pumps to control their high blood glucose levels, which is painful and has a high risk of infections.
Huiwen Pang is conducting research on nano-based drug formulations for Type 1 diabetes treatment, with a focus on using nanomaterials to load insulin for oral administration and employing anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory approaches to mitigate damage to beta cells.
-
Novel forms of brain stimulation & psychedelic assisted psychotherapy
Professor Paul Fitzgerald is the Head of the School of Medicine and Psychology at the Australian National University. He is an academic psychiatrist with a MBBS degree, Masters of Psychological Medicine and research PhD. He has conducted an extensive range of experimental studies and clinical trials, focused on the development of novel treatment options for patients with mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, PTSD, autism and Alzheimer’s disease.
-
New treatments for patients with mental illness
Associate Professor Bernadette Fitzgibbon is a neuroscientist with several decades of experience in researching, developing, and translating novel therapies for mental health and chronic pain conditions. This includes the application and optimisation of brain stimulation and psychedelic therapies, overseeing large multi-site intervention trials, both within Australia and abroad. Through her work, she has developed meaningful collaborations with consumers, volunteers, policy makers, and services providers, ensuring that the outcomes of her work contribute towards real-world clinical impact.
