GERONTOLOGICAL PHYSIOTHERAPY IN FALLS PREVENTION AND PREHABILITATION
With
Dr Rik Dawson,
Gerontological Physiotherapist &
Postdoctoral Researcher,
Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney &
National President, Australian Physiotherapy Association
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | August 2026
Dr Rik Dawson is a gerontological physiotherapist and health leader dedicated to improving healthy ageing through evidence-based physiotherapy, digital health and health system reform. As a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney, and President of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, he combines research and policy to improve access to high quality care for older people.
With more than 30 years of experience across clinical practice Dr Dawson founded Agewell Physiotherapy, growing it into one of Australia’s largest aged care physiotherapy providers before selling the business in 2020. He now leads TOP UP Therapy, a digital health company translating his PhD research into practice through an evidence-based strength and balance exercise platform that demonstrated that physiotherapist led telehealth exercise can improve mobility, reduce falls and help older people remain independent.
Dr Dawson provides national leadership in aged care, workforce and primary care reform and serves on several Australian Government advisory committees, including the Strengthening Medicare Implementation Oversight Committee. He is also a member of Falls Prevention Alliance Australia and the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance. His research has attracted funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, ARIIA, Dementia Australia and the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases, with collaborations across Australia and Brazil.
Outside work, Dr Dawson is a trained opera singer with a Bachelor of Creative Arts, a certified yoga instructor and a regular volunteer leading singalongs in residential aged care. He is married to a physiotherapist, has a daughter who is a physiotherapist and a son studying psychology.
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9652-4711
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Iodine in pregnancy on baby brain and nervous system development
Dr Karen Best is Senior Research Fellow in the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) Women and Kids Theme. She is a Registered Midwife with a unique breadth of experience in clinical project management, academic skills and knowledge translation and is committed to better understanding the essential role that modifiable exposures in pregnancy play in setting the foundations for a healthy start to life.
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Applying nanotechnology to chronic pain management
Dr Felicity Han is a Research Fellow and Leader in Pain Relief Innovation, at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in the University of Queensland. Dr Han’s research interests sit at the interface of drug delivery and the pain field. Her overarching research goal is to improve the quality of day to day life of patients suffering from chronic pain, by applying nanotechnology to the development of novel highly effective pain-killer products for improving chronic pain management.
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Electrical stimulation on organic conductors
Professor Gordon Wallace AO is the Founder and Director of the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) at the University of Wollongong and Founding Director of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) Materials Node. He was previously the Executive Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES).
