Research

The School of Allied Health has a variety of research expertise, project and higher degree research opportunities in specialist areas of social work, physiotherapy, speech pathology and occupational therapy.

Research focus

Higher degree research

Our higher degree research candidates examine critical issues in the areas of occupational therapy, social work, physiotherapy and speech pathology. They collaborate with health professionals and industry bodies around Australia and the world.

Previous research projects include:

• Experiences of loss from children whose families face complex challenges and change
• Developing the evidence base for a classification of functional visual ability for children with cerebral palsy
• Examining the use of evidence based therapies for acute stroke care in Ghanaian hospitals
• The mental health and wellbeing of South Indian communities in Australia

Browse our projects

NHMRC Models of Intergenerational Learning and Living

This National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded project brings together a consortium of universities and industry partners to research integrating senior living with secondary school environments. ACU has two projects contributing to the overarching NHMRC funded research project.

Visit the research project

OT SIMPRAC Project

Clinical placements are a critical component of the training for health professionals such as occupational therapists. This project was developed in response to the challenges associated with finding sufficient, suitable clinical placements that satisfy program accreditation requirements, in an increasingly competitive clinical placement market.

Explore the project and see the outcomes

Meet our researchers

• Occupational therapy researchers
• Social work researchers 
• Speech pathology researchers 
• Physiotherapy researchers 
• Recent HDR projects