July 2010 - Welcome to our new Head of School

We are very pleased to welcome on board Professor Maureen Simmonds who is the new Head of the School of Physiotherapy at Curtin University.

Maureen has come to us from McGill University in Quebec, Canada where she was the Director of the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy. In this role, she was credited with significantly strengthening the links between the School, the clinical community and the research community at local, regional and indeed international levels.

Prior to working at McGill University, Maureen was the Head of the School of Health Professions and Rehabilitation Sciences in the University of Southampton, UK. Maureen completed her training as a physiotherapist at the Wolverhampton School of Physiotherapy in the UK before undertaking her BSc(PT), MSC (PT) and PhD at the University of Alberta in Canada.

Professor Simmonds has outstanding research credentials, primarily in the assessment and management of chronic pain, as evidenced by her extensive list of publications, presentations and grants. The addition of Maureen to our Pain Research Group is indeed a very exciting prospect.

Maureen's experience working, learning, and living in Britain, Canada, and the United States has afforded her a broad based global perspective and a rich understanding of different academic and health care environments. It has also allowed for an appreciation of the strengths, weaknesses, common problems and opportunities afforded within different academic and health care systems.

The staff of the School are looking forward to welcoming Maureen to Curtin and to Perth and we intend to host an evening event where by our clinical colleagues and alumni can have an opportunity to meet her and welcome her to our physiotherapy community.
View previous features