THE PHYSIO CLINIC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Physiotherapist
- Physiotherapist, Blackwood Alicia Brown / Physiotherapist ( Paediatric Team ), Prospect & Blackwood Alistair Hayes
Aaron graduated with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy in 2022 from the University of South Australia. His passion for sports, conversation and helping others has always drawn him towards working in Physiotherapy. Furthermore, the challenges of every patient having their own unique conditions, injuries and experiences has kept Aaron striving to further his knowledge within the profession.
Aaron's treatment philosophy is based on the belief of having a healthy balanced combination of hands-on treatment and self management. He is also a strong believer in the large contribution that mental health can have on a patient's symptoms and conditions, especially with someone who is suffering from a chronic condition.
Aaron's areas of interests are;
Job Titles:
- Physiotherapist ( Paediatric Team ) Doctor of Physiotherapy and Bachelor of Clinical Science
Alicia graduated with a Doctor of Physiotherapy at Macquarie University in 2022 and a Bachelor of Clinical Science at Macquarie University in 2018. She had previous experience working within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), working with both adults and children, but had a natural urge to continue working in paediatric physiotherapy.
Alistair graduated from the University of South Australia in 2003 with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy. Since then, he has gained over 17 years of extensive experience in musculoskeletal physiotherapy in Adelaide.
Alistair first came in contact with Physiotherapy as a keen sportsperson in high school. He had some hip pain aggravated by his heavy involvement in cricket, field hockey and athletics. His hip responded really well to a course of treatment and exercises prescribed by his local physiotherapist and Alistair was very impressed by the experience. This pushed him towards a career path in physiotherapy after school.
He really enjoyed his university studies and graduated with a desire to make a real difference to people's function and lives. Since graduating, Alistair has worked in both private practice physiotherapy and hospital settings in Adelaide, developing a broad range of skill and experience. He continues to develop his skills as a physiotherapist and has most recently completed a cancer rehabilitation course.
Alistair uses a combination of manual therapies, dry needling and exercise-based interventions and is passionate about injury prevention and patient education.
Alistair's areas of interest are:
Musculoskeletal physiotherapy
Sports injuries
Gym-based rehabilitation
Hydrotherapy
Dry Needling
Men's Cancer Rehabilitation
Outside of work his interests include golf, running, movies and music.
Fun Fact: Alistair is a formula 1 motor racing fanatic
Job Titles:
- Marryatville Team Leader, Senior Physiotherapist
Angela has specialised her career in musculoskeletal physiotherapy in London where she has worked with patients ranging from those with acute sporting injuries, complex musculoskeletal issues, pre and postnatal women, and chronic pain. She combines the most up to date evidence based techniques including manual therapies, dry needling, rehabilitation and education to ensure you achieve all of your movement goals to get you back to living life to the fullest.
Job Titles:
- Physiotherapist ( Hospital / Neurological Team )
Bella has always had a strong interest in mental health, problem solving and the human body which led her to pursue a career centred around helping people. Before receiving an offer to study a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at the University of South Australia, Bella was initially interested in working as an Occupational Therapist however she fell in love with Physiotherapy and never looked back!
After graduating from university in 2019, Bella spent some time working in a variety of different settings from community-based physiotherapy to aged care and now private practice.
Bella's treatment philosophy is built on her love for helping people. She believes that building a strong relationship with her clients and having a clear understanding of their lives outside of the clinic is key to treating and empowering her clients to live their best lives.
Bella's areas of interest include:
Orthopaedic rehabilitation post surgery
Neurological physiotherapy
Job Titles:
- Director, Senior Physiotherapist
Ben graduated in 1995 from Uni SA school of Physiotherapy having been awarded prizes for the highest academic achievement in the course and the prize for the best human relationship skills. Before deciding to be a physio, Ben originally wanted to be a chef, followed by an architect.
After graduating, Ben was fortunate enough to gain one of five new graduate positions at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, which ignited his interest in acute care, particularly acute orthopaedics. Here, Ben gained a broad knowledge base working across a variety of areas developing skills that he would call upon later in his musculoskeletal practice. Ben worked in the hospital for 2 years, predominantly in orthopaedics and outpatients, and this is where his interest in shoulders began.
In 2002, after 7 years of working in Adelaide and internationally, Ben returned to study his Masters of Physiotherapy- Manips, full time. Since the completion of his Masters, he has worked in his own private practice clinics for almost 20 years, with extensive experience in golfing/sporting injuries, orthopaedics and spinal injuries.
Since the end of his Masters in 2002, Ben has opened and operated a number of physiotherapy clinics with the help of his wife, Michelle, across Adelaide. Ben remains committed to achieving high standards for our clients and staff and recognised as being leaders in our profession.
Ben's main areas of interest include:
Spinal Conditions
Orthopaedics
Sports and Golf Injuries
Job Titles:
- Senior Physiotherapist
- Senior Physiotherapist at Prospect
Andrew graduated with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy in 2013 from the University of South Australia and has been working in Physiotherapy for over 10 years now. Predominantly he has worked in private practice settings and has a strong background in musculoskeletal physiotherapy.
Andrew was drawn to Physiotherapy as a profession because of how interesting it was to study and learn the human body and how every individual thinks and functions differently. Eventually he was driven to be more passionate by the mutual satisfaction of seeing patients return to their life, after experiencing injuries that previously had held them back. He loved seeing people being able to go back to work, be available for their families again or hearing them return to their treasured weekend activities.
Andrew's treatment philosophy is to work collaboratively with his clients to provide as much relief as he can, whilst at the same time guiding and empowering them to adapt and become more resilient with their bodies. Physiotherapy undoubtedly has a huge emphasis on treating physical impairments and so Andrew likes to look at people's problems holistically and work with them to try to give strategies around other life factors that may be of concern.
Hayley graduated from UniSA with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy in 2020. She has gained over one year experience working in private practice where she enjoyed helping clients from all walks of life.
Hayley knew she wanted a career in health and the chance to make a positive impact on the lives of those she works with from the time she finished high school. She initially completed a Bachelor of Human Nutrition at Flinders University in 2015. She began teaching exercise classes for fun in 2016, and after completing her Cert IV in Pilates the following year decided she wanted to follow this passion further and study Physiotherapy, while also completing her Diploma of Clinical Pilates. She has been working as a Clinical Pilates Instructor since 2018 with a special interest in pre and postnatal strength and conditioning.
Hayley is a strong believer in using exercise as part of treatment and rehabilitation to help clients to achieve their goals and develop skills in managing their health and wellbeing independently. She also loves teaching exercise classes and enjoys the social aspect of group exercise.
Hayley's areas of interest are:
Orthopaedics
Musculoskeletal
Physio exercise classes/Pilates
When she's not at work, you will find her at home hanging out with her cat (Bee) while trying to bake the perfect loaf of sourdough bread.
Job Titles:
- Physiotherapist
- Prospect Team Leader, Senior Physiotherapist
Lauren graduated with a Graduate Entry Masters degree in Physiotherapy in 2007 and prior to that, completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences. She has worked in private practice for the past 16 years and has worked in the clinic, pool (hydrotherapy), Gym/Pilates studio and home environments seeing a large range of conditions. She is passionate about providing high quality, holistic and best evidence based practice.
At the end of high school, Lauren was coaching and playing a large amount of tennis and looking to pursue tennis overseas at an American College. It was then her shoulder and knee decided they didn't want to play anymore! Whilst overcoming her injuries, Lauren got to know her physio really well and was always interested in learning more about her treatment. It was then that her physio encouraged her to undertake studies in Physiotherapy, too! Through different personal injuries, accidents and events, Lauren has seen both sides of rehab, physio and the medical system.
Lauren's treatment philosophy is doing my best to learn about and understand the person as a whole, as injuries and pain can cause a multitude of other worries over time. She is committed to educating patients around movement and rehabilitation, to achieve their goals and best possible outcomes.
Lauren's main areas of interest include:
Musculoskeletal Presentations
Chronic Pain and Pain Sciences
Pre and post Op/Rehab
Women's Health
Pilates
Hydrotherapy
Dry Needling
Outside of work, Lauren loves getting out and about and anything related to the beach, camping and a spot of 4WDing. On the flip side, she also has a love of fabulous food/wine and a boogie on the dance floor and is not afraid to don a costume for her ongoing involvement in her favourite charity.
Bree started working at TPC in March 2021. Previously, she was running her own business in the Music Industry for 15 years. She used to tour the world as a musician and would occasionally work in reception jobs in between touring. She has always loved working jobs in Remedial massage and Physiotherapy administration, and has a genuine passion for taking care of the body.
Bree loves the environment at TPC and the genuine care everyone has for each other and the patients.
In her spare time, she loves to discover what nature surrounds Adelaide, especially any walks around the ocean! She loves spending time in the garden at home, with her dog. She loves music, diving/snorkelling, collecting seashells and photography.
Chrissy graduated with a Masters of Physiotherapy from Flinders University in 2016. She has 5 years of experience in private practice, treating patients with musculoskeletal injuries, as well as 3 years of experience in hospitals, predominantly in the orthopedic wards. She has also undertaken additional training in Dry Needling and Pilates.
Chrissy's love for physiotherapy began when she was exposed to many musculoskeletal and sports injuries whilst playing soccer. This fostered her interest in the management and treatment of injuries through physiotherapy. She loves helping patients achieve an optimal health outcome using evidence based practice and finds being a physiotherapist such a rewarding career.
Employing a goal-specific and patient-centered care approach is Chrissy's treating philosophy. She aims to improve the quality of life and functional ability of patients through education, management, exercise and hands-on treatment of injuries and conditions.
Chrissy's areas of interest are:
Musculoskeletal injuries and treatment
Sport injuries and management
Orthopedic rehabilitation post-surgery
Orthopedic rehabilitation post-surgery
Dry Needling
Pilates
Hydrotherapy
Headaches
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Claudia completed a Bachelor of Physiotherapy, with first-class Honours at the University of South Australia in 2017. Since graduating, she has worked full time in private practice, helping clients with various physical health complaints through both hands-on and active rehabilitation methods.
She has since undertaken further learning in sports physiotherapy, dry needling and Pilates.
With an extensive soccer history from a young age, Claudia has regularly been exposed to various levels of playing, training, injury and recovery which spurred an interest in the human body and, more specifically, injury management. These experiences are what piqued her interest in physiotherapy. When she began her studies, she was quite naive to the complexity of a physiotherapist's knowledge and training base. She revelled in the detailed content regarding the human body and health conditions throughout the degree, in particular the awesome capacity of the human nervous system!
Courtney graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy. Courtney has always had a passion for health and an interest in the human body, she was a ballet dancer for 15 years and developed a great respect for how incredible the human body is and what it is able to do for us. She gained an understanding of the importance of looking after ourselves from self experience in dancing.
Courtney grew to love the patient/client interaction, building meaningful relationships and developing rapport with clients once she started studying in Physiotherapy. Being able to help others and having a positive impact on their lives is truly rewarding and fulfilling for Courtney.
Courtney's core treatment philosophy is patient centered care. She is a strong believer that everyone has a unique story and body and should be treated as such. Her treatments are tailored to her clients expectations and goals to ensure that they leave the session feeling better than when they came in.
As a former dancer, Courtney is very interested in the relationship between Physiotherapy and dance. Physiotherapy management can be integral to ensuring the health and safety of dancers and helps optimise their techniques, especially due to the mechanical stress that these individuals put on their bodies within their craft. Physiotherapist's input can be beneficial for not only helping dancers recover from an injury, but also prevent injuries from occurring.
When she is not working, Courtney loves to stay healthy with regular exercise with a healthy balance of going out with friends and spending time with family. Courtney loves to travel, particularly to somewhere hot or tropical, loves exploring new places and trying new activities and adventures.
Dionne started working at The Physio Clinic in March 2021. She has worked in administration for 5 years prior to TPC and works as a Makeup Artist on the weekends!
Esther graduated in 2022 from University of South Australia. Esther has had broad experience through her placement opportunities. She has also had wide exposure to Orthopaedic/Rehabilitation patients during work experience last year at Royal Adelaide Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre as a physiotherapy assistant.
Esther studied a year of Bachelor of Medical Radiation and decided it wasn't the right path for her. After speaking to family and friends and from her previous experiences with Physiotherapists she decided to change her course and has never looked back. Esther fell in love with the opportunity to help people during their recovery process by using the hands on approach and exercises in their treatment. She finds pleasure in seeing her patients return back to what they enjoy doing and getting back into their routines.
Esther's treatment philosophy is patient centered care which is goal oriented with a management plan. She believes that building rapport and a positive relationship with patients is a key component during their recovery process.
Esther's areas of interest are;
Gavin completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences at Adelaide University in 2015, before returning to studies and graduating with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy with Honours at the University of South Australia in 2022. He has over 3 years experience as a Physiotherapy aide running sports injury and post-operative rehab classes at a private practice.
Competing in martial arts, club soccer and basketball from a young age, Gavin chose to pursue Physiotherapy after experiencing his own extensive list of injuries and operations. This encouraged him in wanting to better improve his ability to prevent, manage and treat both himself and those around him. Physiotherapy allowed Gavin to combine his passions of problem solving and helping others, to better support someone in their return to sport, work, family time or anything in-between.
Gavin's a believer that treatments and exercises must match the specific requirements and needs of the client. Therefore, he prioritises understanding the client's condition or injury in reference to their lifestyle and goals, in order to create a plan most suitable for them. Gavin highly values communication to ensure clients feel comfortable, respected, and enabled to provide input in forming their treatment plans.
Gavin's areas of interest are;
Job Titles:
- Physiotherapist / Doctor in Physiotherapy, Women 's Health Physiotherapist
Hannah completed her Doctor of Physiotherapy in 2018 at the University of Melbourne and following this, worked at a large private practice physiotherapy clinic before making the move back to Adelaide. Hannah utilises a range of evidence-based techniques from exercise to manual therapy, including dry needling, to help people reach their full potential. Hannah has a passion for Pilates and exercise-based rehab, and loves to help people understand the power of movement and how it can positively impact their lives.
Growing up playing sports such as hockey and tennis, Hannah developed a passion for sport from a young age which strongly influenced her interest in health and the human body. After sustaining a few injuries through sport, she was amazed and fascinated by how the body works and how treatment such as clinical pilates could help her feel better and improve her overall performance.
Hannah loves seeing the positive impact physiotherapy can have on people's lives - not just physically but also psychologically. Helping people feel empowered with their own bodies and getting back to what they love is a passion of hers. She also has further studies in Women's Health, and is now taking on appointments in this area.
Hannah loves empowering people to take control of their own rehabilitation - whether that be through education of understanding how their body moves, exercising in the clinic or at home, or through techniques to assist with improving mobility such as dry needling and massage. She thinks understanding the power of movement and how it can positively impact you is so important for all aspects of life.
Hannah's main areas of interest include:
Pilates / exercise classes
Women's Health
Pelvic Floor dysfunction/assessment
Pregnancy and post-partum
Musculoskeletal
Sports Injuries
Dry Needling
Exercise and gym-based rehab
Outside of work, Hannah enjoys taking her dog for long walks along the beach, exploring SA's amazing food & wine, spending time with friends and family or going down to her family's farm to spend time in the fresh country air!
Jasmine has been working at The Physio Clinic since 2019. Jasmine graduated from Flinders University, with a Bachelor's of Exercise and Sport Science and a Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology. Jasmine's treatment philosophy is to educate and empower people with a positive mindset to apply long-term active lifestyle changes. Her goal is to collaboratively tailor individual plans for each person based on their needs, abilities and interests to achieve their goals.
Working at TPC, Jasmine loves the supportive, caring and fun working environment. She also loves having the ability to collaboratively learn from other team members.
During her spare time, she coaches functional fitness classes, partakes in Clinical Pilates and enjoys wine tasting.
Fun Fact: Jasmine's love of fitness began at age 5 when she started Jazz and Tap dancing which she continued for 10 years.
Jess has been with The Physio Clinic since September 2017. She has a background in customer service and administration, working in various restaurants, wineries and psychology practices. She has recently completed her Bachelor of Arts at the University of South Australia and is also currently working as a freelance Stage and Production Manager.
She loves working at The Physio Clinic because everyone is so reliably friendly, open to new ideas and constantly innovating and improving the clinic.
In her spare time, she enjoys board games, theatre and going on adventures with friends.
Julie has been working with The Physio Clinic since October 2019. She has a background in customer service in the retail, health and travel industries.
She loves working at TPC because the team is so warm, supportive and fun. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She keeps active by engaging in a variety of activities including hiking and riding her bike.
Fun Fact: In a past life, Julie was a Speech Pathologist. Returning to work in the Allied Health sector has been like something of a homecoming for her.
Kate has been working with The Physio Clinic since January 2019. She has a background in management and staff development in retail but made the swap to Allied Health 5 years ago and has never looked back. In the last couple of years, Kate has completed her Psychological Science Degree at Flinders University and is passionate about mental health and support in the workplace. She works with all of our physios and admin at each location, including the hospital and rehabilitation teams. You will sometimes see her on the desk, but more often than not she is running around in the background.
What Kate loves about working at TPC is the wonderful clients and watching them progress through their rehabilitation journeys! TPC has also given her the opportunity and support to develop her skills in management. She loves the challenge and how the team is always striving to be better.
In her spare time, she loves all kinds of travelling, from overseas to camping. A perfect day for her includes a good brunch and then the beach with her dog and husband. She has also just purchased her first house so she is starting her renovating journey!
Job Titles:
- Neurological & Vestibular Physiotherapist / Team Leader
Kate graduated with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy in 2000, receiving the University of South Australia Medal and also the Alumni Gold Medal, awarded for both outstanding academic merit throughout all years of an undergraduate degree and for the most outstanding final year of an undergraduate degree.
At age 17, Kate wasn't really sure what she wanted to do as a career. She had an interest in the human body and biology as well as keeping fit and healthy. Physiotherapy seemed the natural choice and 21 years later, she still loves working as a clinician, meeting new people, hearing their stories, identifying their challenges and most of all, working closely with them to achieve their goals.
Following university, she was fortunate enough to secure her graduate year at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre working across a range of clinical areas. Keen to travel, Kate spent the following year in Europe and worked as locum physiotherapist in hospitals across England. On returning from overseas and after being inspired by working in neurological rehabilitation, she joined a well-regarded private neurophysiotherapy practice in Adelaide. During the next four years, she also worked as a clinical educator for the University of South Australia, supervising undergraduate students at Flinders Medical Centre.
After completing the required seven years of experience in neurological physiotherapy, she undertook the path to becoming an Australian Physiotherapy Association Titled Neurological Physiotherapist in 2008.For the past 21 years, Kate has enjoyed working in the area of neurological physiotherapy and undergone extensive, accredited training particularly in the area of vestibular (dizziness and balance) rehabilitation.
Kate's treatment philosophy is educate, assist, empower, achieve and outside of work, she loves the simple things in life. Walking, swimming, cooking, reading and spending time with her family and friends.
Kate's areas of interest include:
Dizziness- BPPV, vestibular neuronitis, labyrinthitis, Ménière's Disease, acoustic neuromas, SSCD, PPPD and cervicogenic dizziness.
Falls and balance problems
Peripheral neuropathy
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson's disease
Stroke
Functional Neurological Disorders
Gillian Barre Syndrome
Acquired brain injury
Fun fact: I did a solo skydive many years ago…. I was able to land the parachute myself but did end up a fair distance from the target, in a field across the other side of a main road (thankfully without any broken bones)!
Kayla graduated from the University of South Australia in 2019 and has been working predominantly as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist in private practices ever since. Whilst studying at university, Kayla developed a special interest in Pilates and began working as a Pilates instructor, completing her instructor's certificate through Polestar Pilates. Kayla has also undertaken further training in dry needling training through GEMt.
Kayla was born in South Korea where the occupation of a physiotherapist is not common or well-known. After one of her family members had a stroke Kayla was exposed to physiotherapy through witnessing the amazing rehabilitation that was conducted in hospital. Since seeing first hand how life-changing a physiotherapist can be for people, she was hooked and decided to follow her new passion and study Physiotherapy in Australia.
Kayla enjoy's building relationships with her patients and understanding their point of views to be able to formulate a goal that is meaningful to them. She strongly believes in earning ‘trust' and ‘respect' from her patients in order to maximize outcomes of treatment. Her treatment style includes a hands-on manual therapy approach, exercise based rehabilitation and education. Kayla believes that the key to long term management is finding and treating other underlying causes in order to prevent recurrence.
Kayla's areas of interest are;
Job Titles:
- Administration Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Blackwood Team Leader, Senior Physiotherapist
Nat graduated from the University of South Australia in 2002 and spent the early part of her career working in the public and private hospital settings. She has worked in a range of different areas, including: orthopaedics, spinal surgery, oncology, hydrotherapy and antenatal/maternity.
Job Titles:
- Physiotherapist / Hospital Coordinator
Nathan is our Hospital Coordinator. Nathan graduated with a Masters of Physiotherapy in 2019 from the University of Sydney. Physiotherapy was always the goal for Nathan due to his love for sports and learning all things health and fitness. He began his journey in Victoria where he was working in a private practice before making the move across to Adelaide at the start of 2022. It was at this point where he transitioned into hospitals and worked in a number of different areas including orthopaedics, trauma, ICU, stroke and general medicine.
Nathan has developed a keen interest in acute orthopaedic care and being involved with patients as they begin their journey back to where they once were! He enjoys the challenges and high variability that comes with acute care and working closely with the patient and their families to achieve high quality outcomes.
Outside of work Nathan enjoys a good balance between staying fit and healthy and enjoying some good food and wine.
Fun fact! Nathan is a passionate St Kilda supporter and is hopeful of seeing a premiership once in his lifetime.
Job Titles:
- Physiotherapist / Hospital Coordinator