The GrandSchools Project

Professor Suzanne Kuys is National Head of the School of Allied Health at ACU. Her research interests include optimising participation in older adults and people following stroke. She is particularly interested in promoting physical activity, community walking and optimising the transition from hospital to the home of older adults. Professor Kuys has been awarded and recognised for her research and clinical expertise.

Supervisor Profile: Dr Suzanne Kuys

Professor Gert-Jan Pepping is Deputy Head at the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, ACU. His research focus is in sport, exercise and healthy ageing, including falls prevention and the influence of the built environment and physical activity on the prevention of falls. Professor Pepping is the Chief Investigator on a number of projects in which mobility and gait are monitored for community dwelling older adults in the context of campus-based community walking.

Supervisor Profile: Associate Professor Gert-Jan Pepping

Dr Rosamund Harrington is a lecturer in occupational therapy within the School of Allied Health at ACU. She holds a PhD in Policy and Administration from the University of Queensland. Her research interests include exploring the intersections of Commonwealth, state and territory-based policy and legislative frameworks across multiple policy domains, with a focus on vocational pathways and creative activity.

Prior to academia, Dr Harrington was a senior occupational therapist with 15 years clinical experience, and interdisciplinary clinical educator in acquired brain injury rehabilitation services. She was co-founder and convenor of a cross-government advisory group to improve pathways to community living for adults with acquired brain injury and high care needs in Queensland.

Supervisor Profile: Dr Ros Harrington 

Mizan is a PhD candidate at the Australian Catholic University (Banyo Campus). He has completed his studies in the Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology) at RMIT University and the Graduate Diploma of Professional Psychology (First Class Equivalent) from Monash University. His research interests lies in the domains of developmental, personality, clinical, and burnout research where he has explored academic burnout, social media addiction, narcissism, Big-5 personality traits, and intergenerational programs to-date. Mizan is also an honours research supervisor and has been engaged as a sessional academic across multiple universities in Australia.

Researcher Profile: Mizan Ahmad

Hannah graduated with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy with Honours from the Australian Catholic University (Brisbane) in 2017. Hannah has key interests in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, child and youth mental health, creative arts, animal assisted therapies, paediatrics, health promotion and prevention, research and academics. Hannah's undergraduate honours thesis investigated occupational therapists' perceptions and utilisation of creative activities in child and youth mental health services across Australia. Hannah has previously worked as a paediatric and adult occupational therapist at the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) in Brisbane and as an occupational therapist at Psychology and Animal Assisted Wellbeing (PAAW). Hannah is currently working as a sessional academic/tutor at the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane. Hannah is a PhD candidate at the Australian Catholic University and member of the GrandSchools project, investigating the influence of co-operative spaces for living and learning pathways on the health and well-being of adolescents and older adults in urban and regional Australia.

Researcher Profile: Hannah Forbes