Community Health

• Email the School
• General Inquiries

Caroline  moved to Australia from the UK in 2005, where she had been teaching undergraduate and postgraduate podiatry students since 1992, at the University of Brighton. She has worked as a lecturer in podiatry at CSU since July 2005 and was the acting Podiatry program leader from January – June 2013. She is currently the acting Course Director for the School of Community Health.

Carolines responsibility is to work with the Head of School and program leaders to ensure quality across the five courses in Community Health, and to facilitate student progression from enrolment to graduation. This trans-disciplinary role fits well with her research interests; developing practitioner-researchers in allied health and interprofessional practice in allied health.

Qualifications

• Diploma of Chiropody; Chelsea School of Chiropody, London: 1982
• Masters in Pharmacology; University of East London: 1987
• Surgical Fellow of the College of Podiatry (UK): 1997
• PhD; Charles Sturt University: 2012

Positions and Roles

• Acting Course Director for School of Community Health
• Acting Podiatry Program Leader (Jan-Jun 2013)
• Honours Coordinator (2009-13)
• Lecturer in Podiatry (2005-13)  
• Chair of the School of Community Health Learning and Teaching Committee
• School of Community Health representative on Faculty Board
• Member of the Faculty of Science Learning and Teaching Committee
• Member of the School of Community Health Assessment committee
• Member of the School of Community Health Research committee
• Member of the School of Community Health Workloads committee

Teaching

As Acting Courses Director Caroline does not have any current teaching responsibility. Her previous teaching experience is in the areas of podiatric surgery, local anaesthesia, podiatric medicine, pathophysiology and research issues for Honours students. She has also facilitated several podiatry professional development sessions for public health practitioners in the UK and Australia, including: pharmacology; rheumatology; cutaneous surgery.

Subject Delivery

• HLT333: Community Health Honours preparation
• HLT441: Community Health Honours dissertation
• POD403: Clinical Podiatric Residency
• POD404: Complex cases in Podiatric Practice
• POD307: Rheumatology
• POD312: Podiatric Surgery and Pharmacology
• POD315: Mental Health, Neurological and Vascular Medicine

Innovations in Teaching

Caroline's experience in interprofessional practice (IPP) commenced in 2001, with the development of a workplace learning experience between Podiatry and Pharmacy undergraduate students. In 2006 she replicated this initiative at CSU and have since been working as part of an IPP group in the School of Community Health, to facilitate IPP experiences for Podiatry, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy students.

As a new initiative for 2012, Caroline implemented the use of PebblePad for 4th year Podiatry students studying POD404: Complex Cases in Podiatric Practice. Students utilise PebblePad to create a webfolio, to structure their work on a series of complex cases. This webfolio can be used as a basis for the students’ continuing professional development, following graduation.

Research and Publications

Caroline's doctoral research explored the experience of allied health Honours students at CSU and La Trobe university. Her research interests include: Honours; developing practitioner-researchers in allied health; interprofessional practice; approaches in learning and teaching; post-operative outcomes.

FOR codes: 1301; 1399; 1199.

These areas of research are concordant Caroline's: previous academic role as Honours coordinator; learning and teaching interest in the field of interprofessional practice, and;  professional area of expertise in podiatric surgery.

Key terms: Honours; practitioner-researchers; Allied Health; interprofessional practice; interprofessional education; podiatric surgery.

Current Research Projects

• Caroline Robinson, Kristy Robson, Narelle Patton, Annette McLeod Boyle
  Evaluation of Interprofessional Practice in the Allied Health Clinic.
  Funding Body: School of Community Health
• Caroline Robinson
  The role of Honours in Allied Health in the development of practitioner-researchers.
  Funding Body: School of Community Health

Current Research Higher Degree Students

• Brett Biles PhD
  An exploration of a tailored cardiovascular exercise and education program for Indigenous Australian men in a regional centre.

List of Publications

• Robinson C. (2009). “Cutaneous surgery : reconsidering electrosurgery”. Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association, 99(4): 353-358.
• Otter S., Robinson C., Berry H.(2005). ”Rheumatoid arthritis, foot infection and tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibition—a case history”. The Foot. 15 (2): 117-119
• Otter S., Robinson C., James D., Allen M., Davies JG. (2003). “An evaluation of an interdisciplinary joint clinical placement between podiatry and pharmacy students”. Pharmacy Education. 3(4): 253-260.
• Robinson C., Otter SJ., Bowen CJ. (2003). “Clinical misdiagnosis of Morton’s neuroma: a case of early rheumatoid arthritis”. Br.J.of Podiatry. 6(3): 85-87
• Leverett C., Robinson C. (2002). “A critical review of contemporary developments in antibiotic prophylaxis”. Br.J .of Podiatry. 5(3): 87-90
• Tyrell R., Robinson C. (2000). “Are we losing the fight against infection? A critical review to look at contemporary developments in antibiotics and bacterial resistance, with relevance to Podiatric practice”. The Foot, Vol.10, No.2, June, pp.90-96.
• Lelliott, P., Robinson, C.J. (1999). "To evaluate the reoccurrence of verrucae following treatment by Electrosurgery".  Br. J. of Podiatry. 2(3): 84-88
• Stepney, E., Robinson, C.J. (1998). "Fungal nail infection - a new perspective". Podiatry Now, July, pp. 221-224
• Robinson, C.J. (1998). Review of King's Fund report ; "The cost-effectiveness of Podiatric Surgery Services". Podiatric Research Forum Newsletter, no. 2, April.
• Childs,S., Robinson, C.J. (1997). "A comparison of wet and dry drilling techniques". J.Br.Pod.Med. , vol. 52, May, no.5, pp. 68-72
• Sherrard-Brisley,J. Robinson, C.J. (1997). "To discover a possible route for cross-infection from Podiatric drill handpieces". The Foot, vol.7, no.1, pp.1-6
• Cryer,J.R., Robinson C.J. (1997). "In vitro  study to establish the efficacy of 28% Tioconazole solution (Trosyl) against Trichophyton rubrum  and Candida albicans".  The Foot, vol.7, no.1,pp. 27-9
• Robinson, C.J. (1992). Book review published in the Journal of British Podiatric Medicine. Vol. 47, no. 11, pp. 226

Community Engagement

Whilst working in the UK, Carolione was commissioned by the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists to develop the 'Primary Fellowship in Podiatric Surgery'. This document provided a framework for the development of a national surgical training program, which currently enables podiatrists to gain a Masters qualification in podiatric surgery.

Caroline is a member of the Scheduled Medicines Advisory Committee which provides guidance to the Podiatry Board of Australia.This ongoing review process will directly inform not only the restructure of the post-registration education pathway, but also the focus and content of the undergraduate podiatry curriculum in relation to pharmacology and prescribing.

Caroline was invited to join the assessment team for the accreditation of the Australasian College of Podiatric Surgery Fellowship Program and the Doctor of Clinical Podiatry at the University of Western Australia (UWA). The site visit is scheduled for October 2013.

Affiliations and Memberships

• Member of  the Scheduled Medicines Advisory Committee, Podiatry Board of Australia
• Registered Podiatrist (AHPRA)