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I moved to Australia from the UK in 2005, where I had been teaching undergraduate and postgraduate podiatry students since 1992, at the University of Brighton. My responsibilities in the School and Faculty focus on Honours and research and these align well with my research interests. As Honours coordinator I have responsibility for students across the four Allied Health disciplines and this transdisciplinary role fits well with my research in interprofessional practice.

Roles

• Honours coordinator for School of Community Health
• 4th year Podiatry coordinator
• Chair of the School of Community Health Human Research and Ethics Committee
• Chair of the Podiatry staff/student committee
• School of Community Health representative on Faculty Board
• School of Community Health representative on Faculty Honours committee
• Podiatry representative on the School of Community Health Research committee

Teaching

As Honours coordinator I am involved in the Faculty of Science review of Honours. This review will ensure rationalisation of the diverse 'end-on year' Honours programs within the Faculty and their alignment with the Australian Qualifications Framework 2011. I have leadership responsibility for the core curriculum for the embedded Honours programs in the School of Community Health.

I contributed to the development of the Bachelor of Podiatry curriculum, which commenced in 2009. As a member of the Podiatry course team, I am involved in preparing for the course review by the Australian and New Zealand Podiatry Accreditation Council (ANZPAC) in May 2012.

Subject Delivery

• HLT333: Community Health Honours preparation
  
• HLT441: Community Health Honours dissertation
  
• POD403: Clinical Podiatric Residency
  
• POD404: Complex cases in Podiatric Practice
  
• POD312: Podiatric Surgery and Pharmacology
  
• POD315: Medicine 3 (Mental Health, Neurological and Vascular Medicine)
  

Innovations in Teaching

My experience in interprofessional practice (IPP) commenced in 2001, with the development of a workplace learning experience between Podiatry and Pharmacy undergraduate students. In 2006 I 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, I 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

My doctoral research explored the experience of Allied Health Honours students at CSU and La Trobe university. My 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 with: my academic role as Honours coordinator; my learning and teaching interest in the field of interprofessional practice; my 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   
  Investigation of the role of exercise on cardiovascular disease in Aboriginal men.

Professional & Community Engagement

I qualified as a Podiatric Surgeon in 1997. Whilst working in the UK, I 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.

Currently, I work with the 4th year Podiatry students to provide a podiatric surgical service to the local community at the Allied Health Clinic, Albury, NSW.

My association with the Wodonga Children’s Fair enables groups of Podiatry students to experience community engagement, undertake health promotion and advertise the Allied Health clinic.

Roles

• Surgical Podiatrist: Allied Health Clinic, Albury, NSW
• Delegate of the Podiatry Council of NSW for a section 150 proceedings.
• Participant/stall holder in the annual Wodonga Children's Fair