HabITec is a flagship initiative of The Hopkins Centre – researching bold ideas and better solutions for people who have a lifelong disability. It is a partnership between Menzies Health Institute Queensland at Griffith University and the Occupational Therapy Department and Division of Rehabilitation at Metro South Health.
At HabITec we understand that everyone’s experience is different, and what each person needs to live well in the community is unique. Our team is committed to creating better access to well-designed technology to improve rehabilitation, quality of life and independence for people with disability.
What makes us different, is our commitment to co-designing technology with end-users in ways that will deliver sustainable solutions. We also focus on building credible evidence that can change the rules of the game for people with disabilities.
HabITec Leadership Advisory Group
Prof. Elizabeth Kendall
Executive Director
Elizabeth is a rehabilitation psychologist whose PhD was in the area of coping and adjustment following traumatic brain injury. During her research, particularly in rural areas, she learned about innovative ways in which people with disabilities solve complex challenges created by their circumstances. Professor Kendall advocates for solutions that are driven by people who will use them. Through family experience of disability, she knows that many devices and technical solutions are unhelpful and unusable. This drives HabITec’s focus on developing methods of citizen engagement in research and design.
Prof. Timothy Geraghty
Deputy Director
Tim Geraghty is a Rehabilitation Medicine Physician and Medical Chair, Division of Rehabilitation, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Metro South Health. He has been a Staff Specialist in the Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service (QSCIS) for almost 20 years. He is also the Deputy-Director of The Hopkins Centre: Research for Rehabilitation and Resilience. He is the immediate Past President, Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Royal Australasian College of Physicians and was previously Chair of the Faculty Policy and Advocacy and Education Committees’.
Dr Dinesh Palipana
Ambassador
Dinesh was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland, and the second person to graduate medical school with quadriplegia in Australia. Dinesh is currently a resident medical officer at the Gold Coast University Hospital. He is a lecturer at the Griffith University and adjunct research fellow at the Menzies Health Institute of Queensland. He has research interests in spinal cord injury, particularly with novel rehabilitation techniques
Members from Metro South Health include
Mary White
Director Occupational Therapy Department
Anne Coccetti
Executive Director Allied Health
Dr Leslie Gan
Co-Director Rehabilitation and Geriatric Unit, Logan Hospital
Shaun McKay
Director Prosthetics & Orthotics & Podiatry Services
Anne Farrell
Director Speech Pathology Department
Jacqui Mithchell
Physiotherapy Department
Khanh Nguyen
Physiotherapy Department
Phuong Le
Manager Digital Services and Innovation
Members from Griffith University include
Professor Leigh-Ellen Potter
IDEAS Lab Director
Dr Kara Burns
Adjunct Fellow, The Hopkins Centre
Dr Daniel Harvie
NHMRC Fellow, The Hopkins Centre
HabITec Team
Dr Camila Shirota
Research Lead and Advance Queensland Fellow
Camila brings first-hand experience in technology adoption in rehabilitation services in the United States, Switzerland and Australia. Dr Shirota has led streamlining and integration of advanced research lab-based techniques as value-added clinical activities for stroke survivors, amputees and people with neuromuscular disorders. Dr Shirota is passionate about reducing waste in R&D through early engagement of technology users in design and development of rehabilitation technologies.
Soo Oh
Clinic Lead and Hopkins Centre Clinical Fellow
Soo Oh has been working as an Senior Occupational Therapist in spinal cord injury for 17 years. Her general research and work expertise are in providing technological solutions of existing technologies and innovative technologies to people with various challenges to enhance their daily living. She is currently working as the manager of the HabITec Lab, based at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Justin Hua
HabItec Ambassador
Justin is a Citizen Ambassador and co-researcher at the HabITec Lab. As a volunteer to this initiative, and with a keen interest in assistive technology and problem solving, Justin is focused on developing technologies that enable people with disabilities to live more freely and independently.
Paul Robinson
HabItec Ambassador
Paul is currently studying for his Bachelor of Engineering at Griffith University. As a Citizen Ambassador and HabITec co-researcher, Paul brings a wealth of expertise in 3D design and printing to the team, enabling us to use modern technology to solve everyday problems.
Sally Stewart
Project Engangement
Sally brings stakeholder engagement and service development experience to HabITec, facilitating opportunities for disability and rehabilitation service providers to benefit from the innovation and user centred research and service development. Sally is an advocate for systems that support the human rights of all Queenslanders.
Jo Kek-Pamenter
Project Officer
Joe-Anne is an experienced content creator and editor with a background in education, design, marketing, research and project management. Through her lived experience, Jo has developed a keen interest in working towards improving the lives of those with disabilities through education, inclusiveness, accessibility and advocating for equal opportunities. Jo brings a wealth of design, research and project management experience to HabITec, and will be supporting the team with marketing collateral, staging events and other special initiatives.