Australian and New Zealand Stroke Organisation Conference 2026
I’m incredibly proud to be heading to the Australian and New Zealand Stroke Organisation Conference in August, where I’ll have the privilege of speaking alongside Professor Natasha Lannin about our study:
“A National Mixed-Methods Priority-Setting Study to Inform Stroke Rehabilitation Policy, Practice & Research in Australia.
T
his photo is me — 8 days after my stroke.
At 24, I had no idea how much rehabilitation would shape the rest of my life. More than two decades later, I now have the opportunity to bring my lived experience into research that is asking an important question:
What does stroke rehabilitation need to do better?
Our national priority-setting study made the gaps in stroke rehabilitation clear. People living with stroke, families, clinicians and researchers identified priorities that need greater attention across policy, practice and research.
For me, this work is deeply personal.
I know what it is like to need rehabilitation to learn to speak, walk, swallow and function again. I also know what it feels like when rehabilitation is not always designed around the life you are trying to get back to.
Twenty-one years later, I’m no longer just a recipient of stroke rehabilitation.
I’m helping shape what comes next.
I’m looking forward to sharing our findings, alongside Natasha, and continuing the conversation about how we can make stroke rehabilitation more meaningful, person-centred and responsive to what matters most to people living with stroke.
From this girl in a hospital bed… to helping influence the future of stroke rehabilitation.
