Lisa Harvey

Professor Lisa Harvey is a leading academic in rehabilitation research at the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, School of Health Sciences, University of Sydney. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in spinal cord injury (SCI) management, focusing on clinical trials evaluating physiotherapy interventions and healthcare delivery models. A dual clinician-researcher, she teaches nationally and internationally and manages physiotherapyexercises.com, a global resource for neurological condition management.

Education:

• Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy)
• Graduate Diploma of Applied Science (Exercise and Sport Science)
• Masters of Applied Science (Physiotherapy)
• PhD in Physiotherapy/Rehabilitation

Research Interests:

• Clinical trials on SCI physiotherapy interventions
• Telehealth applications in rehabilitation
• Economic impact of SCI on households
• Frailty and comorbidity in aging populations
• Global collaboration for SCI care (e.g., Bangladesh, Brazil, India)
• Wound management and pressure ulcers

Publications Trends: Her work emphasizes SCI rehabilitation, telehealth efficacy, and interdisciplinary care models. Recent studies explore robotic-assisted training (ROBERT®), remote physiotherapy services, and comparative analyses of treatment protocols for musculoskeletal conditions.

Awards:

• 2024 International Spinal Cord Society Medal
• 2015 Australian Top 100 Women of Influence Award
• 2005 Australian Gold Medal for 20-year SCI contributions

Advising & Grants:

• Recipient of multiple grants/scholarships
• Process evaluations for large-scale trials (e.g., CIVIC, ATTEND)
• Editor-in-Chief of Spinal Cord (2020) and current Editorial Board member for Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

International Collaborations: Active partnerships with institutions in Bangladesh (Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralysed), Brazil (Universidade de Brasília), China (Guangdong Work Injury Rehabilitation Hospital), Denmark (Glostrup Hospital), and India (Indian Spinal Cord Injury Centre) focusing on clinical trials, cohort studies, and educational platforms like elearnSCI.org.