معرفی
Elsie de Klerk serves as a Lecturer in Rural Health and Clinical Educator within the Three Rivers Department of Rural Health at Charles Sturt University, Australia. A registered occupational therapist and emerging academic, she drives initiatives focused on rural health equity, mental health advocacy, and high-quality clinical education through innovative community-academic partnerships.
Her academic credentials include:
- B. Occupational Therapy
- M.Diac (Gestalt play therapy)
- Grad Cert of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
Her research program centers on transformative approaches to rural health education, specifically examining service-learning placements for allied health students, lived experiences in regional dementia choirs, and telesupervision models for clinical training. Current PhD work investigates professional identity shifts among allied health clinicians transitioning to academic roles, aiming to develop sustainable workforce pathways.
Analysis of her 2024-2025 publications reveals concentrated expertise in work-integrated learning systems, with recurring themes around quality assurance processes, evidence-informed practice frameworks, and mutually beneficial university-community partnerships that enhance both educational outcomes and rural health service delivery.
Through the Western NSW Health Research Network, she actively facilitates interprofessional education initiatives including simulation-enhanced training days and contributes to policy development via submissions to the NSW Mental Health Commission, demonstrating strong commitment to translating research into systemic improvements for rural communities.
