Jennifer Mackney

Dr. Jennifer Mackney is an Honorary Lecturer in Physiotherapy at the School of Health Sciences within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle. She also serves as a Casual Lecturer at the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy. Professionally, she works as a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Perioperative Medicine and a Respiratory Scientist at John Hunter Hospital (JHH), where she leads the prehabilitation services in the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD).

Dr. Mackney has been instrumental in developing the laboratory-based cardiopulmonary exercise testing service at JHH, which serves as the foundation for risk stratification and optimization for patients preparing for major, high-risk surgery. She has been involved with the University of Newcastle's Bachelor of Physiotherapy program since its inception, progressing from student educator to conjoint lecturer, lecturer, and most recently honorary lecturer.

• Doctor of Philosophy, Curtin University
• Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy), University of Sydney
• Master of Clinical Education, University of New South Wales

Dr. Mackney's research focuses on cardiorespiratory physiotherapy, critical care, exercise physiology, prehabilitation, and rehabilitation. Her work primarily investigates functional outcomes in survivors of acute lung injury and critical illness, with particular emphasis on exercise capacity assessment using tools like the 6-minute walk test. She has been a key contributor to developing prehabilitation services for surgical patients, particularly those with cancer, aiming to improve postoperative outcomes and quality of life.

Her recent research has centered on optimizing prehabilitation programs for cancer surgery patients, with a 2024 publication establishing standards for clinical trials in prehabilitation for colorectal surgery. Her work consistently demonstrates how exercise capacity metrics can predict recovery trajectories and inform rehabilitation strategies for patients recovering from critical illness and major surgery.

Dr. Mackney has secured significant research funding, with 15 grants totaling over $1.3 million. Current major projects include "Improving equity of access to prehabilitation services in regional and rural NSW" ($801,957) and the "BOOST Trial – Better Outcomes for the Older Surgical patient Trial" ($301,544), both running from 2025-2027.

She has completed supervision of 13 Honours students at the University of Newcastle, with research projects focusing on exercise capacity assessment in critical illness survivors, prehabilitation interventions, and respiratory rehabilitation techniques. Her supervisions have contributed significantly to understanding functional outcomes following intensive care and developing evidence-based rehabilitation approaches.

Dr. Mackney leads the prehabilitation service team at Hunter New England Local Health District, which integrates cardiopulmonary exercise testing with tailored exercise programs to optimize surgical outcomes. Her team collaborates closely with surgical, medical, and allied health professionals to provide comprehensive preoperative risk assessment and intervention.