معرفی
Rik Dawson is a gerontological physiotherapist and Research Fellow at the University of Sydney, affiliated with the Sydney School of Public Health and the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health. He serves as President of the Australian Physiotherapy Association (2025-2026 term) and holds membership in the Australian Association of Gerontology. Dawson completed his PhD in 2024, focusing on healthcare interventions for older adults.
His research emphasizes physiotherapy-led physical activity programs and telehealth solutions to enhance access to allied health services in aged care. Key areas include fall prevention, mobility improvement, cost-effectiveness analysis, and implementation science. Current projects involve redeveloping the TOP UP website to boost exercise adherence and exploring wearable technology for motivational support in elderly populations.
Dawson actively supervises Honours and Master's students, having co-supervised one Honours student to completion. He is currently overseeing one Masters and one Honours student. His recent publications (2023-2024) highlight systematic reviews of fall prevention strategies, telehealth program evaluations, and hybrid trial protocols for intervention effectiveness and implementation.
Rik is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. His work has been supported by grants from Flinders University/Aged Care Centre for Growth and Translation Research and Dementia Australia Research Foundation Ltd, focusing on telehealth physiotherapy and mobility improvement in aged care settings.
He collaborates with the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health and the TOP UP Study team, advancing multidisciplinary approaches to geriatric healthcare. Future projects aim to integrate digital tools and wearable technologies into clinical practice for older adults.