Rod Pope

Rod Pope is Professor of Physiotherapy and Associate Head of School (Research and Graduate Studies) in the School of Allied Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences at Charles Sturt University. With over 30 years of professional experience, he maintains active collaborations with Professor Rob Orr from Bond University, focusing on tactical forces protection and physical performance research for military, law enforcement, and fire and rescue organizations.

His research expertise spans tactical forces injury risk management, tactical forces physical performance, and physiotherapy & allied health care. Professor Pope has established himself as a leading researcher in military and tactical personnel health, with particular focus on injury prevention, physical performance optimization, and women's health in military contexts. His work integrates clinical practice with translational research to address real-world occupational health challenges.

Professor Pope has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications with more than 3,000 citations and an h-index of 30. His recent research (2023-2025) demonstrates strong continuity in military health research while expanding into psychological aspects of physiotherapy practice, physical activity interventions for diverse populations, and climate change impacts on occupational health. His publications show consistent high-impact contributions across systematic reviews, clinical trials, and qualitative studies.

• Improving Undergraduate Evidence-Based Practice Education: Four Participatory Action-Research Case Studies (2018)
• Widespread utilization of website resource (placement-ebp.org) adopted by multiple universities and health services internationally

Professor Pope actively supervises research students and leads collaborative projects across Australia and internationally. His work with the Workforce Wellness Research Unit and Regional Work and Organisational Resilience Sturt Group addresses critical occupational health challenges. His recent engagement in the Implications of Climate Change for Regional Work and Organisational Resilience Symposium demonstrates his commitment to addressing emerging occupational health threats.