Professor Leeanne Carey
BAppSc(OT), PhD, FAOTA, FOTARA
Location
Heidelberg Campus
245 Burgundy Street
Heidelberg Victoria 3084
Research group
Neurorehabilitation and Recovery Group
Biography
Professor Leeanne Carey is Professor and Founding Head of the Neurorehabilitation and Recovery Group at The Florey and Professor of Occupational Therapy in the School of Allied Health at La Trobe University. Professor Carey’s research program focuses on stroke rehabilitation and recovery – in particular, how the brain adapts and how we might harness that potential in rehabilitation. She successfully leads a multidisciplinary team in conducting innovative research that has developed new interventions, trialled and implemented them in clinical settings.
Professor Carey has developed a successful, neuroscience-based approach to help stroke survivors regain a sense of touch so that they can use their hands more effectively in daily activities. She uses tools such as MRI to investigate changes in the brain and how this knowledge may be used to better understand recovery and target rehabilitation. Her research includes the impact of depression and cognition on stroke recovery. An important focus has been to translate these discoveries into clinical practice and better outcomes for stroke survivors.
Career highlights
Current roles
- Head, Neurorehabilitation and Recovery Group
- Successfully supervised more than 20 PhD students
Other highlights
- First Australian Occupational Therapist (OT) inducted to the premier Academy of Research of the American OT Foundation and inaugural Fellow of the Australian OT Academy of Research
- Professor of Occupational Therapy
Research projects
- Staying connected: personalising stroke recovery and rehabilitation
- Pain education for stroke
- Improving arm function after stroke using task-specific training
- A network of sites and ‘up-skilled’ therapists to deliver best-practice stroke rehabilitation of the upper limb
- SENSe – Evidence-based sensory assessment and rehabilitation
Awards and achievements
- 2023 — Sylvia Docker lectureship – Occupational Therapy Australia
- 2019 — Publication of High Impact Case study on Australian Research Council
- 2018 — American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) Leadership Service Commendation
- 2017 — Fellow of the Occupational Therapy Australia Research Academy (inaugural award)
- 2016 — Ministry of Health Visiting Experts program, Singapore. Neurorehabilitation in Occupational Therapy
- 2015 — Invited speaker for the inaugural American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) State of the Science Symposium in celebration of the AOTF 50th Anniversary
- 2013 — Norrington Lecture. Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
- 2010 — Honored by the World Federation for Neurorehabilitation (WFNR)
- 2010 — BrainLink Women of Achievement Award (finalist)
- 2009 — Inducted to the Academy of Research of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation for exemplary and distinguished contributions towards the science of occupational Therapy
- 2009 — Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship
- 2004-2008 — National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia Career Development Award
