Linda Denehy, PhD heads the Department of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne’s School of Health Sciences. Prof. Denehy is one of seven invited faculty members at the 2014 Critical Care Congress, the theme of which is “Inspiring ICU”. The conference takes place from 26 to 30 November at the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. The annual event is run by the Critical Care Society of Southern Africa (CCSSA). Topics on the congress agenda include sepsis, haemodynamic monitoring, acute kidney injury, antimicrobial therapy/infection control, and ethical issues in the ICU.
Prof. Denehy’s area of research expertise is cardiorespiratory physiotherapy, and the ways in which physiotherapy applied exercises and rehabilitation can improve patient-centred outcomes. Her clinical trials have focused on people suffering from chronic diseases and those who need acute care. Some of the populations she has studied are patients with chronic obstructive lung disease, lung cancer and cystic fibrosis. Other trials have included patients undergoing surgical procedures (open heart, thoracic or upper abdominal surgeries) in the treatment of lung cancer.
Her invitation to speak at the CCSSA congress follows numerous national and international speaking engagements and conference sessions, including the World Confederation of Physical Therapy in 2011. Her expertise has contributed to the creation of guidelines for rehabilitating critically ill patients, a topic she spoke about at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. She is a member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association and an associate member of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand as well as the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society.
Prof. Denehy has played a role in obtaining AUD $6 million in funding from over 30 applications for physiotherapy research. She was the chief investigator A (CIA) on a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant project that looked at rehabilitation following critical illness, and on a Victorian Cancer Agency grant. She was the CIC on an NHMRC palliative care cancer grant. Currently, she is an investigator on projects pertaining to the physical activity levels of people with lung cancer and lung cancer survivors.
In addition to her teaching and research roles, Prof. Denehy has authored more than 50 research publications. She has served on the editorial boards of such distinguished journals as Physiotherapy Research International and the Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, now known simply as the Journal of Physiotherapy. Prof. Denehy also reviews submissions for international publications including Cancer, Chronic Respiratory Disease, European Respiratory Journal, Lung Cancer, Physiotherapy Research and Practice and Respiratory Care.
Prof. Denehy’s educational credentials include BAppSc (Physio) and Grad Dip Physio (Cardiothoracic) degrees, both from Lincoln. She earned her PhD in 2002 from the University of Melbourne, and has been employed as a research and teaching professional since 1993.
References: The University of Melbourne
Image Credit: The University of Melbourne
