Professor Elizabeth Deane

Deputy Chair of Spinal Research Committee – BSc (Hons), PhD

Professor Elizabeth Deane has a BSc with 1st Class Honours (1975) and PhD (1981) from the University of Sydney. Elizabeth is currently PVC (Education) at the Australian National University. Prior to this, and for over 20 years, she has held a number of academic leadership positions including Foundation Head of Department of Biological Sciences; Head of School of Sciences and Interim Dean of College of Science and Technology at the University of Western Sydney (1989 – 2000) and Dean of Division of Environmental and Life Sciences at Macquarie University, Sydney (2000 – 2008).

Elizabeth has been and is a member of a number of Boards, including: 

• Access Macquarie - the commercialisation arm of Macquarie University
• the DEST CRC Committee and a member of its Communications Sub-Committee
• Biomed North - a consortium aimed at increasing the interface between university, medical research and industry to deliver commercial outcomes
• Australian Council of Deans of Science Executive   

Elizabeth has been an active funded researcher in the area of marsupial biology and management and was a member of the executive for the CRC for Conservation and Management of Marsupials (1998-2003). She has also undertaken research and published in the area of University Management and women and research in Universities.

Associate Professor Bernadette Murphy BA, DC, MSc, PhD

Associate Professor Bernadette Murphy was born in Canada and completed an undergraduate degree in Life Sciences at Queens University in 1985. Bernadette then completed her four year Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto in 1989.  Upon graduating, Bernadette travelled to Auckland, New Zealand, where she completed her MSc with 1st Class Honours and her PhD in Physiology from the University of Auckland.  While completing her graduate studies, Bernadette was the Director of Research at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic.  In 1999, she accepted a lectureship in the Department of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Auckland.  She maintained a small clinical practice in addition to her academic work in the 18 years she spent in New Zealand, and that experience informs both her research and teaching.  In December 2007, she returned to Canada and accepted a position at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

Bernadette’s primary interests are in the alterations in sensorimotor integration and motor control that occur following musculoskeletal injury and which may lead to chronic pain syndromes. The overall theme of her research is neural adaptation in humans and the role of physical interventions such as exercise and spinal adjustments in aiding the re-establishment of meaningful neural connections.

Dr Amanda Kimpton BAppSc (Chiro), PhD

Dr Amanda Kimpton is a 1986 graduate from the School of Chiropractic, Phillip Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. She then went on to complete post-graduate qualifications in physiological therapeutics and acupuncture. In 2002, Amanda completed a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom on “Comparative Structural Analysis of Reinnervated Muscle Following Nerve Injury and Repair”. She has also practiced as a chiropractor which has included working in a range of clinical settings from a solo practitioner to a multidisciplinary practice to a rehabilitation clinic. Amanda is currently a lecturer and researcher in the Division of Chiropractic, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia and the Vice President of the Chiropractors Registration Board of Victoria. Her research interests include clinical chiropractic practice, rheumatology and clinical teaching methods. 

Associate Professor Barbara Polus BAppSc (Chiro), MSc, PhD

Associate Professor Barbara Polus is Associate Professor in Chiropractic Neuroscience at RMIT University. Barbara initially trained as a Chiropractor graduating from Phillip Institute of Technology (PIT) in 1980. Subsequently, she moved to Armidale NSW where she commenced private practice as a Chiropractor while undertaking a Master of Science degree at the University of New England. Barbara continued postgraduate training in neuroscience at Monash University completing her PhD in 1996. Barbara has worked as a chiropractor in her own practice as well as undertaking both teaching and learning, and research responsibilities at RMIT University since 1991. She currently has a full-time academic position at RMIT University. Her current research areas of interest include the influence of neck somatosensory inputs on sensorimotor integration and the evaluation of whole person benefits of chiropractic care delivered in a community setting.

Professor Charles Oxnard

BSc (Hons), MBChB, PhD, DSc (Science & Engineering)

Professor Charles Oxnard holds medical and doctoral degrees from the University of Birmingham, and has held appointments at the Universities of Birmingham, UK, Chicago, Southern California, and Western Australia. Charles is currently Emeritus Professor and senior honorary research fellow at the University of Western Australia (having been retired for 10 years now), honorary professor in anatomy at the Hull/York Medical School, University of York, UK, and honorary professor of bioengineering at the University of Hull, UK. Charles researches have ranged from anatomical dissection, through mathematical and engineering modeling of anatomical structures, to Fast Fourier Transforms and Fast Lagrangian Analyses as applied to the architecture and biomechanics of bone. His most recent work is a reassessment of the Flores fossils. He has 503 publications including 30 books, monographs, edited volumes and edited volume series, 244 refereed full length papers (including more than 50 papers since retirement), symposium articles, and chapters in books.

Charles has had research funding for his entire career on three continents. His currently active research grants are: a Leverhulme Research Project Grant (2004-2007) held with UK collaborators), two Australian Research Council Discovery Grants (2005-2007, 2007-2009) held with both UWA and overseas collaborators, two Marie Curie Research Training Grants (PALAEO and EVAN 2005-2008) also held with UK collaborators, and a BBSRC UK Research Grant (2007-2009) held with UK collaborators.