GERONTOLOGICAL PHYSIOTHERAPY IN FALLS PREVENTION AND PREHABILITATION
With
Dr Rik Dawson,
Gerontological Physiotherapist &
Postdoctoral Researcher,
Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney &
National President, Australian Physiotherapy Association
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Sydney, Australia | August 2026
Dr Rik Dawson is a gerontological physiotherapist and health leader dedicated to improving healthy ageing through evidence-based physiotherapy, digital health and health system reform. As a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney, and President of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, he combines research and policy to improve access to high quality care for older people.
With more than 30 years of experience across clinical practice Dr Dawson founded Agewell Physiotherapy, growing it into one of Australia’s largest aged care physiotherapy providers before selling the business in 2020. He now leads TOP UP Therapy, a digital health company translating his PhD research into practice through an evidence-based strength and balance exercise platform that demonstrated that physiotherapist led telehealth exercise can improve mobility, reduce falls and help older people remain independent.
Dr Dawson provides national leadership in aged care, workforce and primary care reform and serves on several Australian Government advisory committees, including the Strengthening Medicare Implementation Oversight Committee. He is also a member of Falls Prevention Alliance Australia and the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance. His research has attracted funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, ARIIA, Dementia Australia and the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases, with collaborations across Australia and Brazil.
Outside work, Dr Dawson is a trained opera singer with a Bachelor of Creative Arts, a certified yoga instructor and a regular volunteer leading singalongs in residential aged care. He is married to a physiotherapist, has a daughter who is a physiotherapist and a son studying psychology.
Source: Supplied
-
Mental wellbeing in rural and regional communities dealing with environmental challenges
Associate Professor Suzie Cosh is a psychologist and clinical researcher. Her work focuses on the intersection of climate change and mental health and she currently leads a body of work that focuses on supporting small rural communities to recover from and prepare for extreme weather events such as bushfires, floods and droughts.
-
Nutraceutical and pharmacological intervention in neurological disorders
Dr Virginie Lam is a neuroscientist and cerebrovascular biologist with over 15 years of research experience, including more than seven years post-PhD. She co-leads the Neurovascular and Metabolic Diseases Laboratory at the Curtin Medical Research Institute and holds an affiliate appointment at the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science. Her research focuses on the interface between neurovascular health, cognitive function, and therapeutic translation in neurodegenerative disorders.
-
Understanding the experience of pain for novel brain-based treatments
Associate Professor Tasha Stanton leads the Persistent Pain Research Group at SAHMRI. She is also co-Director of IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia, Adelaide. She is a clinical pain neuroscientist, with original training as a physiotherapist, and her research focusses on pain – why do we have it and why doesn’t it go away?
