ACMD Link | Innovations in Allied Health and Neurological Disorders

Innovations in allied health are critical to tackling the growing burden of chronic neurological disorders and delivering better outcomes across the continuum of healthcare.

Drawing on perspectives from frontline care, clinical research and innovation, this event will examine unmet needs in neurological care where allied health plays a central role. Industry experts will explore what patients, carers and frontline providers really need from emerging solutions, and outline the practical actions required to achieve better outcomes.

The discussion will also showcase the strengths of Victoria’s allied health sector and highlight opportunities for research translation, collaboration and industry to better align with real‑world care delivery and multidisciplinary models of practice.

Join us to help shape commercially viable, clinically relevant innovations that enhance care delivery, improve outcomes for people living with neurological conditions, and optimise the systems that support them.

This ACMD Link event is powered by ANDHealth

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Wednesday 19 August 2026

Time (AEST):

3:15pm: Guest arrival and registration

3:30pm - 5:00pm: Event proceedings

5:00pm - 6:00pm: Networking

Venue: The Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD), Auditorium (Level 1), 27 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, VIC 3065

Host: Wani Wall, Strategic Communications & Special Projects Lead, ACMD

Session format: Hybrid delivery with presentations and Q&A

Registration*: Free to attend, but registration is essential

*Registrations will close 9am Tuesday 18 August 2026

Who should attend:

• Clinicians and researchers

• Innovators, founders and CXOs

• Allied health professionals

• Healthtech professionals and industry service providers.

MEET OUR SPEAKERS

Paul Ilett, Physiotherapist, Acute Neurosciences Team Lead, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

Paul is a Physiotherapist with over 30 years’ experience working with people with neurological conditions, in both acute and rehabilitation settings. He is the Acute Neurosciences Team Lead at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne. Paul completed his Master’s in Physiotherapy (Research) in 2010 measuring the effect of a physiotherapy intervention on balance and gait in people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Over the past few years, Paul has been the Principal Investigator for the AVERT DOSE trial, an international multi-site trial, spanning 50 hospitals and 7 countries, including Australia, Brazil, India, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, and the UK, evaluating dose regimens and best early mobility training protocols for people with mild or moderate ischaemic stroke.

Aneta Menkinoska, Subacute Speech Pathology Team Leader, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

Aneta is a speech pathologist with over a decade of experience across metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria, and the UK's NHS. She currently leads the Subacute team at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, working closely with rehabilitation, GEM and Residential Aged Care residents.

Her clinical work spans the full continuum of neurological care, from acute presentations through to residential aged care, with a particular interest in neurological rehabilitation. This breadth has given her a close-up view of how neurological care and support have shifted over the past decade, and where the gaps remain.

Honor Murdoch, Prosthetist & Orthotist, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

Honor Murdoch is a Grade 4 Prosthetist/Orthotist with 22 years of experience. Twenty of those years have been spent at St Vincent’s Hospital across a variety of clinical roles. She specialises in the management of complex Neuromuscular patients with a variety of pathologies and within High Risk Foot Services.

Honor has a breadth of experience managing neuromuscular patient groups across both inpatient and outpatient settings, allowing her to see the change in management over time with improvements in technology.

Dr Liana Cahill, Senior Lecturer & Researcher, Occupational Therapy, School of Allied Health (Melbourne Campus), Australian Catholic University

Dr Liana Cahill is a senior lecturer and researcher in the field of occupational therapy and adult neurological rehabilitation. She holds a Master of Public Health (Monash University) and a PhD (La Trobe University) in the area of stroke rehabilitation and knowledge translation.

Her research interests stem from over 15 years of clinical practice in public health settings in Australia, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Liana is the lead author of the first Cochrane Review investigating implementation interventions in stroke rehabilitation. Her research uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches and is published in international, interdisciplinary journals. She supervises honours students and leads the national coordination of undergraduate subjects in neurological rehabilitation for occupational therapy students.

Professor Rachel McDonald, Director, MedTechVic Hub, Swinburne University

Professor Rachael McDonald is the Director of the MedTechVic Hub. The MedTechVic hub creates innovative enabling technology, products and services to enhance lives for people with disability, their families and the people who support them. The hub does this through Development of enabling technology products, Consulting on co-design and manufacture, Best-practice research and development and Educational services, including fellowships and training.

Professor McDonald is a clinical, research and teaching Health Professional with an interest in enabling people with lifelong disabilities to participate in life situations. She has worked extensively in this field, with in both children’s services and adult settings. She has or is supervising 31 research (honour’s, MSc and PhD) students specialising in the care of people with complex disability as well as development and evaluation into the effectiveness of assistive technologies, and has published widely (over 150 outputs). She has qualifications in occupational therapy, biomechanics and higher education in addition to her Doctorate and has attracted over $11m in competitive grant funding.

Dr Catherine Meade, Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist & Manager, Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

Catherine is a Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist and Manager of the Neuropsychology Unit at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. She holds a Masters of Clinical Neuropsychology and PhD from the University of Melbourne, with her doctoral research examining quantitative neuroimaging and memory in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. In the Department of Neurosciences, she plays a key clinical role in the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program and Cognitive Clinic and is actively involved in collaborative research with St Vincent’s Hospital and Monash University, including the National Autoimmune Encephalitis Consortium and research investigating stereo-EEG mapping and cognitive correlates in epilepsy.

Catherine is an Honorary Associate of the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences and Macquarie University and is actively involved in the training and supervision of neuropsychology students and registrars. She is an endorsed supervisor for the Psychology Board of Australia’s Registrar Training Program and has held longstanding leadership positions within the APS College of Clinical Neuropsychologists. Catherine is committed to advancing evidence-based neuropsychological practice through patient-centred care, research and education.

Dr Kelly Bower, Senior Lecturer, Research and Education & Co-Director, Research Education and Training, Department of Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne | Physiotherapist, The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Dr Kelly Bower is a Senior Lecturer in Research and Education and Co-Director of Research Education and Training in the Department of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne. She is also a physiotherapist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, with more than 20 years of clinical experience.

Kelly’s research focuses on falls prevention, neurorehabilitation, ageing, and the use of technology in health care. Her PhD examined the use of active video games and motion-tracking technology in stroke rehabilitation. She is currently collaborating with engineers on projects involving mobility-sensing devices and rehabilitation robotics.

Kelly is an Associate Editor for the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation and contributes to clinical guideline development for the Stroke Foundation. She brings together clinical, research, education and technology perspectives to support innovation in neurological care.

Important note for attendees:

Please be advised that photographs and videos may be taken by ACMD and ANDHealth staff. By attending this event, you agree to being filmed or photographed, and acknowledge that these may be used for marketing or promotional purposes.

As a condition of complimentary registration, all guests attending this event will be required to complete a short post-event survey. Your feedback supports continuous improvement and helps shape the direction of future industry activities.