Solving complex challenges arising from disability

is focused on improving the lives of people affected by trauma and chronic disabling conditions.

Disability can come from many sources—including a severe injury, the diagnosis of a developmental condition, mental and physical illness, violence or discrimination—and its impact strikes not only individuals, but also their loved ones and support networks. It is also costly for society, particularly if services are not based on the best evidence.

A joint initiative between Griffith University, the former Menzies Health Institute Queensland and the Division of Rehabilitation, Metro South Hospital and Health Service, The Hopkins Centre is committed to solving complex challenges arising from disability and improving the rehabilitation process to bring about better outcomes.

Bringing together rehabilitation clinicians, expert academic researchers, community practitioners, policy-makers and consumers, The Hopkins Centre is leading the translation of research into policy and clinical practice in this field.

Our values

Collegiality and collaboration underpins our research, allowing us to capture the collective power of interdisciplinary teamwork needed to find better solutions and propose bold ideas for the future. Our research upholds the dignity of the people with disability through respectful language and methods, and recognition of experiential knowledge. Specifically, our research:

  • facilitates choice
  • promotes positive images
  • expands opportunities
  • enhances potential
  • engages people and their families.

Our mission

  • To find better solutions to complex systemic challenges through interdisciplinary collaborative and responsive research that is embedded in practice and informed by people with disability.
  • To promote respect for the fundamental importance of service users in the design of rehabilitation and disability services and research.
  • To build essential partnerships between researchers and practitioners and policy-makers to enhance the relevance of research and build capacity for the timely application of evidence.

Focus areas

  • Optimising services, systems and transitions.
  • Developing and translating therapeutic practices and technologies.
  • Enhancing service user experiences and promoting engagement.
  • Building workforce and frontline capacity.
  • Promoting positive environments.

Professor Elizabeth Kendall

Prof. Elizabeth Kendall and the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland

To ensure people who sustain serious personal injuries in a motor vehicle accident receive necessary and reasonable treatment, care and support throughout their life, regardless of fault, the Queensland Government has implemented the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland.

The Scheme has significant benefits to the community through improved health outcomes, and improved social and economic participation by the injured person, their family and carers. It is focused on getting people back into the community and helping them achieve their personal goals.

Key research themes

Rehabilitation Innovation and Service Evaluation (RISE) offers research and evaluation services, tailored to the needs of industry, in injury prevention, rehabilitation and staff wellbeing.

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Keep up with our latest research news

Disability could happen to any one of us at any time. It does not discriminate. We need a compassionate system that responds to the needs of those devastated by trauma in a timely way—one that sets people on a positive pathway from the beginning.

Professor Elizabeth Kendall

Lead

Professor Elizabeth Kendall

Elizabeth completed her PhD in 1997 on the topic of adjustment following traumatic  injury, for which she won the Dean’s Commendation for Outstanding PhD Thesis in 1998 (UQ).

    Co-lead

    Associate Professor David Trembath

    Associate Professor Trembath is a speech pathologist, Senior Lecturer, and NHMRC Early Career Fellow (ECF) at the forefront of research efforts addressing communication impairment in minimally verbal children with autism and other developmental disabilities.

    Co-lead

    Professor Michele Foster

    Michele’s research focuses on: (1) health services and policy research with an emphasis on financing, governance and administration of services and programs for people with complex health needs and disability; (2) street-level implementation of policy initiatives and reforms; and (3) user experiences of health, rehabilitation and disability service systems.

    Members and individual expertise

    Professor Sharon Mickan

    Professor Mickan鈥檚 research is focused on the active integration of current research in clinical practice, building research skills and capacity in healthcare clinicians and promoting interprofessional learning and teamwork.

    • Professor Melissa Kendall

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