Dr Katia Ferrar

Dr Katia Ferrar is a lecturer and researcher (Level B) in the School of Health Sciences. Katia is also the Clinical and Academic Director of the University of South Australia Invictus Pathways Program. 

Before joining the university, Dr Ferrar worked as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist both in the United Kingdom and Australia, and managed her own physiotherapy practice for 7 years. She continues to translate her professional skill and knowledge in her role as clinical educator for undergraduate physiotherapy students. Dr Ferrar teaches into both the Physiotherapy and Human Movement programs. Dr Ferrar has also developed one of the first courses to be offered as part of the wholly online degrees via UniSA Online, Foundations of Health and Physical Activity.

An mid career researcher, Dr Ferrar has published 30 peer-reviewed articles and has won more than AU$80 thousand in research funding to date. Her research has two broad streams of focus: one in the field of physical activity and chronic health conditions such as chronic low back pain and a particualr focus on special popualtions such as PTSD, chronic fatigue sysndrome and patient receiving dialysis, and the other in the field of sociocultural factors and health. She has been recognised for her dedication to science as a finalist in the 2018 Unsung Heros of Science Awared (SA) and her ability to communicate science to the general public with the 2013 Women’s and Children Young Investigator Award (People’s Choice). 

More recently, Dr Ferrar was successful in securing philanthropic funding (Mason Foundation) to investigate the role of active video games in the promotion of physical activity in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, and to investigate the role of the allostatic load.

Dr Ferrar has also been successful in securing over AU$70 thousand Federal New Colombo Funding to lead inter-disciplinary cultural immersion trips to developing countries; facilitating the development of University of South Australia Health Science students as global citizens.  

Dr Ferrar was awarded and named as an AMP Tomorrow Maker in 2016 in acknowledgement of her partnership with The Salvation Army in Adelaide to open a pro bono student-led physiotherapy and podiatry clinic. The clinic, the Open Door Health Clinic, opened in May 2017. Katia was a finalist in the 2017 Winnovation Awards and has been named as an Unsung Hero of Science (South Australian Science Week) finalist in 2018.

Katia is currently supervising four masters by research students. She is always keen to discuss potential research topics in areas related to physical activity and chronic conditions - such as ecological momentary assessment and symptom collection in osteoarthritis and other clinical populations, physical activity-based interventions in clinical populations such as chronic kidney disease and interdisciplinary interventions for veterans. Katia is also keen to discuss research opportunities regarding interdisciplinary tertiary health clinics (e.g. health justice) and associated student learning outcomes. 

Australian Physiotherapy Association,Sports Medicine Australia,Healthy Development Adelaide,South Australian Cardiovascular Health Research Network,International Society for Physical Activity and Health,International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy University of South Australia

• Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) University of South Australia

• Bachelor of Health Science (Honours) University of South Australia