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... Read more
About me
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.
About me
About me
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
Research
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
Active video gaming to increase physical activity in adults with chronic fatigue syndrome, The Judith Jane Mason and Harold Stannett Williams Memorial Foundation, 01/01/2016 - 31/12/2019
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2022 |
4
|
| 2022 |
Open access
5
5
25
|
| 2022 |
Open access
11
|
| 2021 |
2
2
2
|
| 2021 |
Open access
6
|
| 2021 |
Open access
4
4
8
|
| 2021 |
26
23
190
|
| 2021 |
Open access
25
22
4
|
| 2020 |
Open access
2
2
1
|
| 2020 |
Open access
23
20
196
|
| 2020 |
20
14
189
|
| 2020 |
8
6
7
|
| 2020 |
Open access
18
18
2
|
| 2019 |
Open access
|
| 2019 |
Open access
3
3
4
|
| 2019 |
Open access
20
22
32
|
| 2019 |
Open access
3
1
3
|
| 2018 |
18
17
|
| 2018 |
6
4
1
|
| 2018 |
Open access
23
24
13
|
| 2018 |
7
9
|
| 2017 |
Open access
1
1
6
|
| 2017 |
Open access
24
21
1
|
| 2016 |
Open access
86
77
25
|
| 2016 |
Open access
23
20
14
|
| 2016 |
Open access
4
5
106
|
| 2016 |
11
11
11
|
| 2016 |
4
4
3
|
| 2015 |
36
32
1
|
| 2015 |
Open access
30
31
2
|
| 2014 |
Open access
12
11
|
| 2014 |
Open access
13
11
|
| 2014 |
Open access
1
1
|
| 2014 |
Open access
468
417
50
|
| 2013 |
56
58
3
|
| 2013 |
18
14
1
|
| 2013 |
Open access
15
14
1
|
| 2012 |
Open access
7
7
|
| 2012 |
38
34
|
| 2012 |
Open access
23
21
|
| 2012 |
|
| 2011 |
Open access
45
42
|
| 2010 |
17
16
|
| 2010 |
Olds, TS, Tomkinson, GR, Ferrar, KE & Maher, CA 2010, 'Trends in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in Australia between 1985 and 2008', International Journal of Obesity. |
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| Adelaide United Football Club | AUSTRALIA |
| Australian National University | AUSTRALIA |
| Central Adelaide Local Health Network Incorporated | AUSTRALIA |
| Central Queensland University | AUSTRALIA |
| Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute | CANADA |
| Country Health SA | AUSTRALIA |
| Deakin University | AUSTRALIA |
| Flinders University | AUSTRALIA |
| Ghent University | BELGIUM |
| Kenyatta University | KENYA |
| La Trobe University | AUSTRALIA |
| Pennington Biomedical Research Center | UNITED STATES |
| Public Health Agency of Canada | CANADA |
| Royal Adelaide Hospital | AUSTRALIA |
| The Australian Ballet | AUSTRALIA |
| The Hague University of Applied Sciences | NETHERLANDS |
| University of Adelaide | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Auckland | NEW ZEALAND |
| University of Bath | UNITED KINGDOM |
| University of California | UNITED STATES |
| University of Cape Town | SOUTH AFRICA |
| University of Helsinki | FINLAND |
| University of Iowa | UNITED STATES |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | UNITED STATES |
| University of Newcastle | AUSTRALIA |
| University of North Dakota | UNITED STATES |
| University of Porto | PORTUGAL |
| University of Queensland | AUSTRALIA |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Sydney | AUSTRALIA |
| University of the Andes Colombia | COLOMBIA |
| Victoria University | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
Associate EditorBMC Public Health |
2018 |
Finalist, Unsung Hero of SA - ScienceGovernment of South Australia |
2018 |
Associate EditorBMC Public Health |
2017 |
MemberAustralian Physiotherapy Association (APA) |
2017 |
MemberSports Medicine Australia |
2017 |
MemberHealthy Development Adelaide |
2017 |
MemberSouth Australian Cardiovascular Health Research Network |
2017 |
MemberInternational Society for Physical Activity and Health |
2017 |
MemberInternational Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity |
2017 |
Scientist in Schools - Promotion of Engagement in ScienceCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) |
2017 |
Associate EditorBMC Public Health |
2016 |
Scientist in Schools - Promotion of Engagement in ScienceCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) |
2016 |
Tomorrow MakerAMP |
2016 |
Associate EditorBMC Public Health |
2015 |
Scientist in Schools - Promotion of Engagement in ScienceCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) |
2015 |
Young Investigator Award Peoples ChoiceWomen's and Children's Hospital Foundation |
2015 |
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| Breathlessness in people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) being managed with renal replacement therapies | Current |
| Developing workplace intervention physical activity strategies for Australian police officers | Current |
| Fatigue, mood, physical function, physical activity and adverse events for people receiving peritoneal dialysis | Current |
| Changes in time use, associated enjoyment and social interaction across the retirement transition: a longitudinal study | Completed |
| Exploring the links between chronic stress, allostatic load, and osteoarthritis | Completed |
| Modifiable physical factors associated with physical functioning for patients receiving peritoneal dialysis | Completed |
