Dr Katia Ferrar

Dr Katia Ferrar is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in UniSA Allied Health & Human Performance. Katia is currently the Program Coordinator of the Aboriginal Diabetes Study, Wardliparingga, Aboriginal Health Equity, SAHMRI.

Dr Ferrar worked as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist both in the United Kingdom and Australia and managed her own physiotherapy practice for 7 years. As an academic, she spent two years as inaugural Research Fellow with The Australian Ballet and La Trobe University in Melbourne, a position which required strategic research planning and exploration of dancer health and wellbeing. Dr Ferrar has taught Physiotherapy and Human Movement programs at UniSA. 

A mid-career researcher, Dr Ferrar has published 52 peer-reviewed articles and has won more than AU$250 thousand in external 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 particular focus on special populations such as PTSD, chronic fatigue syndrome and patient receiving dialysis, and the other in the field of sociocultural factors and health. Dr Ferrar's research and clinical programs respond to community need and are driven by stakeholder and end user involvement. She has been recognised for her dedication to science as a finalist in the 2018 Unsung Heroes of Science Award (SA) and her ability to communicate science to the general public with the 2013 Women’s and Children Young Investigator Award (People’s Choice).

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 and continues to this day. 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 two PhD and three 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, co-design of 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