Dr Kerstin McPherson | UNSW Research

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at UNSW Sydney. I have extensive and varied experience as a clinical physiotherapist in Australia and UK in metropolitan and rural areas and as a Physiotherapy lecturer at Charles Sturt University and Australian Catholic University. I have research interests in pelvic health physiotherapy, rural physiotherapy practice, planetary health and curriculum design. I am passionate about preparing future...view more

My Qualifications

•   Doctor of Philosophy, University of Canberra - 2023. Pelvic organ prolapse knowledge in women’s and men’s health physiotherapy in entry-level education and in regional, rural, and remote Australia
•   Senior Fellow Higher Education UK
•   Graduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching, Charles Sturt University
•   Graduate Australian Institute of Company of Directors Company Directors Course
•   Master of Physiotherapy, University of Melbourne
•   Bachelor of Applied Science Physiotherapy, University of Sydney

My Awards

2023 - Charles Sturt University – Change one thing award Introducing LGBQITA+ into the Physiotherapy program
2019 - Charles Sturt Excellence Award for Strong University CSU Indigenous Education Strategy and CSU Indigenous Content in Courses Policy
2019 - NSW Branch Awards Shortlisted nominee for Contribution to the Physiotherapy Profession
2014 - Vice Chancellor award - First year experience School of Community Health

My Research Activities

Publications

McPherson K, Myers C. Preparing Rural Physiotherapists : Addressing Climate Change Through Entry-Level Education. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. 2025 Oct 15;23(4), Article 25.
Ross, M. H., McPherson, K., & Walters, J. (2023). Inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and Other Related Identities Content in Australian Physical Therapy Curricula: Perceived Barriers and Priorities for Inclusive Education. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 10-1097.
McPherson, K., Black, J. Byrne, A., Frost, B. Elder, M. & Olver, P. (2023) Punk it up – Introducing physiotherapy students to climate change Punk it up inspirational case report and the first-ever Physiopunk MiniZine https://environmentalphysio.com/project/punk-it-up-introducing-physiotherapy-students-to-climate-change/.
McPherson, K., & Nahon, I. (2022). Culturally responsive women’s and men’s health physiotherapy for Indigenous people living in regional, rural, and remote Australia. Physical Therapy Reviews, 27(6), 407-413.
McPherson, K., & Nahon, I. (2021) Telehealth and the provision of pelvic health physiotherapy in regional, rural, and remote Australia. Australian & New Zealand Continence Journal, 27, 66-70.
McPherson, K., Nahon, I., & Waddington, G. (2021) Women's and men's health physiotherapy, the content covered and it's perceived importance within entry-level physiotherapy programs in Australia–an observational study. European Journal of Physiotherapy, 1-7.
McPherson, K., Nahon, I., & Waddington, G. (2020) Entry level women’s health physiotherapy curricula in Australia. European Journal of Physiotherapy, 1-5.
Te, M., Blackstock, F., Fryer, C., Gardner, P., Geary, L., Kuys, S., McPherson, K., Nahon, I., Tang, C., Taylor, L. & Van Kessel, G. (2019) Predictors of self-perceived cultural responsiveness in entry-level physiotherapy students in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. BMC Medical Education, 19(1), 56.
Thomson E.A., Auhl, G., Hicks, K., McPherson, K., Robinson, C. & Wood, D. (2017) Course design as a collaborative enterprise: Incorporating interdisciplinarity into a backward mapping systems approach to course design in Higher Education. In R. Walker, & S. Bedford (Eds.), Research and development in higher education: Curriculum transformation, Volume 40: Refereed papers from the 40th HERDSA Annual international conference (pp. 356-367). Article Paper 85 Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia. http://www.herdsa.org.au/research-and-development-higher-education-vol-40-356
Andrews, L., McPherson, K., O'Shea, S. & Nahon, I. (2017) Physiotherapist-guided Pelvic floor muscle therapy: Referral behaviours of urologists for radical prostatectomy patients. BJU International, 120, 17
McPherson, K., Nahon, I., Waddington, G., & Fearon, A. (2016) Pelvic organ prolapse–Would you move differently if your uterus was falling out–A narrative review. Manual Therapy 100 (25), e125
Skinner, K., Hyde, S., McPherson, K., & Simpson, M. (2016). Improving students’ interpersonal skills through experiential small group learning. Journal of Learning Design, 9(1), 21-36.

Conference presentations ( last 5 years)

McPherson K, Meyer C (2025) Preparing Rural Physiotherapists: Addressing Climate Change Through Entry-Level Education Planetary Health Collaborative Symposium UTS Sept 2025
McPherson, K (2025) Climate Change in entry-level Physiotherapy education in Australia. WCPT
McPherson, K (2024) Climate Change in entry-level Physiotherapy education in Australia. APA Focus 2024 Conference, Perth
McPherson, K (2024) Introducing LGBTQIA+ content into an entry-level physiotherapy subject. APA Focus 2024 Conference, Perth
McPherson, K (2024) Is Climate Change included in entry-level Physiotherapy education in Australia? ANZAPHE Conference 2024, Adelaide
McPherson, K., Nahon, I., & Waddington, G, (2023) Women's and men's health physiotherapy in regional, rural and remote Australia APA Ignite 2023 Conference
McPherson, K., Black,J. Byrne, A., Frost,B. Elder, M. & Olver, P. (2023) Punk it up – Introducing physiotherapy students to climate change APA Ignite 2023 Conference
Falzarano, E., O’Connor, S., O’Rourke, O., McPherson K. (2023) Effect of (vertical loading) impact activities on measures of pelvic floor function/activity in adult females: a systematic review APA Ignite 2023 Conference
O’Rourke, O., Falzarano. E., O’Connor, S., McPherson K. (2023) Effects of Resistance Loading on the Female Pelvic Floor: A Systematic Review APA Ignite 2023 Conference
McPherson, K., Black,J. Byrne, A., Frost,B. Elder, M. & Olver, P. (2023) Punk it up – Introducing physiotherapy students to climate change Inaugural Environmental physiotherapy Association International Festival (https://environmentalphysio.com/events/ept-festival2023/)
McPherson K., Andrews, K., Doley K., Dobson K. (2023) Introducing LGBQITA+ into the Physiotherapy program podcast – CSU ed X
McPherson, K., Nahon, I., & Waddington, G. (2021) Men’s Health Physio entry level in Australia World Congress of Physical Therapists (WCPT).

My Engagement

Professional affiliations

Australian Physiotherapy Association
Environmental Physiotherapy Association
Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied health
ANZAHPE - The Australian & New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators
Higher Education UK