EPA Region: AUSTRALIA
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Environmental physiotherapy education in Australia
Examples from the EPA collection of inspirational case reports
Punk it up! – Introducing physiotherapy students to climate change
The physiotherapy program at Charles Sturt University is 4 years long and is delivered over three campuses in rural NSW, Australia. PHS306 Exploring the Breadth of Physiotherapy Practice was a new subject in 2023. An online module and assessment were designed to challenge 3rd-year physiotherapy students with the concept of climate change and physiotherapy… Read more
Integrating environmental and sustainability perspectives into first-year physiotherapy studies at Charles Sturt University, Australia
Charles Sturt University (CSU) offers a Bachelor of Physiotherapy across three of its campuses. This is a 4-year degree, in which the final year is predominantly clinical placement. In 2022, the Physiotherapy teaching team at CSU began incorporating the topic of sustainability into subjects at 1st, 3rd and 4th-year levels… Read more
Work Health and Safety Practice at the University of South Australia, Adelaide
This 4th year BHSc course is designed to give physiotherapy students an introduction to contemporary WHS issues and practical experience in working with both management and non-supervisory staff in industry placements where they complete a small WHS project… Read more
Offering an environmental physiotherapy project in a health promotion course
The undergraduate Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours) program at the University of South Australia is 4 years in duration. Final year students study a Health Promotion course in their first or second semester. Within the course, students learn the concepts and theory of health promotion then undertake a project in groups of 2-3 students to apply this knowledge in an industry setting… Read more
Environmental exposure as a foundation for health and wellbeing
Here, we introduce our content regarding environmental health in the undergraduate allied health programmes at the University of Adelaide, Australia. This content sits within our first year, first semester Foundations of Health and Wellbeing course; a course undertaken by physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology students. The course is run across 12 weeks and… Read more
Relevant literature
Chi, L., Boucaut, R., Li, L. S. K., Fryer, C. E., & Kumar, S. (2024). Australian physiotherapists’ knowledge and views on the relationship between climate change, health, and physiotherapy. Physiotherapy Research International, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/pri.2085
Mcpherson, K., Cantwell, B., & Dos Santos, V. (2026). Physiotherapy, medical and occupational therapy students’ views of climate change and sustainability in their curricula at a rural university in Australia. Focus on Health Professional Education: A Multi-professional Journal, 27(1), 72–89. https://doi.org/10.11157/fohpe-vol27iss1id938
Stanhope, J., Foley, K., Butler, M., Boddy, J., Clanchy, K., George, E., Roberts, R., Rothmore, P., Salter, A., Serocki, P., Thirumanickam, A., & Weinstein, P. (2025). Australian allied health professionals’ perspectives on current practice, benefits, challenges, and opportunities in nature-based approaches. Health & Place, 93, 103430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2025.103430