Margaret Wallen

Invited Speaker, Paediatric

Associate Professor, Australian Catholic University, NSW

    Margaret is Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at Australian Catholic University. Before moving into her current university role, Margaret worked for many years in clinical practice with infants and children with physical disability. Margaret combined research with this clinical role, focusing on enhancing outcomes for children with cerebral palsy. She has strong interests in evidence-based practice, translating research knowledge into practice, outcome measurement, and involving people with cerebral palsy and their families as consumer research partners.

    Margaret is a 2016 Churchill Fellow who explored international best practice in the field of consumer involvement in research. During her travels, she observed the richness and value that consumer involvement adds to research, ensuring that research is more rigorous, trustworthy and translatable into practice. Margaret is a chief investigator of an NHMRC-funded Centre for Research Excellence – CP-Achieve. CP-Achieve focuses on optimising physical and mental health and wellbeing, and participation in, and contribution to, the community for adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy. Margaret leads the consumer involvement theme as CP-Achieve strives to involve consumers, that is, people with cerebral palsy and their families, in all their research.