Nora Shields

Keynote Speaker, Disability

Professor, La Trobe University, VIC

Nora Shields is Professor and Senior Research Director at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre at La Trobe University. Her research focuses on improving the health and wellbeing of people with disability by increasing their participation in exercise and physical activity. She established FitSkills – an evidence-based physical activity program that facilitates young people with disability to exercise together with a student mentor at their local gym. FitSkills was awarded the VicHealth Leading Health Promotion Research Award in 2021 and the Victorian Sports Awards, Active Recreation Initiative of the Year in 2020.

Nora has led several randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of a community-based exercise for young people with Down syndrome and other disabilities. She has a extensive experience in research higher degrees student supervision recognised in 2021 by the La Trobe University, Excellence in Graduate Research Supervision Award.