Penny Ireland

Invited Speaker, Paediatric

Dr, Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service, QLD

Dr Penny Ireland is the Clinical Leader for Inpatients and a senior physiotherapist within the Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service, based at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, Brisbane. She has over 25 years experience working with children who have neurological challenges such as Acquired Brain Injury and Cerebral Palsy. Dr Ireland has a particular interest and passion for working with children with achondroplasia. She was awarded an Australian Postgraduate Award in 2010 and completed her PhD studies in July 2012 through the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science at University of Queensland. This body of work focuses on development of children with achondroplasia and included a national review and follow up of children across 12 years.

Penny coordinates the Achondroplasia Clinic at QPRS and is currently involved with 3 research projects (collaboration with University of Queensland, Macquarie University and Victorian Clinical Genetics Service). In more recent years, Penny has worked to develop a new screening tool for functional mobility (STEMS) and has been involved in the planning and research for roll out of Vosoritide which is a new pharmaceutical treatment for increasing height velocity growth in children with achondroplasia. Penny’s experience with achondroplasia has been well recognised internationally and she acts as a consultant for a number of achondroplasia based services across the world.