Rebecca is the inaugural Chair of Physiotherapy with the College of Sport, Health and Engineering. She is a physiotherapist, academic and clinical researcher with a keen interest in improving teaching and learning experiences through the use of innovative teaching methods.

Prior to commencing at Victoria University, Rebecca held senior academic roles including:

  • Deputy Head of Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University
  • Deputy Head of School of Physiotherapy, Australian Catholic University
  • Deputy Head of School of Allied Health, Australian Catholic University.

Rebecca’s broad research interest focuses on the area of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy, particularly predicting pulmonary risk following major abdominal surgery and prevention of acute post-operative pulmonary complications.

Rebecca has a strong commitment to excellence and equity and has a clear vision for the new physiotherapy program at Victoria University – the University of Opportunity and Success, with its compelling mission to help any student from any background to be successful. As one example of this focus, in 2017 Rebecca was awarded the Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion for a program she designed and implemented – NICHE (Nurturing International and Culturally diverse Health Education students). She shares the commitment of Victoria University to the communities of the west of Melbourne and to providing access to University programs for all those who aspire to achieve a tertiary qualification.

Portfolios

Areas of expertise

  • Physiotherapy education
  • Medical education
  • Inter-professional education
  • Cardiorespiratory physiotherapy
  • Abdominal surgery
  • Cardiac & respiratory health
  • Post-operative physiotherapy
  • Post-operative pulmonary risk
  • Post-operative pulmonary complications (PPC)
  • Translational healthcare research
  • Evidence-based practice
  • Venous leg ulcers

Contact details

(03) 9919 4313
[email protected]

Teaching responsibilities

Teaching & coordination

Rebecca coordinates and teaches physiotherapy at VU.

Supervision

  • Current: co-supervision of two PhD candidates and one MPhil candidate
  • Completions: one PhD candidate, five honours students.

Research grants

2018: $15,000 The Alfred Research Trust Small Project Grant ‘Validation of the Newly Developed Incremental Maximal Alfred Step Test Exercise Protocol (A-STEPmax) with COSMED K5 Portable Metabolic Device in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis Across the Spectrum of Lung Disease.’

2017: $19,575 Monash Nursing & Midwifery Strategic Grant Scheme ‘Physical Activity in Venous Leg Ulcer Patients: an observational cohort study.’

2008: $200,000 Department of Human Services Clinical Placements Strategy ‘Building clinical placement capacity through Inter-Professional Education.’

2006: $50,000 Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Learning and Teaching Performance Fund – Projects Grant Scheme ‘Can the use of wireless keypads increase student interaction in interprofessional health education?’

2006: $177,000 Department of Human Services Clinical Placements Strategy ‘Reducing the clinical placement burden on health services – creating a contemporary model of simulated clinical education using innovative teaching methods for multiple health care professions.’

Publications

You can view Rebecca's full publications list online.

Refereed journal articles

Smith, D., Lane, R.L. McGinnes, R., O’Brien, J., Johnston. R., Begeja, L., Team, V., Weller, C. (2018) What is the effect of physical activity on wound healing in patients with venous leg ulcers? A systematic review. International Wound Journal 1-13. DOI: 10.11 11/iwj.12885 (e-pub pre-press).

Palmer, K., Bowles, K.A., Jepson, M., Paton M., Lane, R.L. (2018) Chronic Heart Failure and Exercise: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.03.015 (e-pub ahead of print).

Paton, M., Hodgson, C.L., Lane, R.L., (2018) Early Mobilisation in the ICU to improve long term recovery. Critical Care Clinics (891, Volume 34, Issue 4 p557-572).

Boden, I., Sullivan K., Hackett, C., Winzer, B., Lane, R.L., McKinnon, M., Robertson, I. (2018) ICEAGE (Incidence of Complications following Emergency Abdominal surgery: Get Exercising): Study Protocol of a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial testing physiotherapy for the prevention of complications and improved physical recovery after emergency abdominal surgery. Wound Journal of Emergency Surgery 13:29 https://rdcu.be/2Z9j.

Refereed book chapters

Sullivan, K., Reeve, J., Boden, I., Lane, R. (2016) Physiotherapy for patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery, Actual Problems of Emergency Abdominal Surgery, Prof. Dmitry Garbuzenko (Ed.), InTech, available online. ISBN 978-953-51-4800-5.

Conference presentations

Paton, M., Hodgson, C.L., Lane, R.L., (2018) Early mobilisation in ICU – the state of play, AAMVC Physiotherapy & Multidisciplinary Symposium, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

Paton, M., Hodgson, C.L., Lane, R.L. (2018) The effect of exercise dosage on recovery following critical illness: a retrospective observational study, Physiotherapy and Exercise Physiology conference, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia.

Palmer, K., Bowles, K.A., Jepson, M., Paton, M., Lane R.L. (2018) A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of exercise parameters on quality of life and physical function in community dwelling people with Chronic Heart Failure. Allied Health, Scientific & Technical Conference Wellington, New Zealand.

Wilson, L.B.M., Button, B.M., Keating, D., Tarrant, B.J., Corbett, M.D., Young, A., Stirling, R., Wilson, J.W., Lane, R.L., (2018) A-STEP: a maximal, incremental, externally paced, step test for adults with cystic fibrosis – safety and feasibility testing. European CF conference, Belgrade, Serbia.

Palmer, K., Bowles, K.A., Jepson, M., Paton, M., Lane R.L., (2018) Chronic Heart Failure Engagement in Exercise Rehabilitation (The CHEER Project): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Singapore-International Physiotherapy Congress (SIPC), Singapore.

Lane, R.L., Ross, L., Taylor, C. (2017) FLIPPEd: Flipped Learning In Paramedic and Physiotherapy Education - Flipping the paramedic and physiotherapy classrooms one week at a time, APA Momentum, Sydney, Australia.