Presenters

Bronwyn Lennox-Thompson

Plenary presentation: Behind the façade: what massage therapists believe about low back pain and integrating movement into practice

Bronwyn Lennox Thompson initially trained as an occupational therapist, graduating in 1984. She completed her MSc with first class honours in Psychology in 1999 at Canterbury University, and in 2015 was awarded her PhD from the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

She has worked in pain management for most of her clinical career, with her primary focus on pain management at work. Since 2002 she has taught postgraduate papers in pain and pain management at University Otago. She is now Academic Coordinator and Senior Lecturer, responsible for postgraduate programmes in pain and pain management in Orthopaedic Surgery & Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Her main research and teaching areas include resilience, daily coping choices, and knowledge translation from research to clinic.

Rachel Ah Kit

Plenary presentation: Behind the façade: what massage therapists believe about low back pain and integrating movement into practice

Rachel Ah Kit is owner of a multi-room clinic, Bodyworks Massage Therapy, in Christchurch. She opened the clinic in 2010 and continues to practice full time. Her clinical focus is working with people in pain to help them gain confidence to live a quality life, even with pain.

Rachel holds a Diploma of Massage Therapy from the Canterbury College of Natural Medicine, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sciences, endorsed in Pain and Pain Management, from the University of Otago. She is about to complete her Master of Health Sciences by thesis. Rachel was also the editor of the Massage New Zealand member magazine for three years.

Sarah Fogarty

Plenary Presentation: More than hands on: Broad practice insights from research into pregnancy massage

Sarah Fogarty holds a Diploma of Remedial Massage and has been in practice as a remedial massage therapist and acupuncturist for over 24 years. She currently works in a clinic with a women's health focus. She completed her Masters in 2005 and in 2011 was awarded her PhD from the Department of Health Sciences at Victoria University, Australia. She is an adjunct fellow at Western Sydney University, and has published over 40 papers, including papers on pregnancy massage, massage and miscarriage, bereavement massage, and fertility massage. She has presented her research at both national, international and local conferences and massage organisations.

Sarah was awarded a Massage Foundation Research Grant in 2022 for her research on pregnancy massage after stillbirth and is only the second recipient to be awarded the grant outside the United States. She is currently serving as an associate editor for the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.

Christine Taylor

Plenary presentation: Self care: Do you have a plan?

Christine Taylor has over a decade of experience as a massage therapist, bringing a deep commitment to the body's innate ability to heal itself when provided with the right environment. She holds a Diploma of Remedial Massage and a Bachelor of Therapeutic and Sports Massage, along with allied health assistance, training and assessment, and sports trainer qualifications.

Christine's approach to massage therapy extends beyond the immediate physical benefits. She strives to empower her clients to become proactive participants in their wellness journey. By encouraging them to be aware of their mind-body connection, she emboldens them to build a strong foundation and personal support network that they can rely on during both good and challenging times. Optimism and perseverance are at the core of Christine's practice.

Christine's dedication to continuous learning and self-improvement drives her to seek new challenges and opportunities for personal growth. This commitment ensures that she is at the forefront of learning the latest techniques and practices in the field.

Robin Kerr

Practical workshop: DermoNeuroModulating

Robin Kerr is an Australian-trained physiotherapist with 37 years of clinical experience. Her special interests lie in manual therapy and motion / exercise prescription. She also has a clinical interest in the pelvic floor and lumbo-pelvic dysfunction, and is heavily trained in biomechanics and gait lab running analysis. Over the last 20 years she has moved towards a focus on 3D motion and the use of DermoNeuroModulating (DNM) in the management of pain. She has been personally trained by the originator of DNM, Diane Jacobs, and is keen to see it established in the mainstream of manual therapy practice.

Shelley Keating

Practical workshop: Bite-sized fitness: savouring the benefits of 'exercise snacks'

Dr Shelley Keating is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology and Accredited Exercise Physiologist from the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at The University of Queensland. With a strong grounding in exercise metabolism and body composition, Shelley's research centres on the utility of exercise as a therapy for obesity and related cardiometabolic conditions, notably type 2 diabetes and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Her mission is to change the way that exercise is prioritised, accessed, and delivered to improve the health and wellbeing of people with MASLD and related type 2 diabetes. Shelley's research found a lack of awareness, uptake, and sustainability of exercise for MASLD and obesity management. Her ongoing program of research is informed by, and co-designed with, people with MASLD and related chronic disease, to find sustainable exercise solutions.

Shelley is also a Remedial Massage Therapist with extensive clinical experience managing musculoskeletal conditions through a combination of manual therapy and exercise prescription. She was a supervisor and lecturer at the Australasian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT, 2007-2010) and at Endeavour College of Natural Health (2013-2015). She was the Program Director of Manual Therapies at ACNT between 2009-2010.

You can view Shelley's UQ profile here. Her X/Twitter handle is @shelley_keating.

Colin Rossie

Practical workshop Moving on the table: Using client movement to enhance outcomes

Colin Rossie first graduated from a massage course in 1983 and has been in remedial massage practice for over 30 years. He is committed to lifelong learning, mainly so he can offer the best possible experience of massage therapy for his clients, but also to demystify jargon and nonsense that sometimes becomes fashionable in massage and bodywork. He’s been there and done all that so he can pick the wheat from the chaff.

He is a former Certified Advanced Rolfer and Rolf Movement Integration practitioner, a foundation member of the Fascia Research Society, and a Somatic Movement educator and therapist. He has been a life member of AMT since 2011 and has contributed solidly to AMT as a volunteer since 2006. His continuing education has included visceral manipulation, neural mobilisation, Fascial Fitness Training, Rolf Movement training, and Bodymind Centering.