About the Department of Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics
The Department of Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics delivers clinical education and research to optimise the health workforce, transform practice and enhance health and wellbeing for all.
Our Department is part of the School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport.
Our education programs equip graduates with the competencies to register and work as physiotherapists, podiatrists, prosthetists and orthotists in our entry-to-practice degrees, and to extend these professional skills in our advanced clinical practice courses.
Our students learn from academics who are also experienced clinicians and researchers. They gain real world experience from professionals in the classroom and on clinical placement, where their knowledge is put into practice across a diverse range of clinical settings.
The result: Our graduates are highly employable and make a meaningful impact in the communities they serve by improving health outcomes, enhancing access to high-quality healthcare, and undertaking research that informs best practice and policy.
Many of our graduates return to study with us to further their clinical practice. Our postgraduate research degrees and continuing professional development programs give health professionals the opportunity to upskill, reskill, advance into leadership roles, or pursue research.
Our world-class academic team delivers leading courses and conducts transformative research, enhancing student lives and community health and wellbeing.
Future health professionals
Whether you are wanting to become a physiotherapist, podiatrist, prosthetist or orthotist, or are wanting to expand your clinical skills in musculoskeletal or sports physiotherapy, a La Trobe degree is the gateway to a rewarding career.
Our entry-to-practice courses equip graduates with the competencies and skills for safe and effective entry-level practice, and registration with the relevant accreditation body. Our postgraduate courses offer extended learning in advanced clinical skills.
In all our courses, our academic staff bring the real world with them to the classroom. Many work in clinical practice and are internationally recognised for their clinical expertise.
This knowledge is augmented by our outstanding clinical placement program, where students work under the guidance of experienced professionals in hospitals, community clinics, private practices and sporting clubs, in Australia and internationally.
Transforming health and wellbeing
The Department of Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Prosthetics and Orthotics brings together a strong team of clinicians and researchers, many of whom are recognised experts in their field.
We design and evaluate clinical interventions and explore innovative approaches to improve health outcomes, engage with communities promoting health and wellbeing, and advance teaching methods for the allied health professions.
Our research benefits a diverse range of people including those with neurological conditions, disability, amputation, and musculoskeletal or sporting injuries.
We support health professionals returning to study, with access to expert supervision and research training. Our Department has over 80 postgraduate research students undertaking clinical research that promotes healthy living across the lifespan.
Our research students are supervised by leading researchers and are mentored to publish their work in high quality journals. Many of our students are embedded in our prestigious research centres and healthcare network partners, collaborating with colleagues across Australia and internationally.
Research centres
Our staff make key contributions to La Trobe University's research centres.
The Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation is a National Health and Medical Research Council-funded centre that aims to transform the health and wellbeing of people with aphasia and their families. The Centre’s research program champions enhanced, cost-effective and sustainable interdisciplinary aphasia rehabilitation and community service.
The La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre is a world-leading, collaborative centre for sport and exercise medicine research. The Centre’s research impacts on policy, clinical practice, activity participation, and health and wellbeing, in Australia and internationally. It translates research findings to key stakeholders including the international research community, health practitioners and the general public.
The Living with Disability Research Centre conducts research to help improve practices, programs and policies that support the social inclusion of people with cognitive disabilities. The Centre’s research program focuses on building a robust evidence base for the disability sector, and the broader community, to address the complex and multifaceted problems facing people with cognitive disability, their families and carers.