An internationally respected physiotherapist, teacher and mentor, Dr Sue Mayes AM, brings over 30 years' experience to her role as Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy.
“From being a full-time ballet student to treating the world's best dancers and athletes, I hope to inspire students to achieve excellence by sharing my diverse experiences over many years,” she says.
Dr Mayes engages her students by providing real-world scenarios and sharing her ongoing dedication to skill development.
“During my time working as a clinician and researcher in elite dance and sport, I have developed practical skills and evidence-based clinical reasoning that I like to share with a good balance of theory and practice.”
“Teaching manual skills is one of my passions,” she adds. “The blended learning approach adopted at La Trobe allows us the time to focus on these techniques in practical classes, which is both valuable and fun.”
Importantly, Dr Mayes likes to develop trust and respect with students, ensuring a safe, shared-learning space filled with humility and humour.
“It’s rewarding when I feel a great energy in class, when students are actively engaged and enthusiastically participating. I love observing them solve problems and develop a deeper understanding of a topic rather than resorting to rote learning. Witnessing students grow in confidence is very rewarding.”
Having recently joined La Trobe as both a teacher and researcher, Dr Mayes has embraced new challenges and continuous learning, which she says “energises and excites” her.
“I am enjoying new challenges and learning new skills daily. Sharing ideas and challenges with my colleagues is so valuable, and I am extremely fortunate to work with generous, passionate and dedicated staff in the School of Allied Health, Human Servies and Sport.”
