Occupational Therapy Advisory Board

Ms Loretta Kingston-Brown, Chair

Loretta is the Occupational Therapy Manager at Barwon Health and has recently come back to public health after 5 years with the National Disability Insurance Agency (Branch Manager – Children’s Taskforce and prior to that Director – Early Childhood Services).  Loretta has a wealth knowledge and previous experience in people and service leadership across the disability and early childhood sectors and has worked for 20 years as an occupational therapist and manager in early childhood intervention, community services and public health with organisations such as Noah's Ark, City of Greater Bendigo and Bendigo and Castlemaine Health. Loretta also has experience in educational settings at La Trobe University in Bendigo, teaching in the area of paediatrics.

Nicole Shaw

Nicole Shaw is an occupational therapist and the Interprofessional Education Coordinator for the Clinical and Education and Training team at Barwon Health. This position is an organisation-wide position tasked with introducing, developing and facilitating interprofessional education as a means to improve interprofessional collaboration across Barwon Health.

Nicole holds a lecturing position at Deakin with the Interprofessional Education (IPE) teaching team where IPE is delivered to the Faculty of Health. Previously Nicole has held positions as the Acting Manager of Occupational Therapy at Barwon Health and Student Coordinator for the Occupational Therapy Department at Barwon Health. Clinically, Nicole worked as an occupational therapist in home-based rehabilitation teams and neurological rehabilitation.

Victoria Leckey

Occupational therapist, TAC

Victoria graduated as an occupational therapist from Lincoln Institute of Health Sciences in 1984 and has worked as an occupational therapist in Neurological and Multi-trauma rehabilitation over the ensuing 35 years, with a particular interest in traumatic brain injury.

Victoria has practised at leading rehabilitation facilities in Australia and overseas, including Rivermead Rehabilitation Centre in Oxford, England, where she was involved in published clinical research on the reliability of The Barthel ADL Index. Victoria completed a Graduate Diploma in Neurosciences through La Trobe University in 1994, has held senior clinician roles within specialist rehabilitation facilities and has been involved in developing and delivering continuing education programs for clinicians working in the area of community rehabilitation.

In addition to providing clinical services to community-based clients, Victoria is a Clinical Consultant Occupational Therapist with TAC and WorkSafe and has a particular interest in achieving robust and sustainable independence and quality of life outcomes for severely injured clients and their families.

Helen Nelson

Helen has had over 25 years of experience as an occupational therapist, predominantly in the public health system and is currently working as a Grade 4 Occupational Therapist at Western Health, a large multi-site metropolitan health service located in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

With a Master of Health Science (Education), Helen has a strong interest in occupational therapy student and staff education, competencies and professional development. She is currently the Occupational Therapy Student Coordinator role at Western Health.

Reece Dumbell

Reece is a Jupagalk Minang man, the Co-Founder, and Managing Director of Cameron Wellness Centre a progressive and bespoke NDIS registered therapeutic provider offering Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology focusing on delivering best practice services to not only the indigenous community but all Australians.

Reece spent 11 years working in the manufacturing industry before transitioning to the health and fitness space where he has owned and managed fitness facilities for 15 years.

A member of differing First Nations business groups Reece has a real passion for empowering and giving mob every opportunity to succeed.

Amy Smith

Amy Graduated from Charles Sturt University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Health Sciences, majoring in occupational therapy. Amy began her career working in a small rural community in Victoria, delivering occupational therapy services to clients across the Loddon Mallee region.

For the past 10 years Amy has worked at Southwest Healthcare gaining extensive experience in hand therapy, inpatient rehabilitation and acute services leading the Allied Health Clinical team. Through these roles, she has developed strong clinical expertise and leadership skills within multidisciplinary healthcare settings.

Most recently, Amy has stepped into the role of Occupational Therapy Manager at Southwest Healthcare. She has enjoyed collaborating closely with Deakin University to co-host Occupational Therapy Week events, helping to strengthen the partnership between Southwest Healthcare and Deakin University and support the development of future occupational therapists.

Emma Gee

Emma Gee is an acclaimed international speaker, lived experience consultant, occupational therapist and author, offering her insights on person-centred care and resilience through her keynote presentations, workshops and consultancy. With a background in occupational therapy and as a stroke survivor, Emma is a renowned expert and a living example of what it takes to step in another’s shoes and truly bounce back in life. She aims to both captivate and challenge her audiences to consider what is possible in their own lives.

Learning to speak again post-stroke, and realising the importance of sharing her story to help others, were the catalysts for Emma taking on speaking professionally. Today, Emma works as as a professional speaker and lived experience consultant, and has a broad client group, from healthcare organisations; businesses and corporate events; community groups; and to educational facilities. She has also published her book, titled Reinventing Emma, and works as a lived experience consultant at the Summer Foundation.

Mae Williamson – Graduate student

Mae is a passionate and dedicated occupational therapist, graduating with distinction from Deakin University as a Vice-Chancellor’s Scholar in 2024. Throughout her studies, Mae demonstrated strong leadership and advocacy, serving as a Student Ambassador, a representative on Deakin’s Occupational Therapy Advisory Board and a course representative for the student's medical and allied health club (NOMAD).

Mae’s clinical experience spans diverse settings including acute care, community health and paediatrics, where she has developed a strong foundation in person-centred assessment, collaborative goal setting and creative, evidence-based intervention planning.

Mae is currently practicing at Barwon Health’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Centre, working closely with orthopaedic and medically reconditioning clients. Mae is committed to empowering individuals to regain independence in meaningful occupations and to return home safely.

Deakin members

Professor Jenny Watts, Head of School, School of Health and Social Development

Associate Professor Kirk Reed, Discipline Lead

Valerie Watchorn, Course Director, Bachelor of Occupational Therapy

Dr Tamara Wanklyn, Course Director, Master of Occupational Therapy Practice

Student representatives

Savannah Cook

Savannah is a second-year Occupational Therapy student at Deakin University, enthusiastic about advancing her career in the field. She is keen to gain practical experience as an Allied Health Assistant where she can apply her passion for person-centred care. Savannah is dedicated to enhancing occupational performance and improving the quality of life for individuals and communities. Her primary interests lie in developing clinical expertise, particularly in the disability and early childhood sectors. She is committed to using her skills to make a meaningful impact in these areas, aiming to contribute effectively to the wellbeing and functionality of those she serves.