Discipline of Physiotherapy

Dr. Anthony Nasser is a research and teaching academic in physiotherapy at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), specialising in the assessment and management of musculoskeletal conditions, with a particular focus on complex hip and buttock pain conditions such as proximal hamstring tendinopathy, gluteal tendinopathy and ischiofemoral impingement. With over 15 years of clinical experience, Anthony brings a strong practitioner’s perspective to his research and teaching. He is a titled Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist with the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA), a recognition of his expertise in the field.

Anthony transitioned to academia following a diverse career in musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapy. His research program is dedicated to improving diagnosis, management, and rehabilitation outcomes for musculoskeletal conditions affecting the hip and buttock region. He is passionate about translating cutting-edge scientific evidence into practical, patient-centred strategies that enhance clinical decision-making and improve health outcomes

Anthony leads curriculum initiatives at UTS, integrating evidence-based practice, clinical authenticity, and emerging digital technologies to prepare future physiotherapists for a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. In 2023, Anthony won a university wide award from the Australian Awards for University Teaching. The award recognised his long-standing contributions to student learning. Anthony has been involved in teaching physiotherapy at several leading universities across Australia, and has worked at UTS since 2017. 

"I am passionate about physiotherapy and try to share with students just how rewarding this career can be," Anthony said.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (physiotherapy) from the University of Sydney and a Clinical Master of physiotherapy, in the field of sports, from the University of Queensland. Anthony completed his PhD through La Trobe University.

Anthony is a reviewer for a number of specialist journals in Sports Medicine including the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, The Scandinavian Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Clinical Rehabilitation,  Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy in Sport.

Dr Mark Overton is a Senior Lecturer and Physiotherapist who has worked clinically in interdisciplinary pain management, musculoskeletal and rehabilitation settings for 10+ years. He completed his PhD at the University of Otago in New Zealand, where he led the Understanding Knee Osteoarthritis Pain Experiences (U-KOPE) study. This study involved collecting psychosocial and lifestyle factors related to the knee osteoarthritis pain experience using an intensive smartphone daily diary method (Ecological Momentary Assessment). Participants in this study also underwent Quantitative Sensory Testing to assess their ‘pain sensitivity’ and explore potential predictors of knee osteoarthritis outcomes.

Mark’s current areas of research interest include:

• Pain
• Knee Osteoarthritis
• Low Back Pain
• Quantitative Sensory Testing
• Smartphone Ecological Momentary Assessment
• Technology-based interventions
• Artificial Intelligence 
• Psychosocial and lifestyle factors
• Physical activity, exercise and education interventions
• Supported self-management interventions
• Interprofessional rehabilitation
• Occupational health

Please feel free to get in touch regarding any research supervision or collaboration opportunities. 

Associate Professor Joshua W. Pate is a physiotherapist and paediatric pain researcher at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He is the Responsible Academic Officer (Research) in Physiotherapy and leads the 39-member UTS Health AI Research Node.

Josh's research examines how children, families, educators and health professionals understand pain; how these concepts influence communication, care and recovery; and how education can improve pain management. He is best known for the Concept of Pain research program, which combines child-derived measurement, educational design and knowledge translation. His broader research investigates responsible uses of generative artificial intelligence in health communication, education and assessment.

A/Prof Pate has published 51 peer-reviewed papers, attracting 838 Google Scholar citations as of July 2026. He has contributed as a named investigator to more than AUD $1.6 million in competitive funding across government, philanthropic, international and university schemes, including major MRFF and MayDay Fund programs.

He contributes to international health initiatives as Health Lead for the UNICEF Insight Report on Behavioural Data Science and previously served as an external reviewer of the World Health Organization Guideline on Chronic Pain in Children.

Josh received the 2025 Engagement Australia Excellence Award for Outstanding Leadership in Engagement and the 2024 NSW Young Tall Poppy Award. His work is characterised by collaboration with children, families, clinicians, educators and lived-experience contributors, and by a commitment to making rigorous research accessible and useful beyond academia.

Dr Jack Reeves is an early career researcher and Lecturer in physiotherapy at the University of Technology Sydney, and a Postdoctoral Researcher of the Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe) at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He is an Associate Editor at the Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy and Guest Editor of a "Prehabilitation in Cancer" special issue at BMC Cancer.

Jack's research focuses on prehabilitation and rehabilitation strategies to improve outcomes for people undergoing cancer surgery, alongside a continuing interest in the non-pharmacological management of chronic respiratory disease. He is currently Lead Investigator of PREdiCT, a prospective cohort study of >1200 participants spanning 35 sites across 19 countries that aims to improve risk stratification for people undergoing major gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Despite recently being awarded his PhD (July 2026), Jack has authored 23 peer-reviewed journal articles (18 as first or second author) with the majority published in Q1 journals including World Journal of Surgical Oncology, British Journal of Anaesthesia, Annals of Surgical Oncology, and Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal. He has contributed to 8 grants totalling $310,770 in research funding, holding Chief Investigator status on 5 of these totalling $67,770.

Besides his PhD, Jack holds a Master of Public Health and Master of Health Leadership and Management from UNSW, a Master of Physiotherapy from UTS, and a Bachelor of Exercise Science from ACU. Jack has delivered 11 oral presentations at academic and professional events, 7 by invitation, including two national lectures for the Australian Physiotherapy Association.

Updated July 2026

Lucy is a Physiotherapist and Lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Lucy has clinical experience in both public and private hospitals, working with a variety of conditions in the acute, rehabilitation and outpatient setting. Lucy’s clinical interests are in caring for individuals with neurological conditions to improve function and promote independence.

Lucy is currently completing her PhD investigating the effect of proprioception on function in healthy individuals across the lifespan and individuals with neurological conditions.

Lucy is passionate about teaching and enjoys seeing students confidence and clinical reasoning skills grow.

My research interests are in: | Neurorehabilitation | Proprioception | Outcome measures for physiotherapy rehabilitation

Elise is a Physiotherapist and Lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney. Elise completed a Bachelor of Health Science/Master of Physiotherapy in 2013 with Western Sydney University. After working clinically for several years, Elise completed post graduate study, obtaining a Master of Research at Western Sydney University. Elise is completing her PhD which is exploring the role of resilience on patient behaviour and engagement when experiencing injury and illness. Elise’s research aims to help clinicians better understand how patient perceptions, barriers and enablers influence engagement in treatment and health outcomes.  

Elise has worked clinically with a range of population groups, in both inpatient and outpatient settings, whilst developing her teaching and research skills. Elise will be involved in the delivery of the Prevention and Rehabilitation in the Community and Specialist Practice subjects at UTS. She also leads and coordinates Acute Care Physiotherapy. 

Bruno Tirotti Saragiotto is an Associate Professor and Head of the Physiotherapy discipline at the Faculty of Health. Bruno has published over 120 research articles and has over 6,000 citations for his work. The overarching focus of his research is on telehealth for chronic pain conditions, artificial intelligence in healthcare, and implementation science. He has been awarded over $4.5 million in research grants from the NHMRC/MRFF, Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, Brazil), the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Brazil). 

He is also an editor at the Cochrane Musculoskeletal group and associate editor at the Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy and the Chiropractic and Manual Therapy journal. He hosts the podcast Physio Frontiers, which aims to bridge the gap between research and practice, and is part of the steering committee of the Physiotherapy Evidence Database.

Bruno is passionate about teaching physiotherapy and supervising research-focused master's and PhD students. He also has strong collaborations in Australia, Canada, Brazil, USA, Netherlands, Denmark, and New Zealand.

Evin is a physiotherapist and lecturer with over 13 years of experience working in a variety of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy and Sports Medicine settings.

He is recognised by the Australian Physiotherapy Association as a Titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist which represents highly developed physiotherapists who have advanced expertise and experience in musculoskeletal clinical practice.

Evin shares his time between teaching at the University and being the principal physiotherapist at a GP medical practice in Bondi.

"1 in 7 patient visits to a general practitioner in Australia present with a musculoskeletal injury. I believe Physiotherapy plays a crucial role in reducing the burden of disease within the community. Our roles, responsibilities and scope of practice place us in an empowering position to have an early and significant impact on patient health and outcomes".

Dr. Rafael Zambelli Pinto is an Associate Professor at UTS, a physiotherapist, and a researcher specialising in musculoskeletal conditions. He has published over 150 papers in physiotherapy and medical journals, with a research focus on innovative approaches to managing chronic musculoskeletal conditions in adults and older populations. Committed to advancing evidence-based practice, he integrates research into clinical decision-making through educational initiatives.

Rafael was awarded his PhD from the University of Sydney (2010–2013) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Pain IMPACT/Neuroscience Research Australia, University of New South Wales (2023–2024). His previous roles include Project Manager at the Pain Management Research Institute, University of Sydney, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia (2013–2014); Lecturer at São Paulo State University, Brazil (2014–2017); and Senior Lecturer at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil (2017–2024).

From 2019 to 2024, Rafael served as Editor-in-Chief of the Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy and has been the Secretary of the International Society of Physiotherapy Journal Editors since 2019.