Rate My Professor Kim Bulkeley

Kim Bulkeley is a Senior Lecturer in the Sydney School of Health Sciences within the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy (BAppSc(OT)) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences, completing her PhD in 2016 on a family-centred intervention for young children with autism. Her doctoral research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and a book chapter. With more than 25 years of experience in the community disability sector, including front-line services, management, policy development, and research, Bulkeley has focused on improving allied health supports, particularly for remote and rural communities. Prior to her academic career, she worked with NSW Family and Community Services in ageing, disability, and home care roles. Since 2014, she has served as a Fellow in the Faculty of Health Sciences, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate occupational therapy courses and conducting action research with Aboriginal communities in north-western New South Wales to enhance access to allied health services.

Bulkeley's research specializations encompass supports for disabled people, critical disability studies, co-design and community engagement to foster responsive services that address access and equity challenges, rehabilitation, telepractice, and rural health services. She is Co-Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Strengthening Rehabilitation Capacity in Health Systems, contributing to global efforts in rehabilitation workforce development and implementation of frameworks like Rehabilitation 2030. Her scholarly impact is evidenced by over 1,200 citations on Google Scholar and more than 50 publications. Notable works include 'Family-Centered Management of Sensory Challenges of Children With Autism: Single-Case Experimental Design' (2016, American Journal of Occupational Therapy), 'Factors Affecting Retention of Allied Health Professionals Working With Children With Disability in Rural and Remote Areas' (2015, Human Resources for Health), 'Effects of Telehealth by Allied Health Professionals and Nurses in Rural and Remote Areas' (2017), 'Practitioner and Service User Perspectives on the Rapid Shift to Telepractice in Response to COVID-19 Across Australia' (2021, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health), and 'Use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in Integrated Care for People with Disabilities: A Scoping Review' (2025). Bulkeley actively supervises students and leads projects on topics such as Indigenous disability workforce retention, oral health for individuals with cerebral palsy, and governance models for therapy support workers in remote settings.