Rate My Professor Michelle Guerin

Dr Michelle Guerin, who holds a PhD and Bachelor of Physiotherapy (B.Physio), is a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy in the School of Allied Health and Human Performance, College of Health, at Adelaide University. Previously, she was a Lecturer at the University of South Australia within the Allied Health and Human Performance Academic Unit. Her research specializations focus on enhancing the quality of health care through evidence-based practice, service delivery, and health care system design in areas such as acute care, community settings, disability services, and aged care, with particular attention to vulnerable populations. These include individuals living with moderate to severe acquired and traumatic brain injuries, advanced dementia, and those in residential aged care. Guerin conducts qualitative primary and secondary research to include traditionally excluded groups. She co-leads a project with Relationships Australia South Australia to develop and evaluate a trauma-informed training package for counsellors supporting individuals with disabilities, their families, and carers. Additionally, she collaborates interprofessionally with the University of Sydney on the Evaluation of Foundational Placement Competencies tool to assess students' readiness for clinical experiential learning.

Guerin's publication record features numerous peer-reviewed articles demonstrating her impact on physiotherapy and health services research. Notable publications include Pereira, Serrada, & Guerin (2026), 'Pulmonary rehabilitation within entry-level physiotherapy clinical placements: a scoping review of innovative student-led models,' in Physical Therapy Reviews; Orlando et al. (2025), 'Hospitalisations for non-specific low back pain in people presenting to South Australian public hospital emergency departments,' in Emergency Medicine Australasia; Orlando et al. (2025), ''I have never been in that kind of all-consuming pain … I did not know what else to do': the journey to hospital admission with low back pain from the perspectives of patients,' in Health Expectations; van Kessel et al. (2025), 'Empowerment through choice: the interplay of choice and control after spinal cord or brain injury,' in Disability and Rehabilitation; and her earlier work Guerin, Mackintosh, & Fryer (2008), 'Exercise class participation among residents in low-level residential aged care could be enhanced: a qualitative study,' in Australian Journal of Physiotherapy. She is eligible to co-supervise Masters and PhD students and currently co-supervises a doctorate on predictors of hospitalisation for non-specific low back pain. Her teaching strengths encompass simulation-based allied health training, technology-enhanced learning, evidence-informed teaching, authentic assessment, and interprofessional practice.