Dr Leanda McKenna Clinician | Researcher

Interview Guest
Today's interview is with physiotherapist Dr Leanda McKenna (Koala Award) who has extensive experience as a clinician and also a researcher. We discuss with Leanda her career journey, along with clinical gems like the importance of time management and prioritising clinical time with patients

Biography
After graduating from Curtin University in 1990, Leanda McKenna commenced clinical practice as a physiotherapist at public hospitals and private practice in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the United Kingdom. She currently practices in Perth, seeing a diverse caseload of patients and has been an academic staff member at Curtin since 2000. Leanda gained her PhD in 2012, which examined shoulder pain in adolescent swimmers. Her research has focused on two areas - shoulder pain and women's health. Specifically for shoulder pain, her research has examined the clinical assessment of the scapular and humeral head position, differences between swimmers and non-swimmers for scapular, humeral head position and muscular characteristics, whether scapular and humeral head position can predict shoulder pain and whether scapular based treatments are effective in shoulder pain. In women's health, her research has examined the assessment and treatment choices that physiotherapists use when treating inflammatory conditions of the lactating breast, predictors to response to treatment in women who have pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain and the relationship between upper back pain and breast size in postmenopausal women.

Podcast Links
For new graduates looking to expand non-clinical skills like time management, you can check out a free 34 minutes video titled "Staying on Track, Staying on Time'. Scroll to Course Curriculum