ProfessorLynette Mackenzie

PhD MEdStud BEdStud BAppSc(OT)Curtin DipCOT UK

Graduated from the Derby School of Occupational Therapy in the UK in 1981, and worked as an OT in a variety of adult rehabilitation settings and social services programs in Sheffield and London prior to emigrating to Australia in 1986 to work in Newcastle NSW. Worked in orthopaedics,general medicine and managed the Hunter Equipment Service and PADP services before being appointed asthe first OT employed by community health services in Newcastle to implement the Home and Community Care home modifications service in the Hunter region. After working as the Head OT at Maitland Hospital, began academic work as a foundation staff member of the new undergraduate OT program at the University of Newcastle in 1991, and co-ordinated their fieldwork program for 7 years as well as teaching and developing the problem based learning curriculum there. Completed my PhD in epidemiology in 2002 by investigating falls amongst older people in NSW and Qld as part of the DVA Preventive Care Trial which formed the basis for the over 75s check later implemented by Medicare.

Moved to Sydney in 2007 to co-ordinate the revised MOT program until 2017. I am currently involved in several research project related to older people in the community. I was an investigator on the iSOLVE (Integrated SOLutions to Falls PreVEntion in Primary Care) project partnered with North Sydney PHN, a large RCT funded by the NH&MRC to demonstrate falls prevention innovation in general practice in the community. Other studies include a pilot RCT - A tailored falls prevention program for older people with mental illness living in the community funded by Sydney Health Partners (MRFF), as well as overseas projects: Investigating falls risks in the home of older Vietnamese people living in the community (SSEAC Vietnam Seeding Grant), and Exploring the role of home hazards on falls and risk of falls among community-dwelling older stroke survivors in the Klang Valley (Fundamental Research Grant Study, Ministry of Higher Education - Malaysia). 

I am the author of the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool and completed a project to put the health professional and self-report versions online. This is available at: www.stopfallsathome.com.au and has been accessed by people across Australia and overseas. I received funding from NSW FACS Liveable Communities Grant for Making the HOME FAST accessible to older people in the community by creating a user-friendly online platform to evaluate their level of falls risk at home. The HOME FAST has been translated into several languages: Chinese, Farsi, Greek, Brazilian Portuguese, Bahasa Malaysia and Tamil, with more comming on line in the future. 

Following my own cancer experience I am also researching the needs of cancer survivors, especially in relation to cognitive issues following treatment, fatigue and return to work. I have gained funding from CANTAB Research to investigate Cognition, cancer survivorship and work using the CANTAB assessment, from the Judith Marsham OT Australia Research Foundation for Using the PRPP@WORK as a foundation for workplace assessments to assess cognitive difficulties experienced by women following breast cancer, and from the USyd China Studies Seed Grant to investigate Chinese breast cancer survivors: Cognitive and psychosocial issues and their impact on quality of life, with partners in Shanghai.   

I am currently supervising HDR students who are health professionals across a number of health issue topics relevant to public health and primary health settings. I have also assisted local OT clinicians with their research such as evluating the Tyromotion robotic system with people with acute spinal injury.