Who we are

The PEDro Partnership was established in 1999 by a small group of physiotherapists, both clinicians and academics. It is now based in the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District. Our mission is to maximise the effectiveness of physiotherapy services by facilitating the clinical application of the best available evidence. The PEDro Partnership believes that “effective physiotherapy is people-centred, prevention-focused, safe and technically proficient, based on the best evidence available, and managed efficiently”.

The PEDro Partnership functions as a non-profit organisation to facilitate evidence-based physiotherapy through consultation with:

  • Professional organisations (including member organisations of World Physiotherapy)
  • Purchasers of physiotherapy services (including third party and worker’s compensation regulating authorities and insurance companies, and health funds)
  • Providers of physiotherapy (including physiotherapy departments, area health authorities, and private practitioners)
  • Physiotherapy registration and licensing authorities
  • Physiotherapy teaching programs, and
  • Groups representing the interests of consumers.

There are many obstacles to using of the best available evidence in routine physiotherapy clinical practice. The PEDro Partnership offers a range of services to help overcome these obstacles:

  • Access to evidence: The PEDro Partnership maintains the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and the Diagnostic Test Accuracy database (DiTA). PEDro is a database of randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy. DiTA is a database of primary studies and systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy related to physiotherapy. Both have been developed to give physiotherapists and others rapid access to the best evidence of treatment efficacy and the accuracy of diagnostic tests.
  • Critical appraisal: Trials indexed in PEDro are rated for quality using the PEDro scale. The PEDro Partnership conducts lectures and workshops to equip users with the skills to critically appraise clinical research, including the online PEDro scale training program.
  • Implementation: Even where clear evidence of treatment effects exists, implementing evidence-based practice can be difficult, especially if the evidence conflicts with current practice. The PEDro Partnership facilitates the implementation of effective health care by working with individuals and groups on implementation projects. The PEDro Partnership can assist parties to select implementation strategies that have been shown to lead to behaviour change in health professions.

Steering committee

The PEDro Partnership is managed by a Steering Committee:

Professor Catherine Sherrington

Institute for Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District

PhD, MPH, BAppSc(Physiother), FACP, FAHMS

Cathie leads the Physical Activity, Ageing and Disability theme within the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health. Her research focuses on physical activity interventions to prevent falls and enhance mobility in older people and people with physical disabilities. She is one of the founders of PEDro.

Clinical Associate Professor Mark Elkins

The University of Sydney

PhD, MHSc, BA, BPhty

Mark teaches research methods to clinicians and mentors workplace-based research in the Sydney Local Health District. His personal research interests include: physical and pharmacological therapies in respiratory disease; co-ordinating these therapies to maximise the overall effect; and improving the understanding and application of published research by clinicians. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Sydney Medical School and the Scientific Editor of Journal of Physiotherapy.

Dr Adrian Traeger

Institute for Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District

PhD, MPhty, BSc(Hons)

Adrian is an National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) Early Career Fellow at The University of Sydney. His research interests include clinical management of back pain, patient education, and overuse of healthcare. He joined the PEDro Steering Committee in 2021.

Dr Natalie Collins

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland

PhD, MSportsPhysio, BPhty(Hons)

Natalie is an Australian Physiotherapy Association Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist and Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at The University of Queensland. Her research centres around improving the lives of people with patellofemoral pain conditions, including adolescents and young adults with patellofemoral pain, and older adults with patellofemoral osteoarthritis. She joined the PEDro Steering Committee in 2021.

Dr Anita Amorim

School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

PhD, BPhty(Hons)

Anita is a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy at The University of Sydney. Her research focuses on innovative and evidence-based management of chronic musculoskeletal pain across the implementation science spectrum, from the discovery of effective treatments to translation within the healthcare system. Her research aims to reduce unnecessary healthcare utilisation in people with musculoskeletal pain through behavioural change. She joined the PEDro Steering Committee in 2022.

Associate Professor Leanne Hassett

School of Health Sciences, University of Sydney; Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District; Sydney Health Partners

PhD, MHlthSc(NeuroPhty), BAppSc(Phty)

Leanne is a teaching and research academic at the University of Sydney and leads the Capacity and Capability stream in the Implementation Science Program within Sydney Health Partners. She conducts research to test the effectiveness of interventions to improve mobility and physical activity in older adults and adults living with disability and to evaluate the implementation of effective interventions into practice. She joined the PEDro Steering Committee in 2022.

Dr Kelly Gray

Faculty of Medicine, Health & Human Sciences, Macquarie University

SFHEA, PhD, BAppSc(Physio)

Kelly is a Senior Lecturer in the Doctor of Physiotherapy at Macquarie University. As a Teaching and Leadership academic, she has a keen focus on empowering the implementation of evidence-based physiotherapy to the next generation of physiotherapists. Her research interests include paediatric physiotherapy and ethics. She joined the PEDro Steering Committee in 2022.

Professor Kim Delbaere

Falls, Balance & Injury Research Centre at Neuroscience Research Australia

BAppSc(Rehabilitation), MPT, M.Ed, PhD

Kim is a Senior Principal Research Scientist and Director of Innovation & Translation at the Falls, Balance & Injury Research Centre at Neuroscience Research Australia. Kim has made major contributions to identifying risk factors for falls, concerns about falling and sub-optimal ageing. Using technology, Kim has increased engagement and compliance to self-managed programs through remote compliance monitoring, more accurate targeting of at-risk individuals, use of behavioural change techniques and increased personalisation of interventions to suit individual abilities and lifestyles. She joined the PEDro Steering Committee in 2023.

Dr Marita Dale

School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney

PhD, BAppSc(Physio)

Marita is a teaching and research academic in the Discipline of Physiotherapy at the University of Sydney. Marita’s research interests include exercise training for chronic respiratory diseases and improving access to pulmonary rehabilitation services. She joined the PEDro Steering Committee in 2023.

Advisory Panel

The PEDro Partnership has an Advisory Panel consisting of experts in various fields related to evidence-based practice. Advisory Panel members are:

Professor Leonardo Oliveira Pena Costa

Universidade Cidade de São Paulo, Brazil

Leo is the Head of the Masters and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy in the Universidade Cidade de São Paulo. His research focuses on the effects of non-pharmacological interventions for people with low back pain.

Professor Rebecca L Craik

Arcadia University, USA

Beck is the Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Arcadia University, having served previously as the Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy. A theme that threads through her research is adaptability, whether she is working with the older adult or examining animal models of human disease. She is co-principal investigator for the Improving Community Ambulation After Hip Fracture trial.

Professor Sally Green

Monash University, Australia

Sally is the Co-Director of Cochrane Australia. She is an active Cochrane reviewer. Her research aims to improve health outcomes by investigating the most effective and efficient pathway of knowledge from research result to sustained change in clinical practice and policy.

Professor Sallie Lamb

University of Exeter, UK

Sallie is the Mireille Gillings Professor of Health Innovation at the University of Exeter. She is an internationally recognised scholar in ageing, disability and rehabilitation. She is also an experienced methodologist in the area of clinical trials and high quality evaluation of health care practice.

Professor Philip van der Wees

Radboud University Medical Center, The Netherlands

Philip is a senior researcher at the Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare (IQ Healthcare) of Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands. His research projects are aimed at quality, implementation, and evaluation of healthcare. One of his main areas of research is the development and implementation of clinical practice guidelines.

Professor Christopher Maher

Institute for Musculoskeletal Health at the University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District, Australia

Chris is a professor at The University of Sydney School of Public Health. His research aims to improve the care provided to people with back pain. He is one of the founders of PEDro.

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