“I want to contribute to the experiences that people have of rehabilitation, and the partnership between clinicians and health consumers”.
Emily Timothy
Career Development Researcher
As a child Emily always wanted a career that centered on people and after doing a variety on voluntary roles she decided on physiotherapy. She was especially drawn to neurological rehabilitation as she felt most able to connect and get to know people in this specialty. Emily has worked as a physiotherapist in the Community Stroke Rehabilitation Service (CDHB) for the past 13 years, having worked in a variety of setting in the UK.
Emily’s journey in research began accidentally when she saw a postgraduate paper in ‘rehabilitation principles’ advertised from the University of Otago which sparked her interest. One paper led to another and she ended up with a master’s degree, with a special interest in the experiences people have of rehabilitation, and the partnership between clinicians and health consumers. She was drawn to working for BAT to help bridge the gap between research and the realities of working with people after a significant health event like stroke.
Emily moved to New Zealand in 2008 due to her love of the outdoors. Here she has enjoyed exploring the country through tramping, trail running and mountain biking. More recently she has been learning the love of ‘micro-exploration’ with her two young sons, with a newfound appreciation of the smaller things in life like the joy of a puddle, sticks and climbing trees! Emily’s happy places include Castle Hill and the West Coast but the list is ever growing.
Qualifications and Experience:
Emily Timothy is a registered physiotherapist and completed a MHSc Rehabilitation with the University of Otago in 2015 where her research focused on the embodied experience of stroke. She has also enjoyed contributing to research both in her CDHB role and in research assistant posts. Emily is working for BAT over the next year as a researcher through a Health Research Council Career Development Award. She hopes this will help bridge the gap between clinical and academic work, with person-centred rehabilitation as the cornerstone.