Phone: (07) 33574010
Closed from the 24th of December to Thursday the 2nd of January 2025
Dr Katrina Williams
Director + Principal
Katrina’s has 35 years of experience and training. This has established her as one of Australia’s foremost Neurological and Vestibular Physiotherapists. She combines her extensive knowledge with her passion for problem solving to help people with complex and chronic conditions who have had difficulty finding solutions for or improving their movement and dizziness.
Education
"For me, I am passionate about delivering quality neurological and vestibular physiotherapy services to those who have difficulty moving are dizzy, imbalance and just want to get back to their highest abilities of function and quality of life."
Katrina graduated from The University of Queensland in 1993 with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy. Katrina then later completed a Post-graduate Masters of Applied Science in Neurological Physiotherapy at the University of Sydney in 1996 and has completed her PhD investigating the influence of sensory symptoms on movement and function in people with Multiple Sclerosis.
Katrina was recognised by the Australian College of Physiotherapy in 2008 as a specialist neurological physiotherapist and remains the only specialist with combined expertise in rehabilitation and vestibular pathologies in Australia.
Teaching
As one of Australia’s leading neurological and vestibular Physiotherapy experts Katrina also tirelessly works to give back to the physiotherapy profession by delivering training and sharing her knowledge with clinicians through Neurological Aging and Balance Education – NaVe, and Vestibular Education Australia – VEA to delivery of courses and seminars to improve the assessment and management of how physiotherapists work with neurological and dizzy patients. She is also regularly asked to present to the Australian Physiotherapy Association.
As well, Katrina provides specialist content delivery and clinical skills development within the Physiotherapy Specialities Neurological and Vestibular Physiotherapy and post-graduate musculoskeletal and sports masters programs at The University of Queensland. She also delivers advanced knowledge content and clinical translation research within the neurology and vestibular content for the Physiotherapy courses at UQ.
Katrina is a frequently invited speaker in the fields of vestibular and neurological rehabilitation around Australia and Asia recently presenting in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth.
Experience & skill
Katrina’s extensive career has taken her around the world working in eminent fields of rehabilitation. Since 1997 Katrina has specialised with varied neurological and vestibular pathologies through her work at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, The Multiple Sclerosis Society ACT/VIC/NSW and the Neurological Ageing and Balance Clinic (UQ) all as the lead neurological physiotherapist.
Katrina has furthered her knowledge in Vestibular Rehabilitation by attending several exam-based courses in Vestibular Rehabilitation conducted by the renowned Professor Susan Herdman USA (2010), as well as advanced vestibular training course in Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney.
Katrina has supplemented her strong neurological and vestibular education and training with experiences in the broader physiotherapy field with elite dance companies; Riverdance and Lord of the Dance in Ireland as well as cervical spine research, partnering with Dr Julia Trelevan to greater understand the role of the neck in dizziness and with Dr Anna Hatton and Dr Yvonne Learmonth exploring impacts and benefits of Physiotherapy for people with Multiple Sclerosis.
Research & Community Engagement
Katrina is passionate about delivering quality vestibular and neurological services to those who are dizzy, imbalanced and have difficulty moving about. She is an active researcher at the University of Queensland as part of the Neurological, aging and balance research centre team with several publications in the area. She is a member of the Australian Physiotherapy
Association and APA Neurology and Gerontology Special Interest Group and is the expert advisor to the National Neurology group on all things Vestibular. She is also a member of the Queensland Vestibular Network, Australian Vestibular Disorders and Vestibular Disorders Association USA.
Service Excellence
Upright Physiotherapy is the only private practice in QLD to use state of the art vestibular and balance testing including infra-red video technology goggles, video head impulse testing (VHit), balance platforms and virtual reality to provide a thorough vestibular and neurological assessment to determine the likely cause of dizziness/vertigo, imbalance and fatigue and delivers an individualised treatment program to minimise these symptoms.
Research
Katrina heads up the Vestibular Research lab at the University of Queensland where she explores pathologies that cause dizziness and balance looking to better understand how assessment and treatments can be targeted to improve patient recovery.
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Her recent publications can be found via the link below
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