Dr Rachelle Martin

Position	Lecturer
Department	Department of Medicine (Wellington)
Qualifications	DipPhys MHSc PhD
Research summary	Supporting disabled people to access equitable health-optimising services, programmes and policies
Teaching	Lecturer, Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit (RTRU), Department of Medicine Wellington. I teach general rehabilitation and neurological rehabilitation papers and provide supervision to masters' and PhD students.
Memberships	New Zealand Rehabilitation Association (NZRA) - Executive member Physiotherapy New Zealand - Associate Editor of the NZ Physiotherapy Journal
Clinical	My clinical background (over 20 years) is working as a physiotherapist in hospital and community settings, mostly alongside people with neurological impairments.

Research

I aim to develop equitable health-optimising policies and programmes, enabling people who experience disability to live well across their lifespan. I also aim to conduct research that supports the development of empowering mana-enhancing health services - acknowledging and building on people’s capabilities and strengths.

I optimise research real-world impact by ensuring that new evidence and knowledge is directly translated into improved ways of working – often within the process of research itself. I am committed to participatory methods that listen to and enhance the voices of disabled people, ensuring their perspectives influence health-related policy, programme and service delivery decisions, and work in partnership with Māori researchers to ensure kaupapa Māori responsiveness.

I often use realist review, research or evaluation methods to unpack the ‘black box’ of complex health programmes by developing a theoretically based understanding of ‘what works for who, in which contexts, to what extent, and how?’. As such, my research supports a nuanced understanding of how people are able to (or not) respond to intervention resources and/or programme mechanisms, and how different contexts (i.e. personal, environmental and societal) may impact on equitable health outcomes.

Publications

Dunn, J. A., Hackney, J. J., Martin, R. A., Tietjens, D., Young, T., Bourke, J. A., Snell, D. L., Nunnerley, J. L., … Derrett, S. (2021). Development of a programme theory for early intervention vocational rehabilitation: A realist literature review. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 31, 730-743. doi: 10.1007/s10926-021-10000-z

Martin, R. A., Fitzpatrick, A. C., & Levack, W. M. M. (2021). Experiences and perceived effectiveness of carbon-fibre triplanar orthotics for people affected by polio: A qualitative descriptive study. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, 49(3), 147-155. doi: 10.15619/NZJP/49.3.05

Dunn, J., Martin, R. A., Hackney, J. J., Nunnerley, J. L., Snell, D., Bourke, J. A., … Derrett, S. (2021). Early vocational rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury: A research protocol using realist synthesis and interviews to understand how and why it works. BMJ Open, 11, e048753. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-048753

Nunnerley, J. L., Martin, R. A., Aldridge, M., Bourke, J. A., & Simpson, I. (2021). Access to community support workers during hospital admission for people with spinal cord injury: A pilot study. Spinal Cord Series & Cases, 7, 3. doi: 10.1038/s41394-020-00370-6

Martin, R. A., Dickie, B., Skinner, H., Hurring, S., Marshall, R., & Hanger, H. C. (2020). Implementing a 'Safe Recovery' fall prevention program: Refining intervention theory using realist methods. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 39, e259-e270. doi: 10.1111/ajag.12795

Journal - Research Article

Martin, R. A., Graham, F. P., Levack, W. M. M., Taylor, W. J., & Surgenor, L. J. (2020). Exploring how therapeutic horse riding improves health outcomes using a realist framework. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 83(2), 129-139. doi: 10.1177/0308022619865496

Journal - Research Article

Martin, R. A., Taylor, W. J., Surgenor, L. J., Graham, F. P., Levack, W. M. M., & Blampied, N. M. (2020). Evaluating the effectiveness of therapeutic horse riding for children and young people experiencing disability: A single-case experimental design study. Disability & Rehabilitation, 42(26), 3734-3743. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2019.1610083

Journal - Research Article

Snell, D. L., Martin, R., Surgenor, L. J., Siegert, R. J., Hay-Smith, E. J. C., Melzer, T. R., Anderson, T. J., & Hooper, G. J. (2020). Wrestling with uncertainty after mild traumatic brain injury: A mixed methods study. Disability & Rehabilitation, 42(14), 1942-1953. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2018.1542461

Journal - Research Article

Bourke, J. A., Catherwood, V. J., Nunnerley, J., Martin, R. A., Levack, W. M. M., Thompson, B. L., & Acland, R. H. (2019). Using cannabis for pain management after spinal cord injury: A qualitative study. Spinal Cord Series & Cases, 5, 82. doi: 10.1038/s41394-019-0227-3

Journal - Research Article

Kayes, N. M., Martin, R. A., Bright, F. A., Kersten, P., & Pollock, A. (2019). Optimising the real-world impact of rehabilitation reviews: Increasing the relevance and usability of systematic reviews in rehabilitation. European Journal of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine, 55(3), 331-341. doi: 10.23736/s1973-9087.19.05793-9

Journal - Research Article

Levack, W. M., Martin, R. A., Graham, F. P., & Hay-Smith, E. J. (2019). Compared to what? An analysis of the management of control groups in Cochrane reviews in neurorehabilitation. European Journal of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine, 55(3), 353-363. doi: 10.23736/s1973-9087.19.05795-2

Journal - Research Article

Martin, R. A., Graham, F. P., Taylor, W. J., & Levack, W. M. M. (2018). Mechanisms of change for children participating in therapeutic horse riding: A grounded theory. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 38(5), 510-526. doi: 10.1080/01942638.2017.1400492

Journal - Research Article

Snell, D. L., Martin, R., Macleod, A. D., Surgenor, L. J., Siegert, R. J., Hay-Smith, E. J. C., Melzer, T., Hooper, G. J., & Anderson, T. (2018). Untangling chronic pain and post-concussion symptoms: The significance of depression. Brain Injury, 32(5), 583-592. doi: 10.1080/02699052.2018.1432894

Journal - Research Article

Snell, D. L., Martin, R., Surgenor, L. J., Siegert, R. J., & Hay-Smith, E. J. C. (2017). What's wrong with me? Seeking a coherent understanding of recovery after mild traumatic brain injury. Disability & Rehabilitation, 39(19), 1968-1975. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2016.1213895

Journal - Research Article

Martin, R., Levack, W. M. M., & Sinnott, K. A. (2015). Life goals and social identity in people with severe acquired brain injury: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Disability & Rehabilitation, 37(14), 1234-1241. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2014.961653

Journal - Research Article

Graham, F., Sinnott, K. A., Snell, D. L., Martin, R., & Freeman, C. (2013). A more “normal” life: Residents', family, staff, and managers' experience of active support at a residential facility for people with physical and intellectual impairments. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 38(3), 256-264. doi: 10.3109/13668250.2013.805738

Journal - Research Article

Journal - Research Other

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Dr Rachelle Martin

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