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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 244 1030
Email
ally.calder@otago.ac.nz
Position
Senior Lecturer and Associate Dean (Postgraduate Studies), School of Physiotherapy
Qualifications
BHSc (Physiotherapy) PGCertCT (Clinical teaching) PhD
Research summary
Men’s health, physical activity, disability, accessibility, clinical education
Teaching
  • Years 2 and 3: PHTY254, PHTY256, PHTY354 topics related to neurorehabilitation, disability, and physical activity
  • Year 4: PHTY456 and PHTY468 clinical education in neurorehabilitation, and PHTY459 Research for Physiotherapy
  • Postgraduate: PHTY535 Advanced Physiotherapy Management and PHTY561Clinical Practice
Memberships
  • Co-Chair Centre for Men’s Health University of Otago
  • Advisory board member for the Canterbury Health and Development Study
  • Trustee of the Canterbury Multicentre Trust
  • Member of Physiotherapy New Zealand (PNZ)

Research

I have experience in participatory action research, co-design, qualitative, mixed methods, and systematic review methodologies.

I value a genuine collaborative participatory approach in my research creating a space for meaningful and sustained engagement, which is person and whānau centred. Building strong active partnerships with people, whānau / aiga, and communities ensures that the research outcomes and subsequent design and delivery of healthcare is meaningful and meets the end users’ and next users’ aspirations.

I have three research streams:

  1. Physical activity participation for men living with long term conditions and disability:
    Physical activity health messaging for men
  2. Inclusive access of the built environment for people with disability
  3. Developing and evaluating innovative approaches to teaching and learning for pre-registration health professional students

I supervise research at an undergraduate (BPhty, BPhty (Hons), and Summer Research Projects) and postgraduate level (Phty650, master’s by thesis, and PhD).

Additional details

Reviewer for:

  • Disability and Health
  • Disability and Rehabilitation
  • Physical Therapy Reviews
  • New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy
  • Health Promotion Journal of Australia

Publications

Waller, C. P., Woodley, S. J., Hale, L., Calder, A., Meikle, G., Kuys, S., & Lamb, P. (2025). Morphological and biomechanical comparison of the paretic to the non-paretic knee in people with stroke: An exploratory study. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy. Advance online publication. doi: 10.15619/nzjp.v53i3.465 Journal - Research Article

Moeinzadeh, A. M., Calder, A., Petersen, C., & Hoermann, S. (2025). Views of people with MS regarding VR-exergaming to improve physical function and cognition: A qualitative study. Disability & Rehabilitation. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2461265 Journal - Research Article

Sole, G., Acker, R., Calder, A., Longnecker, N., Pons, T., Stein, J., & Wassinger, C. (2024). Co-constructing a website for people with shoulder pain and physiotherapists. Musculoskeletal Science & Practice, 72, (pp. 45). doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2024.103127 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Robinson, L., Calder, A., & Carrington, L. (2024). Collaborative goal setting for disabled children within education: A scoping review. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, 52(3), 257-272. doi: 10.15619/nzjp.v52i3.459 Journal - Research Other

Davidson, L., Calder, A., & Falling, C. (2024). It's a total pain in the mouth! Physiotherapists' perspectives of temporomandibular disorders [Invited]. Proceedings of the New Zealand Pain Society (NZPS) Annual Scientific Meeting: Empowering Pain Management in New Zealand. Retrieved from https://www.nzps2024.nz/ Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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