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Contact Details

Email
sarah.rhodes@otago.ac.nz

University Links

Position
Senior Lecturer
Qualifications
BSc(Hons) Physiotherapy 1st class, BSc (Hons) Economics and Management 1st class, PhD (Physiotherapy)
Research summary
Cardio-respiratory physiotherapy and long-term conditions
Teaching
I have been involved in physiotherapy undergraduate teaching since 2016. This includes clinical education in an inpatient setting, creation and delivery of labs and lectures across years two and three, as well as paper coordination responsibilities.
Memberships
  • President of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (NZ branch)
  • Life member of Physiotherapy New Zealand (PNZ)
  • Member of PNZ Otago branch
Clinical
My background is as a cardio-respiratory physiotherapist. I have worked in a number of different clinical settings, including ICU and surgical wards, as well as rehabilitation units.

Research

I am a cardio-respiratory physiotherapist and early career researcher.

My research is broadly focused on better health outcomes for long term conditions, particularly in primary care, through collaborations with clinicians, patients and their whānau / family. My areas of interest are long COVID, sleep disordered breathing and COPD.

My research seeks to understand the lived experience of people with these conditions and explore cost-effective person-centred solutions for management of these conditions.

Current research projects

  • Understanding experiences of family / whānau supporting adults living with long Covid in Aotearoa New Zealand: a qualitative study
  • Exploring user experiences of the Post-COVID symptom map
  • Evaluation of a long COVID pilot clinic in primary care
  • Exploring experiences of those living with long COVID in accessing primary care
  • Health providers’ experiences of managing patients with long COVID in primary care

Completed research projects

  • Exploring experiences of returning to exercise or sport following recovery from long COVID: a qualitative study
  • The perspectives and experiences of physiotherapists on implementing self-management support in inpatient hospital settings
  • Awareness, knowledge, and management of long COVID amongst a cohort of primary care-based physiotherapists in New Zealand: a survey of current practice
  • The use of exercise and motivational text messaging to support physical activity behaviour change in an adult population with obstructive sleep apnoea
  • Physical activity behaviour and barriers to activity in adults at high risk of obstructive sleep apnoea

Publications

Winck, J. C., Hoffman, J. S., Systrom, D., Rhodes, S., & Heightman, M. J. (2025, July). Long COVID: The lingering pandemic: Global perspectives and breakthroughs. European Respiratory Society (ERS) Respiratory channel webinar. Retrieved from https://channel.ersnet.org/media-114374-long-covid-the-lingering-pandemic-global-perspectives-and-breakthroughs-3-july-2025 Other Research Output

Rhodes, S., & Tutbury, M. (2025). Suggestions for managing long Covid in primary care in Aotearoa New Zealand: A qualitative study. Journal of Primary Health Care. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1071/HC25143 Journal - Research Article

Hancox, R. J., Jones, S. L., Baggott, C., Candy, S., Corna, N., Davies, C., Fingleton, J., … Rhodes, S., … Young, R. (2025). New Zealand Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Guidelines: 2025 update. New Zealand Medical Journal/Te ara tika o te hauora hapori, 138(1625), 59-63. doi: 10.26635/6965.7149 Journal - Research Other

Rhodes, S., & Douglas, C. (2025). Experiences of accessing primary care by those living with long Covid in New Zealand: A qualitative analysis. PLoS ONE, 20(11), e0324489. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324489 Journal - Research Article

Rhodes, S., Jeffreys, M., Russell, L., & Crossan, J. (2025). “Doors keep closing everywhere”: Experiences of accessing primary care by people living with long COVID. New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy, 53(1), (pp. S38). doi: 10.15619/ncjp.v53i1.478 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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