Rachelle Martin, Our people, University of Otago, Wellington, University of Otago, New Zealand

Rachelle Martin thumbnail Dip Phys(Otago), MHSc(Otago), PhD(Otago)

Email rachelle.martin@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 21 223 3362

Rachelle works as a Lecturer with the Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit (RTRU) in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington.

Rachelle is a physiotherapist who has completed her Master of Health Science (endorsed in rehabilitation) in 2014, and her PhD in 2018. Both of these programmes of study were undertaken at the RTRU. She has worked clinically in the area of acquired brain injury in acute and community rehabilitation settings. Alongside her role at the RTRU, Rachelle also works as Research and Knowledge Translation Lead at the Burwood Academy Trust, based in Christchurch.

Rachelle aims to develop equitable health-optimising policies and programmes, enabling people who experience disability to live well across their lifespan. Her research is conducted in a way that supports the development of empowering mana-enhancing health services - acknowledging and building on people’s capabilities and strengths.

Rachelle optimises 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. She is 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 works in partnership with Māori researchers to ensure kaupapa Māori responsiveness.

Rachelle 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, her 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.

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Publications

Dunn, J. A., Martin, R. A., Hackney, J. J., Nunnerley, J. L., Snell, D. L., Bourke, J. A., … Derrett, S. (2022). Developing a conceptual framework for early intervention vocational rehabilitation for people following spinal cord injury. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10926-022-10060-9

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., 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

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

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., 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

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

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

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

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., Martin, R., Surgenor, L., Hay-Smith, J., Hooper, G., Melzer, T., Siegert, R., & Anderson, T. (2016). Mild traumatic brain injury and chronic pain: Using mixed methods to explore unique and overlapping phenomenology. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 97(10), (pp. e2-e3). doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2016.08.004

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Martin, R. (2016, August). Horses for courses: Strengths and challenges of single-case research designs in evaluating the effectiveness of complex rehabilitation interventions. Verbal presentation at the Postgraduate Research Student Symposium, Wellington, New Zealand.

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Graham, F., Sinnott, K. A., Snell, D. L., Martin, R., & Freeman, C. (2013, March). A more normal life: Residents', family, staff and managers' experience of Active Support at a residential facility for people with physical and intellectual impairments. Verbal presentation at the New Zealand Rehabilitation Conference: Connecting, Living, Rebuilding, Nelson, New Zealand.

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

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

More publications...

Dr Rachelle Martin

Publications