Country WA in the spotlight with allied health honours projects
Trish Chivilo (WACHS Professional Lead – Speech Pathology) and Curtin Speech Pathology students at their first meeting to commence project planning. From L to R Chloe Pin (student), Rachel Agung (student), Trish Chivilo, Grace Barber (student) and Kita Camon (student).
WA Country Health Service (WACHS) is helping develop the project management and design thinking skills of Curtin University allied health students by supporting innovative honours projects focussed on enhancing healthcare delivery in country communities.
Curtin University students taking part in a Speech Pathology, Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy honours program will be supported by WACHS staff on projects designed to enhance allied health services across country WA.
As part of the program, WACHS is championing four honours projects that will run until October 2025.
These projects focus on developing resources, strategies and service enhancements that directly support allied health professionals and their clients across country WA.
WA Country Health Service Director of Allied Health Suzanne Spitz highlighted the significance of this initiative and its value to both students and country communities.
“This collaboration with Curtin University is a fantastic opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills while contributing to meaningful projects in allied health services,” she said.
“We’re proud to support this initiative and look forward to seeing the impact these student-led projects will have on country WA communities.”
The four WACHS projects include:
| Region | Project | WACHS leads | Student profession |
| Kimberley | Development of culturally appropriate handouts for common orthopaedic surgeries. | Jenni Robertson (Physiotherapist, Broome) Katelin Di Toro (Physiotherapist, Derby) |
Physiotherapy |
| WACHS wide | Classroom strategies for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). | Trish Chivilo (Professional Lead – Speech Pathology) | Speech Pathology |
| WACHS wide | Understand the treatment journey for WA country Perth for treatment. | Barbara Hall (Project Lead – Telehands Pilot) |
Occupational Therapy |
| WACHS wide | Hip and knee replacement preoperative education. | Jane Benson (Professional Lead - Physiotherapy) Anne Herbert (Professional Lead – Occupational Therapy) Genevieve O’Connor (Physiotherapist, Busselton) |
Physiotherapy |
Trish said the goal of this project is to develop practical resources to support classroom teachers working with children who have oral language difficulties and/or DLD.
“DLD affects up to one in 14 children and can have a significant impact on their ability to communicate and learn,” Trish said.
“By equipping teachers with targeted, evidence-based resources, we can empower them to better support students with language challenges, ultimately improving educational outcomes and long-term opportunities for these children.”