Ms Heather Talberg
My clinical background is in musculoskeletal and orthopedic physiotherapy. I came into academia because of my passion for clinical practice and the desire to strengthen physiotherapy students’ clinical skills and competence. My main research interest is in health sciences education, especially practice learning. Clinical practice is a different community to higher education, it is there important to consider how these need to be integrated to graduate students who feel confident in practice. I supervise students across fairly diverse topics ranging from exercise and sports physio to mental health in elite sports and the experiences of female physiotherapists in male dominated sports,
My master’s study looked at professional identity formation in physiotherapy, more specifically the experiences of students in clinics and engaged with clinical educators and academics around professional development using Lave and Wenger’s community of practice to underpin it. A key finding was the need to reframe higher education as a community of practice, in order to graduate students with a strong professional identity.
Qualifications
- B.Sc. Physiotherapy (UCT) (1992)
- Diploma in Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy (OMT) (1997)
- M.Phil (Higher Education Studies) CHED UCT. 2012. Thesis title: Investigating Professional Identity in Undergraduate Physiotherapy Education.
- SAFRI – South African Faimer Regional Institute : Medical Education Fellowship : Completed 2015