Rate My Professor Laura Hemmings

Dr. Laura Hemmings is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Health Sciences and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at Macquarie University. She earned a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and a PhD from The University of Queensland, with her doctoral research centered on interventions for children born extremely preterm. Having worked as a physiotherapist since 2006, Hemmings brings extensive clinical expertise in paediatric physiotherapy, particularly in neonatal intensive care and follow-up clinics for high-risk infants. She previously held positions at Mater Mothers' Hospital in Brisbane and joined Macquarie University in 2017 as part of the Department of Health Professions, advancing to Senior Lecturer. Recognized for her contributions to teaching excellence, she became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) in 2021 and was a Highly Commended Finalist in the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Learning Innovation in 2022, alongside colleagues Verity Pacey and Wanda McDermott, for developing innovations that enhance student learning, teaching, and assessment in physiotherapy education.

Hemmings' research focuses on developmental paediatrics, specifically interventions and long-term outcomes for children born extremely preterm or extremely low birthweight, as well as screening and assessment of mild motor delays in preschool children. Her work includes the development and validation of the Targeted Motor Control Screening Tool, demonstrated valid for 4-year-old children. Key publications encompass 'The Targeted Motor Control Screening Tool Is Valid for 4-Year-Old Children' (Physical Therapy, 2024), 'Clinimetrics: Neurosensory Motor Developmental Assessment' (Journal of Physiotherapy, 2024), 'Development, feasibility, and acceptability of a screening resource to assess mild motor delay in 4-year-old children: a mixed methods study' (Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 2025), 'An intervention model for children with mild developmental delay using multi-stakeholder co-design study and Australia-wide survey' (Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 2026), 'The effect of high-fidelity simulation-based learning in acute cardiorespiratory physical therapy: a mixed-methods systematic review' (Advances in Simulation, 2021), and 'Randomised clinical trial of group-based physiotherapy in residential aged care' (Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2020). Her contributions advance early intervention strategies and physiotherapy practices for vulnerable paediatric populations, while her teaching in units such as PHTY8100 Applied Sciences for Physiotherapy A and PHTY8204 Health and Wellbeing Across Lifespan A supports the next generation of clinicians.