Rate My Professor Olivia Stone

Dr. Olivia Stone serves as Professional Practice Fellow at the School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, Christchurch campus, within the Division of Health Sciences. In this role, she contributes to clinical education and student training through the physiotherapy clinics. She coordinated the opening of the new Christchurch physiotherapy clinic in 2019, highlighting its role in meeting the physiotherapy needs of the growing inner-city community and supporting student-led pop-up clinics for fitness research and promotion. By 2020, she acted as Director of Clinics for the School of Physiotherapy, facilitating the return to face-to-face services post-lockdown. Stone leads efforts to integrate environmental physiotherapy into undergraduate education, aligning with the University of Otago Sustainability Framework and global trends in sustainable healthcare.

Stone's research interests encompass planetary health, environmental and sustainability education in physiotherapy, GIS, biogeography, physical anthropology, anatomy, and physiotherapy in mental health. As corresponding author, she published 'Integrating environmental physiotherapy into New Zealand undergraduate education: exploring current practice' in Frontiers in Public Health (2024), describing immersive learning activities such as threading Māori Hauora principles throughout the Bachelor of Physiotherapy curriculum, a 'Dragon’s Den' assignment for sustainable business plans, and clinical placements promoting UN Sustainable Development Goals like reduced paper use and outdoor exercise. This curriculum earned full accreditation from the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand in 2023. Earlier work includes primatology and conservation, with publications such as 'A progress report on planetary health, environmental and sustainability education in physiotherapy' (European Journal of Physiotherapy, 2021; 34 citations), 'The Spatial Distribution of Chacma Baboon (Papio ursinus) Habitat Based on an Environmental Envelope Model' (International Journal of Primatology, 2013; 29 citations), 'Assessment of the release of rehabilitated vervet monkeys into the Ntendeka Wilderness Area' (Primates, 2012; 26 citations), and 'The Release of a Troop of Rehabilitated Vervet Monkeys in KwaZulu-Natal' (Folia Primatologica, 2012; 25 citations). Her contributions foster holistic perspectives in physiotherapy practice.