Rate My Professor Sophie Lefmann

Dr Sophie Lefmann is a Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy within the School of Allied Health and Human Performance, College of Health, at Adelaide University. With over 20 years of experience as a physiotherapist, her clinical background centers on paediatrics, particularly neurological and developmental disorders. She is the Course Coordinator for REHB 4057 and REHB 6017 (Physiotherapy with Children and Families) and oversees the First Year and Second Year Physiotherapy Programs. Her teaching responsibilities include Physiotherapy Studies 200, Biopsychosocial Practice, Musculoskeletal Skills in Physiotherapy, Advanced Evidence Based Practice, Neurosciences in Physiotherapy, and Physiotherapy Studies 201. She excels in scholarship of teaching and learning, preclinical skills in early student years, community-based rehabilitation for children, communication, and behaviour management.

Lefmann earned her PhD from the School of Health Sciences (Physiotherapy), University of South Australia. Her academic interests and research specializations focus on paediatric physiotherapy and rehabilitation, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and health services and systems research. As an experienced principal supervisor, she currently leads research on student readiness for clinical placement using GoPro360 technology (doctoral), usability of rehabilitation equipment by children, parents, and physiotherapists (honours), and service design in the government health sector (honours). She collaborates with teams on robotic rehabilitation. Key publications comprise "SAFER: an occupational health and safety teaching framework for nursing students" (Boucaut & Lefmann, 2022, Athens Journal of Health and Medical Sciences), "Exploring parental perceptions of a family-centred model of care in a public child development service" (Argall et al., 2022, Journal of Child Health Care), "The physiotherapy in preschools program: describing a student-led assessment service for children with possible motor skill difficulties" (Tsiros et al., 2020, Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly), "The effectiveness of robotic-assisted gait training for paediatric gait disorders: systematic review" (Lefmann et al., 2017, Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation), "Towards understanding the availability of physiotherapy services in rural Australia" (Adams et al., 2016, Rural and Remote Health), and "Establishing the diverse value of the emergency department physiotherapist" (Lefmann & Crane, 2016, Journal of Physiotherapy). Lefmann contributes to national and international committees on higher education practice and SoTL.