Trainers
Lymphoedema Education Solutions was established by Maree O’Connor Physiotherapist. Maree’s vision is to provide education that meets the need of the individual or organisation. Our presenters are experienced in their field of practice.
Maree O'Connor
Maree O’Connor is a physiotherapist and has over 30 years experience in the area of lymphoedema management and also physiotherapy following breast cancer. She has been delivering lymphoedema courses, workshops, seminars and speaking at both national and international conferences since 1994 and has a graduate certificate in health professional education. Maree enjoys teaching and is passionate about making it an authentic learning experience. She is the co-author of the Lymphoedema Handbook.
Maree has worked in both the private and public sectors and established the first comprehensive lymphoedema clinic at the Mercy Hospital for Women in 1994. Whilst she was there she assisted in establishing the Lymphoedema Compression Garment Fund. Her involvement in lymphoedema has not only been from a clinical perspective. She was part of the steering committee that established the Australasian Lymphology Association (ALA) and was their first president. At a state level Maree has a close association with the Lymphoedema Practitioners Education Group of Victoria and served on their committee for many years as well as serving as president. She has also been on numerous committees and working parties in relationship to lymphoedema both at a state and federal level.
She is past chairperson of the ALA Education Training Guidelines Subcommittee and of the ALA National lymphoedema Practitioners Register Committee of Management. Maree was also on the executive committee for the Australian Lymphoedema Framework. She also co-chaired, for a number of years, the education committee for the International Lymphoedema Framework.
Sarah Harmon
Sarah Harmon is a physiotherapist with over 25 years of clinical experience in lymphoedema management and oncology care. Before working privately, she managed lymphoedema services at Werribee Mercy and the Southern Health Lymphoedema Service at Monash Medical Centre. Early in her career, she also enjoyed her role as President of the Lymphoedema Practitioners Education Group of Victoria. She has completed all levels of lymphoedema training and continues to partake in further education provided by the ALA and the leading educational providers in Australia. She has presented at many breast cancer forums, and for over 10 years she has been involved in the training of other practitioners through the VLP and Lymphoedema Education Solutions.
Her interests in lymphoedema remain broad, ranging from early detection post surgery to the intensive management of longstanding lymphoedema. She enjoys working closely with her clients to establish an individualised, realistic management plan that keeps swelling under control and keeps people moving!
Michelle Pardy
Michelle Pardy has over 20 years experience. She has worked in the areas of Neurology, Women’s Health and more recently Muskuloskeletal Physiotherapy and Complex Pain disorders. She is also a qualified yoga instructor and uses her yoga and physiotherapy experience to deliver an exercise class, which will focus on the individual, needs of each client and introduce them to a safe and effective practice.
Dr Deborah Harley
Deb graduated from Melbourne University last century and has worked as a GP in the Geelong region for over 35 years. For the past 20+ years, she has also worked part time as a team member of the Geelong Lymphoedema Clinic, which serves south-west Victoria, and sees both malignant and non malignant cases of lymphoedema.
As a GP, Deb has a special interest in aged care and community palliative care, both of which utilise her knowledge of lymphoedema/chronic oedema.
She is a member of the ALA and LAA organisations, and is a regular attendee at the annual national lymphoedema conferences and symposiums.
Jodie Rundell
Physiotherapist
Jodie Rundell has over 10 years experience working with lymphoedema clients, primarily in the area of oncology related lymphoedema. Much of her work has focused on lymphoedema treatment as well as prevention in post-operative breast cancer patients through increased patient awareness/education of lymphoedema and early detection. Her special interest lies in the management of breast lymphoedema. She has also dealt extensively with other common post-operative conditions such as shoulder dysfunction, lymphatic cording and scar tissue management following breast cancer surgery.
Sharon Tilley
Sharon Tilley is a Principal Physiotherapist at the Lymphoedema and Laser Therapy clinic in Adelaide, South Australia. Together with Flinders University this clinic undertook inaugural research investigating the effects of low level laser on breast cancer related lymphoedema in 1995.
In 1989, while working in the position of Outpatient Senior at the Royal Darwin Hospital she purchased her first laser for use in the area of hand rehabilitation and wound management. She has predominantly worked in the area of lymphoedema management since 2000 and now has 11 lasers in her current clinic.
She has been published in the UK Journal of Lymphoedema and has presented for, and held committee positions within the Australian Physiotherapy Association, the Australasian Lymphology Association and the Australian Medical Lasers Association. She was recently invited to present a workshop on the use of laser in lymphoedema management at the World Association Of Laser Therapy in Washington DC.
Melinda Brooks
Melinda has worked in wound management for more than 30 years in a variety of settings from the Victorian Adult Burns Unit, to community nursing, research and lecturing in wound care at RMIT, Monash & Latrobe Universities.
Melinda works in private practice as a Nurse Practitioner in wound management, following her endorsement in 2013. Her work is mainly in aged care, community and in private wound clinics, providing consultancy and education. In 2016, Melinda and two colleagues began Wounds R Us – a collaboration which provides wound management education to clinicians around Melbourne.
Melinda has presented at many state and national conferences and thrives on teaching others about the importance of holistic wound management. Melinda is a past member of the Wounds Australia Education Pillar and committee member of the Wounds Australia national conferences in 2016 & 2018. Melinda is credentialled as an Advanced Wound Practitioner by Wounds Australia.
