Kathryn Hayward

2016 Early Career Recipient. College of Healthcare Sciences

Dr Kate Hayward is Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and at the Stroke Division of the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health at the University of Melbourne.

Dr Hayward started her career in a new graduate physiotherapy position at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.

On the basis of her Honours research, she was offered and accepted a scholarship to undertake a PhD at the University of Queensland.

She completed her PhD in 2013 on recovery of the arm after severe stroke and became a co-inventor of the SMART Arm, a training device to promote recovery of the arm after a stroke.

Following a productive year in Australia as a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, Dr Hayward was awarded three post-doctoral fellowships, including a prestigious NHMRC International Fellowship to study at the Florey Institute in Australia, and a Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Fellowship and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Fellowship in Canada to study at the Brain Behaviour Laboratory in Vancouver Canada.

Dr Hayward has been living and working in Canada since early 2015, during which time she has collaborated on cutting-edge research into mechanisms of brain recovery following severe stroke and published with world leaders in her field.

In 2018, she will return to Australia to the Florey Institute in Melbourne, where she plans to undertake research focused on priming the brain for recovery after severe stroke.

Dr Hayward has already contributed significantly to the science of stroke recovery and shares her cutting-edge skills and knowledge with other young Australians.

She has won a raft of awards and has published prolifically during her short and very successful academic career.

Furthermore, during this time, Dr Hayward has fostered excellence in clinical practice by leading by example and by mentoring other up-and-coming rehabilitation clinicians and researchers.

Examples of this work include leading the North and West Community Rehab Service in Mount Isa, co-presenting at professional development courses throughout Queensland and internationally, undertaking the role of PhD Advisor for JCU PhD students and contributing to the organisation of national and international conferences.

Dr Hayward’s career is driven by a passion to improve recovery for people who have had a severe stroke, by a thirst for learning, an ambition to succeed and to see others succeed, and more recently, to see more women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

Dr Kate Hayward graduated from James Cook University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy with First Class Honours, and also received a University Medal.