Brisbane North PHN welcomes new members to the Allied Health Steering Committee and Clinical Council

Jacki McPherson, Occupational Therapist, Jacki McPherson Occupational Therapy

Jacki McPherson is a North Brisbane-based Mental Health Occupational Therapist and sole practitioner. She is passionate about providing neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed care for women and supporting them to make sense of their experiences through a biopsychosocial lens. Her work focuses on autistic burnout, dysautonomia, sensory regulation, energy conservation, trauma processing, and supporting women who are neurodivergent or identified later in life.

Jacki has a strong interest in epidemiology and understanding what is happening “under the hood" of communities, exploring how patterns emerge, how data tells a story and how insights can help predict outcomes and guide better care.

Shannon Attwater, Psychologist, The Liminal Space

Shannon Attwater is a registered psychologist with experience working with children, adolescents and adults in private practice, mental health support work and psychological research. She practises from a person-centred, humanistic and neurodiversity-affirming framework, with a particular interest in supporting LGBTQIA+ people and creating inclusive, accessible mental health services.

Shannon is a member of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health and the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc. and has previously served on the committee of the Australian Psychological Society’s Psychology of Diverse Bodies, Genders, and Sexualities Interest Group. She brings to the Allied Health Steering Committee a strong commitment to collaborative, equitable and person-led care.

William Blair, Physiotherapist, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital

William Blair is a proud Aboriginal physiotherapist working at the Tess Cramond Pain Research Centre at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. He is passionate about helping people living with persistent pain improve their quality of life through evidence-based care, while advocating for culturally safe healthcare and better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Prajna Vidyasagar, Optometrist, Optometry Australia

Prajna Vidyasagar is an optometrist with seven years of clinical experience in Brisbane across corporate, independent and ophthalmology practice settings. Through her work with Optometry Australia, she contributes to member engagement, policy, and advocacy, with a particular interest in collaborative care and strengthening the integration of optometry within the broader allied health system. Prajna is also in the final stages of completing her PhD at Queensland University of Technology, investigating corneal nerve and ocular surface changes in people with diabetes.

Joyce McSwan, Pharmacist, PainWISE

Joyce is an award-winning clinical consultant pharmacist and renowned educator within the field of pain management in Australia. She is the immediate past president of the Australian Pain Society, Managing Director of PainWISE, and Clinical Director of the Turning Pain into Gain program and Frailty Care in the Community Program. She is also the Board Director of The Australian Pain Solutions and Research Alliance, and newly appointed CEO of the Online Pain Education Network (OPEN), Australia’s most contemporary commonwealth funded pain education program.

Marnie Poiner, Physiotherapist and Sexologist, The Healthy Peach Physio

Marnie Poiner is the Founder and Director of The Healthy Peach Physio, a leading Brisbane-based pelvic health physiotherapy practice dedicated to transforming the way pelvic health care is delivered. As both a Physiotherapist and Sexologist, Marnie has built a reputation for combining exceptional clinical expertise with compassionate, trauma-informed care that empowers people to better understand their bodies and achieve meaningful, lasting improvements in their quality of life.

Marnie is passionate about mentoring clinicians, advancing professional standards within allied health, and contributing to the future of pelvic healthcare through ongoing education and evidence-based practice. She is committed to challenging the stigma surrounding pelvic health by creating accessible, inclusive services and encouraging open conversations about conditions that have been traditionally overlooked.

Kate Schultz, Director of Allied Health, Metro North Community and Oral Health

Kate Schultz is the Director of Allied Health for Metro North Community and Oral Health (COH), leading the professional governance of a diverse allied health workforce that delivers care across a range of non-hospital settings, including residential aged care and disability care, community health centres, satellite hospitals, inpatient subacute facilities and patients' homes.

COH's allied health workforce comprises more than 350 health practitioners across 15 disciplines and 150 clinical assistants across five roles. In her role, Kate oversees the delivery of integrated, safe and high-quality care while fostering a culture of continuous improvement. As an Executive Leader, she also leads the Disability, Culture and Wellbeing, Workforce, and Clinical Communications portfolios across Community and Oral Health.

Brady Schulz is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Advanced Sports Dietitian, as well as the Founder and Managing Director of Healthy Lifestyles Australia. Brady and his team have been providing allied health services across the Brisbane North PHN region for the past 17 years, alongside extensive service delivery throughout metropolitan, regional, rural and remote Queensland.

Through Healthy Lifestyles Australia, Brady oversees a multidisciplinary allied health workforce delivering services across more than 120 locations, including government-funded chronic disease and diabetes programs. He has a strong interest in integrated models of care, strengthening referral pathways, improving access to allied health services, and building sustainable allied health workforces.

Brady contributes to the Brisbane North PHN Allied Health Steering Committee and serves on Medicare Benefits Schedule Review Advisory Committee initiatives, bringing together frontline allied health experience, organisational leadership, and broader health system policy perspectives.

Leanne Hopkins, Occupational Therapist, Succeed Healthcare Solutions

Leanne Hopkins is a Mental Health Occupational Therapist and Chief Success Officer at Succeed Healthcare Solutions, with over 15 years’ experience in private allied health practice. Her work spans community-based group therapy, mental health and neurodevelopmental supports, clinical governance, workforce models and service innovation. She also leads Succeed Practice Management, supporting allied health businesses with practice systems, and workforce and operational sustainability. Leanne brings both clinical and practice-management perspectives to the Brisbane North PHN Allied Health Steering Committee.

Troy Burgess, Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Director Achieve Exercise Physiologists

Troy Burgess is the Director of Achieve Exercise Physiology and an Accredited Exercise Physiologist with a passion for helping people improve their health, function, and quality of life through evidence-based exercise.

With extensive experience across chronic disease management, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, injury recovery and preventative health, Troy is committed to delivering personalised care that empowers clients to achieve meaningful, long-term outcomes. He believes successful rehabilitation starts with understanding each person's goals and creating practical, individualised treatment plans that fit their lifestyle.

As Director of Achieve Exercise Physiology, Troy leads a team dedicated to providing exceptional client experiences and working collaboratively with general practitioners, specialists, and allied health professionals to deliver coordinated, high-quality care. His focus is on creating a welcoming environment where every client feels supported, understood and confident throughout their rehabilitation journey.

Kingsley Shbay, Physiotherapist, The Prince Charles Hospital, UpRight Physiotherapy

Kingsley Shbay is a physiotherapist working across public hospital, private practice and university education settings. His clinical interests include vestibular physiotherapy, neurological rehabilitation and falls prevention, and he currently works between The Prince Charles Hospital, QEII Jubilee Hospital and UpRight Physiotherapy.

Kingsley is also a Clinical Educator and Casual Academic with The University of Queensland, and an Australian Physiotherapy Association Queensland Branch Councillor. Through the Brisbane North PHN Clinical Council, he looks forward to bringing a practical allied health perspective to strengthening service coordination, referral pathways and access to prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation across the community.