This Queensland Para Sport Network for Performance Enhancement and Applied Research (QPSN) webinar brings together three highly respected leaders in Para sport to explore how research, education and collaboration can work together to improve the Para athlete experience and create lasting impact.
The webinar will explore lessons learned working in the Paralympic movement through the over 100 years combined experience of Professor Brendan Burkett PLY OAM, Professor Sean Tweedy AM and Robyn Smith OAM.
The discussion will consider what we can do now to ensure the Games provide a catalyst for meaningful and enduring change. Chaired by Paralympian and QPSN leader Dr Bridie Kean PLY, the session will encourage discussion about what is possible, and what researchers, educators, practitioners and sporting organisations can do to make it happen.
About QPSN
QPSN was established in 2022 through a number of Queensland universities and industry to harness the collective expertise of its members in para-sport, science, and innovation to ensure that Australia's para-athletes dominate the podium in 2032, and, in the process, generate knowledge that benefits all Australians.
Speaker biographies
Professor Brendan Burkett PLY OAM, University of the Sunshine Coast
Professor Brendan Burkett is Professor and Strategic Lead of High Performance Sport at the University of the Sunshine Coast and Chair of the Queensland Para Sport Network for Performance Enhancement and Applied Research (QPSN). A former Paralympic and World Champion swimmer, Brendan brings extensive experience across Para sport as an athlete, coach, sport scientist, researcher and high-performance leader. His applied research focuses on enhancing athlete performance and experience through sport science and biomechanics; developing and evaluating equipment and technologies to support performance; and translating research and innovation into practical solutions that address the real-world needs of Para athletes, coaches and practitioners.
Professor Sean Tweedy AM, University of Queensland
Professor Sean Tweedy leads the Para Sport and Adapted Physical Activity Research Group in the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at The University of Queensland. Through his applied research program, he aims to generate and translate knowledge that empowers people with disability to pursue self-directed goals through safe and effective engagement in sport and physical activity. His research focuses on increasing physical activity and reducing preventable disease among people with disability; developing evidence-based classification methods to promote fair competition in Para sport; and creating safe, effective opportunities for people with severe disability and high support needs to participate in physically demanding and competitive sport, including through his flagship ParaSTART program.
Robyn Smith OAM, Sport Inclusion Australia
Robyn Smith OAM is President of Virtus, a member of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board and Brisbane 2032 Board, and International Engagement Advisor with Sport Inclusion Australia. With more than three decades of leadership across disability and Para sport, Robyn brings extensive experience spanning community participation, high-performance sport, national and international governance, and major sporting events. Her work focuses on advancing inclusive sporting opportunities and pathways for people with disability; strengthening collaboration across sporting organisations, government and the Paralympic Movement; and building partnerships that translate into meaningful and lasting benefits for athletes, communities and the broader sport system.
Webinar chair
Dr Bridie Kean PLY, University of the Sunshine Coast
Dr Bridie Kean PLY is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health at the University of the Sunshine Coast and a Leader of the Queensland Para Sport Network for Performance Enhancement and Applied Research (QPSN). A dual Paralympic medallist and former captain of the Australian women’s wheelchair basketball team, Bridie represented Australia at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympic Games. She has extensive experience across Para sport as an athlete, researcher and sport leader.