About Us
The Hopkins Centre: Research for Rehabilitation and Resilience is a joint initiative of Griffith University and the Division of Rehabilitation, Metro South Hospital and Health Service in partnership with the Motor Accident Insurance Commission, Synapse, Spinal Life Australia, and Health Consumers Queensland.
Our researchers focus on topics of relevance to people with brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, persistent pain and other chronic disabling conditions that have lifelong implications for individuals, their families and support services.
The Centre focuses on interdisciplinary applied research that examines rehabilitation practices, disability services and social support systems. It provides a vehicle for driving improvements in service delivery by facilitating research that is embedded in practice. We are ideally positioned at the interface of research, clinical practice and community, bringing together experienced rehabilitation practitioners, expert academic researchers, community practitioners, policymakers and consumers.
The approach and structure of the Centre enhances timely translation of knowledge into new ways of working and improved outcomes for people living with chronic disability and complex health conditions. By creating an environment that nurtures sustainable partnerships and respectful sharing of diverse knowledge, the Centre continually expands its potential and the impact of its research.
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Dr Paul Hopkins
The Centre is named in recognition of Dr. Paul Hopkins, AO, a rehabilitation physician who changed the face of rehabilitation in Queensland. In the early 1960s, he gained his Fellowship in Surgery in Edinburgh, but his career dramatically changed when he suffered a stroke. Unable to practice surgery, Paul turned to rehabilitation medicine and became one of Australia’s most influential rehabilitation practitioners.
Over the next four decades, he established or developed rehabilitation services and clinics. In 1969, he was appointed as Medical Director of Rehabilitation Services for Queensland Health and retained this role until his retirement in 1998. He was also Director of brain injury rehabilitation and amputee services at Princess Alexandra Hospital from 1992 to 1998. Paul was a foundation fellow of the Australian College of Rehabilitation Medicine in 1979 and an executive of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine Qld (AFRM) until 1995.
In 2000, he was named an Officer of the Order of Australia for his service to rehabilitation and children with disabilities. During his career, Paul maintained a deep respect for the people he served as well as his fellow workers. He pioneered personcentred interdisciplinary practice and advocated tirelessly to protect the dignity of people with disabilities.
We are honoured to acknowledge the memory of Dr. Paul Hopkins by crafting The Hopkins Centre on his values and pursuing research questions that intrigued him throughout his remarkable career.
