In this episode, we continue our deep dive into clinical trials and research that are shaping the future of spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Senior Research Fellow Dr. Claire Boswell-Rice at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), shares insights from her work on respiratory muscle training, sitting balance and transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation combined with body weight supported treadmill training. Clare discusses Project Spark, a collaborative initiative with SpinalCure Australia that is driving forward neurostimulation research in Australia.

Next we hear from Dr. Dinesh Palipana OAM, an medical doctor, lawyer, disability advocate and researcher, who speaks about pioneering studies in olfactory cell therapy, electrical stimulation, and EEG-driven virtual reality walking systems. Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience, Dinesh highlights why embedding people with spinal cord injury in research is vital to shaping meaningful progress.

Together, Claire and Dinesh paint a picture of a research landscape filled with challenge, hope and frontier science, reminding us that even small advances can profoundly change lives.

Meet our guests:

 Claire Boswell-Ruys

Claire has worked in the area of spinal cord injuries for the past 20 years. She is a trained physiotherapist and completed her PhD in 2010 at the University of New South Wales. Claire’s PhD developed tools to assess sitting ability and concern about falling in people with a spinal cord injury (SCI); this Falls Concern Scale (FCS) has been translated into 9 different languages (SCI-FCS). Further, she investigated the effect of specific rehabilitation techniques on sitting ability in SCI.

Claire’s research within the spinal cord injury field has included multiple clinical trials to improve health outcomes. She has investigated the effectiveness of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) for respiratory function, breathlessness and quality of life; functional electrical stimulation for cough and respiratory function; probiotics for the prevention of urinary tract infections and bowel function; and neurostimualtion techniques to enhance muscle strength.

Claire currently works part time as a Research Fellow at the Spinal Cord Injuries Research Centre (SCIRC) based at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and as a Physiotherapist at Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick. Claire’s current projects investigate the effect of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation on walking ability, acute intermittent hypoxia on muscle strength and function, and IMT on respiratory function in people with SCI. The research team at SCRIC welcome interest in student research projects and collaboration with fellow scientists.

Dinesh Palipana OAM

Dinesh was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland. He is a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate and researcher. While in medical school, he was involved in a car accident that caused a spinal cord injury. Dinesh has completed a Bachelor of Laws at the Queensland University of Technology, a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the College of Law, Emergency Medicine Certificate at the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, and Doctor of Medicine and Griffith University. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors under a Disability Leadership Scholarship. Dinesh works in the emergency department at the Gold Coast University Hospital. He is a researcher and senior lecturer at the Griffith University and assistant professor at Bond University.

Dinesh is a researcher in spinal cord injury, co-leading the BioSpine research team. He is a doctor for the Gold Coast Titans physical disability rugby team. Dinesh was a senior advisor to the Disability Royal Commission. He is an ambassador to the Human Rights Commission’s Includeability program. He is a founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia. He is an advisory board member to HealthyLife, a Woolworths company. Dinesh is a John Monash Scholar. He is an independent non-executive director of George Steuart & Co, one of the oldest companies in the world and oldest in Sri Lanka. Dinesh is a non-executive director of the Housing Hub, started by the Summer Foundation. Dinesh was the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service’s Junior Doctor of the Year in 2018. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019. He was the third Australian to be awarded a Henry Viscardi Achievement Award. He was the 2021 Griffith University Young Alumnus of the Year. Dinesh was the Queensland Australian of the Year for 2021. In 2022, Dinesh was listed as number 33 in the Courier Mail’s top 100 power list for Queensland’s most influential in health and wellbeing. His autobiography, Stronger, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2022.