Overview
Background
Roma Forbes is the Program Director of the Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours) program at The University of Queensland. A highly experienced APA-titled Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, she brings extensive clinical and academic expertise to her role.
Roma is a Director of the Australian Physiotherapy Council and serves as the National Chair of the Accreditation Committee, overseeing the quality and standards of physiotherapy education and practice. She also represents Australia on the World Physiotherapy Education Committee, contributing to global advancements in physiotherapy and interprofessional education. She serves a number of editorial roles including as an Associate Editor for The Clinical Teacher and Editor for Education for the Archives of Physiotherapy.
With a strong commitment to student success and workforce readiness, Roma leads programs of research exploring work-integrated learning, student transition, and the capabilities needed for a contemporary health workforce. Her work informs both curriculum innovation and policy, focusing on how learning environments, assessment, and educator development can enhance graduate outcomes.
Roma is passionate about fostering a supported, inclusive, and high-performing community of health professional students, educators, and researchers at UQ and beyond. She remains deeply committed to transforming health professional education through evidence-informed leadership, policy, and partnerships that support students from university entry through to graduation and into the workforce.
Awards and Fellowships
- Advance Higher Education Global Impact Award (2023)
- The University of Queensland Award for Teaching Excellence (2023)
- Association for the Study of Medical Education - Medical Education Developing Scholarship Award (2023)
- Higher Education Academy Senior Fellow (2023)
- Health and Behavioural Sciences Faculty Award for Programs that Enhance Learning (2023)
- Australian Award for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2021)
- Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Fellow (2021)
- The University of Queensland Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2020)
- Flinders University - ANZAHPE Award for Excellence in Health Professional Education (2020)
- Higher Eduction Academy Fellow (2019)
- Health and Behavioural Sciences Faculty Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2019)
- School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2018)
- Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) Associate Fellow (2018)
Availability
- Dr Roma Forbes is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Qualifications
- Bachelor, Auckland University of Technology
- Postgraduate Diploma, Auckland University of Technology
- Masters (Coursework), Auckland University of Technology
- Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
- Certificate of Languages, Te Wananga o Aotearoa
Research impacts
Roma leads and collaborates with teams across universities and industry sectors to embed innovative patient education models and educator development frameworks into health professional programs in Australia and internationally. Her work focuses on building educator capability and embedding evidence-informed teaching practices across classroom and clinical settings. She also leads national research initiatives to improve access to and quality of work-integrated learning in private practice, identifying systemic barriers and co-designing solutions that strengthen placement capacity, educator support, and student learning outcomes.
Works
Search Professor Roma Forbes’s works on UQ eSpace
2020
Journal Article
Physiotherapy new graduate self-efficacy and readiness for interprofessional collaboration: a mixed methods study
Jones, Abraham, Ingram, Meg E. and Forbes, Roma (2020). Physiotherapy new graduate self-efficacy and readiness for interprofessional collaboration: a mixed methods study. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 35 (1), 1-10. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2020.1723508
2019
Journal Article
New-graduate physiotherapists’ readiness for practice and experiences of managing chronic pain; a qualitative study
Forbes, Roma and Ingram, Meg (2019). New-graduate physiotherapists’ readiness for practice and experiences of managing chronic pain; a qualitative study. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 37 (11), 1-8. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2019.1692394
2019
Journal Article
Physiotherapy new graduate self-efficacy and readiness to engage in pain assessment and management: A mixed-methods study
Ingram, Meg, Forbes, Roma and Jones, Abraham (2019). Physiotherapy new graduate self-efficacy and readiness to engage in pain assessment and management: A mixed-methods study. Focus on Health Professional Education, 20 (3), 65-83. doi: 10.11157/fohpe.v20i3.362
2019
Other Outputs
What the health: What is the best exercise for chronic pain?
Forbes, Roma (2019, 07 26). What the health: What is the best exercise for chronic pain? What the health
2019
Other Outputs
What the health: What is the best exercise for chronic pain?
Forbes, Roma (2019, 07 26). What the health: What is the best exercise for chronic pain? What the Health
2019
Journal Article
Service dissatisfaction and non-attendance in physiotherapy student-led clinics: a qualitative study
Forbes, Roma (2019). Service dissatisfaction and non-attendance in physiotherapy student-led clinics: a qualitative study. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 36 (12), 1-9. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2019.1570576
2019
Conference Publication
Feedback provided to physiotherapy students by standardised patients: key stakeholder perspectives
Mandrusiak, Allison, Forbes, Roma and Williams, Katrina (2019). Feedback provided to physiotherapy students by standardised patients: key stakeholder perspectives. Australian Physiotherapy Association National Conference, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 17-19 October, 2019.
2018
Journal Article
Development and reliability testing of a patient education performance tool for physical therapy students
Forbes, Roma and Mandrusiak, Allison (2018). Development and reliability testing of a patient education performance tool for physical therapy students. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 33 (1), 64-69. doi: 10.1097/jte.0000000000000074
2018
Other Outputs
What does best-practice patient education look like?
Forbes, Roma (2018, 05 14). What does best-practice patient education look like? Relief News: International Association for the Study of Pain 1-1.
2018
Journal Article
Factors associated with patient-satisfaction in student-led physiotherapy clinics: a qualitative study
Forbes, Roma (2018). Factors associated with patient-satisfaction in student-led physiotherapy clinics: a qualitative study. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 34 (9), 705-713. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2018.1423592
2018
Conference Publication
Training health professional students to educate patients
Forbes, Roma (2018). Training health professional students to educate patients. Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators Conference, Hobart, TAS, Australia, 1-4 July 2018.
2018
Journal Article
New-graduate physical therapistsʼ self-efficacy to perform patient education is influenced by entry-level training experiences
Forbes, Roma, Mandrusiak, Allison, Smith, Michelle and Russell, Trevor (2018). New-graduate physical therapistsʼ self-efficacy to perform patient education is influenced by entry-level training experiences. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 32 (1), 46-54. doi: 10.1097/JTE.0000000000000022
2017
Other Outputs
Patient education best practice; enhancing physiotherapy students’ self-efficacy and skills
Forbes, Roma (2017). Patient education best practice; enhancing physiotherapy students’ self-efficacy and skills. PhD Thesis, School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2018.93
2017
Journal Article
Training physiotherapy students to educate patients: a randomised controlled trial
Forbes, R., Mandrusiak, A., Smith, M. and Russell, T. (2017). Training physiotherapy students to educate patients: a randomised controlled trial. Patient Education and Counseling, 101 (2), 295-303. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2017.08.009
2017
Journal Article
Identification of competencies for patient education in physiotherapy using a Delphi approach
Forbes, Roma, Mandrusiak, Allison, Smith, Michelle and Russell, Trevor (2017). Identification of competencies for patient education in physiotherapy using a Delphi approach. Physiotherapy, 104 (2), 232-238. doi: 10.1016/j.physio.2017.06.002
2017
Journal Article
A comparison of patient education practices of novice and experienced physiotherapists in Australia
Forbes, Roma, Mandrusiak, Allison, Smith, Michelle and Russell, Trevor (2017). A comparison of patient education practices of novice and experienced physiotherapists in Australia. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 28, 46-53. doi: 10.1016/j.msksp.2017.01.007
2017
Journal Article
Evaluating physiotherapists' practice and perception of patient education: a national survey in Australia
Forbes, Roma, Mandrusiak, Allison, Russell, Trevor and Smith, Michelle (2017). Evaluating physiotherapists' practice and perception of patient education: a national survey in Australia. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 24 (3), 122-130. doi: 10.12968/ijtr.2017.24.3.122
2017
Journal Article
Enhancing patient education skills of physiotherapy students in a clinical education setting
Forbes, Roma (2017). Enhancing patient education skills of physiotherapy students in a clinical education setting. Focus on Health Professional Education, 18 (1), 27-41. doi: 10.11157/fohpe.v18i1.205
2017
Conference Publication
A comparison of patient education practices of novice and experienced physiotherapists in Australian settings
Forbes, Roma (2017). A comparison of patient education practices of novice and experienced physiotherapists in Australian settings. Australian Physiotherapy Association National Conference, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 19-21 October 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
A case-control spectral analysis of sleep in Friedreich's Ataxia
Forbes, R., Smith, S. S., Ritchie, A., O'Sullivan, J. D. and Mantovani, S. (2017). A case-control spectral analysis of sleep in Friedreich's Ataxia. World Sleep 2017, Prague, Czech Republic, 7-11 October 2017. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2017.11.611
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Roma Forbes is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Enhancing clinical education capacity within the physiotherapy profession
-
New graduate physiotherapist readiness for practice
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Comparing and contrasting the physical therapies.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nathalia Costa
-
Doctor Philosophy
Preparing new graduate physiotherapists to work with First Nations Australians: A cultural safety journey
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Allison Mandrusiak
-
Doctor Philosophy
Educational experience and work readiness of allied health students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Adriana Penman
-
Doctor Philosophy
Preparing and supporting recent graduate physiotherapists for the private sector
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Allison Mandrusiak, Dr Alana Dinsdale
-
Doctor Philosophy
The contribution of patient caseload complexity in bridging the gap between student and new graduate physiotherapist
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Allison Mandrusiak
-
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring and enhancing physiotherapist competency in clinical documentation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Allison Mandrusiak
-
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring new graduate physiotherapists transition to practice and the role of graduate programs
Principal Advisor
-
Master Philosophy
Exploring student and practice educator experiences in feedback processes within clinical learning environments
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Adriana Penman
-
Doctor Philosophy
Physical activity behaviour change training for pre-professional health students to support delivery in clinical practice
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sjaan Gomersall
-
Master Philosophy
Navigating diagnostic uncertainty in physiotherapy practice
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alana Dinsdale
-
Doctor Philosophy
Study Strategies in Health Professions Education
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Allison Mandrusiak, Professor Jason Lodge
-
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the experiences of clinical based learning and transition to clinical practice for physiotherapy students from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background with a view to informing better student, university and clinical placement practices
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Martin Sale
Completed supervision
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Preparing and supporting new-graduate physiotherapists for rural practice
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Trevor Russell, Associate Professor Allison Mandrusiak
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring disability and management in adults with persistent mechanical temporomandibular disorders
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Julia Treleaven, Dr Lucy Thomas
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Roma Forbes directly for media enquiries about:
- Clinical Education
- Graduate Preparedness
- Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
- Patient Education
- Private Practice
- Readiness for Practice
- Teaching and Learning
- Work Integrated Learning
- Workforce
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