Dr Serena Hong

I am a lecturer for the Physiotherapy program within the School of Health Sciences/Faculty of Medicine and Health at UNSW. I obtained my PhD in 2019 at the University of Sydney in the area of Physiotherapy and Cardiac Surgery. I have over 20 years of experience as a Senior Physiotherapist in Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy, particularly in Cardiothoracic Surgery and ICU at Liverpool Hospital. Before joining UNSW as an academic, I was a Team Leader managing a team of 20 staff and provided clinical leadership in Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy through clinical support and supervision, teaching and education of physiotherapy staff and students in the Acute Cardiorespiratory Team at Liverpool Hospital.

Most of my research is within the cardiovascular stream, particularly in Cardiothoracic Surgery. My recent research involves prehabilitation in older and frail persons undergoing cardiac surgery and post-hip fracture in older persons. I am also interested and involved in education research, especially in interprofessional education in the School of Health Sciences. In addition to these areas, I am keen to be involved in other cardiorespiratory-related research areas, such as respiratory, critical care and surgeries.

I have experience in quantitative (RCT) and qualitative methodologies (e.g. Systematic Reviews with meta-analysis, and surveys). To date, I have supervised two (2) Honours students one graduating with first-class Honours, and currently supervising a Master's student as a secondary supervisor.

As an Education Focus lecturer, I believe my role is to facilitate students' learning through various teaching/learning techniques so that they can consolidate their foundational knowledge, learn skills in a safe environment, and encourage reflection, empathy, professionalism and communication skills that are required to prepare them for clinical placement, where students can apply their knowledge and skills in real-life practice.

I adopt and apply case-based and experiential learning with innovative digital technologies to enhance students' learning and engagement. My goal is to inspire the students as much as they inspire me.