I graduated from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, in 2011 with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy. Since graduation, I have worked in the hospital and private practice setting mainly focusing on musculoskeletal injuries including rehabilitation of acute conditions, post-op, subacute and chronic conditions.
I started my work as a physiotherapist in a Charity, Raad Organization, as a volunteer physiotherapist. It was a really rewarding work, as over there I treated the youth with various types of neurological disorders. Then I worked in a hospital position which was a centre Orthopaedic surgeries and musculoskeletal conditions. It was during this time that I developed my genuine interest in treating upper limb conditions.
I then took a position for a couple of years at Fatemeh Hospital, which is a specialized hand surgery hospital in Tehran. Working as an upper limb physiotherapist was a really challenging and interesting opportunity for me as I have been exposed to various types of nerve and tendon repair surgeries of upper limb.
At this same time, I also worked in a private practice with a particular focus on sporting injuries. Alireza Shahab is the physiotherapy clinic for the national football team in Iran and in this clinic we treated athletes both before and after surgery.
I then took a position as Head of the physiotherapy unit in Ghaem Hospital, which I had management roles as well as working in the in-patient unit to treat musculoskeletal injuries including overuse injuries, osteoarthritis, tendinitis and post-op conditions.
I’m from Iran, a country in the Middle east. We are known as Persian as well, same as Persian cats!
There are many things that I love about physiotherapy. To name a few it is problem solving, clinical reasoning, and communication with patients. Everyone that walks into my room is different from the previous one, it needs reasoning to solve their problem, which I enjoy a lot. Also I love talking with people and getting to know them, and fortunately I can have it in my job!
Since graduation as bachelor of physiotherapy, I have completed post graduate courses including a Master of Science in Physiotherapy, and I am in the final stage of submitting my thesis for my PhD.
My thesis focuses on the effects of muscle fatigue on the biomechanics of the shoulder in healthy people and people with a hypermobile shoulder. Muscle fatigue is important as it can occur during everyday life, for example when we are at work or even when we are playing a game such as tennis. We have published the result of the thesis in an international biomechanics journal.
Then, in 2017, I moved to Melbourne as I received the Monash University Scholarships, to pursue my PhD, in the physiotherapy department under supervision of Dr. Dawson Kidgell. In my PhD I have worked on the effect of strength training of the dominant hand on the left hand. And how some areas of the brain which are responsible for movements react to strength training. Also, we were interested to see how we can improve these training effects by stimulation of brain areas or aerobic exercise. We have published 4 papers in international journals as a result of my PhD.
Additional courses that I have completed include:
MHT is a place that specialises in the area that I am passionate about. Also, there is a nice and friendly environment there, which I feel I belong to.
I am a highly motivated physiotherapist, seeking opportunities to learn and grow. I am also a caring person who respects other people and is sensitive to my clients needs, and try to help them as much as I can.
I enjoy going bushwalking when I have free time. There are many beautiful walking tracks around Melbourne, especially in Mornington Peninsula, which I love to explore. I also would like to spend time with my friends on weekends.
