Prof Farees Khan

Currently, she is the Director of Rehabilitation Services, the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Clinical Director, Australian Rehabilitation Research Centre; Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine at University of Melbourne and the Nossal Institute of Global Health, and the PeterMac Centre Melbourne.

She is an elected International Member for the USA Academy of Medicine for her contribution to Rehabilitation Medicine and Research. She was awarded the Member for the Order of Australia (2022) for significant contribution to Rehabilitation Medicine and Research. She is awarded the George Burniston Oration and Medal of the RACP in May 2024 for development and services to Rehabilitation Medicine. She is also the recipient of the Ollie Hook Oration Award at the ISPRM ASM 2024 for her work in Cancer Rehabilitation. She is the elected Board Member of the Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand (RMSANZ) and immediate past Inaugural Academic Fellow to the Board of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFRM)-RACP.

She has 20 years of experience in neurological, cancer and trauma rehabilitation. She set up evidence-based specialized rehabilitation programs for specific conditions such as Multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, stroke, oncology, musculoskeletal injuries, and disaster management. She represents the Australia (and Pacific) region for Rehabilitation Medicine at several international forums. She is the current Chair of the Disaster Rehabilitation Committee, International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) and Disaster Rehabilitation Special Interest Group, RMSANZ. She holds over 20 National/International Executive positions and over 15 international academic appointments at various Universities. She is an Executive member of ISPRM Women’s Taskforce and Cancer Rehabilitation Working Group. She has an interest in Refugee Health and Disability. She works with the Executive for the UN-International Council for Caring Communities and WHO-ISPRM Liaison Committee representing medical disability. She is also a regional representative for the Asia-Oceania Society of Neurorehabilitation (AOCNR), an Australian representative for the Steering group for the Psychosocial Influences upon Chronic Disease Outcomes across Europe, and others. She leads the Global Rehabilitation ‘Flying Faculty’ (endorsed by the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, RACP, ISPRM), established to support capacity-building activities in Rehabilitation Medicine, with educational training programs in over 15 countries.

Prof Khan has a leadership role in Rehabilitative care in Australia with over 20 years of experience in health outcomes and health services research. She has received numerous awards, including the Member of the Order of Australia (2022), Haim Ring Memorial Award – Institutional (2020), Sidney Licht Lectureship Award (2018) by the ISPRM, the Inaugural RMH Research Medal in 2014 and the Inaugural RACP specialist award for ‘Outstanding contribution to Research and Mentoring’ in 2009. She has published over 500 scientific papers in peer-reviewed academic journals (including 14 Cochrane reviews, 20 book chapters). She is an invited speaker at national and international conferences (over 60 presentations in the last 5 years). She leads a team of interdisciplinary researchers, implementing and evaluating healthcare innovations and quality improvement programs. She has supervised 9 PhDs and postdoctoral fellows to completion, and currently supervises 2 PhD and 3 MD students at the University of Melbourne. She is the Executive Member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, Journal of International Society of Physical Medicine and the Cochrane MS and Rare Diseases Group and is also a reviewer for numerous neuroscience and rehabilitative care journals.