ABOUT DR WARD

Dr Susannah Ward qualified as a rehabilitation physician in 2018 with the Basmajian Award for best fellowship clinical exam performance.  She has over 10 years of experience working in public and private hospitals across Australia and is currently a staff specialist at John Hunter Hospital Newcastle NSW in The Department of Rehabilitation.  She has diverse clinical experience including general medical and surgical care, palliative care, geriatrics and rehabilitation.  She has rehabilitation experience working in brain injury, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, geriatrics, palliative care, orthopaedic rehabilitation, stroke, amputation and general rehabilitation.  She has private clinics at The Base Health in Newcastle and The Wellness Place Blacksmiths.  She also offers telehealth appointments and home visits. She has a special interest in acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury, Long Covid & functional syndrome. She has an expert understanding of the behavioural, psychological and social challenges faced by people & the impact of environment, upbringing & social determinants of health. She provides specialist opinion for patients with traumatic brain injury for Lifetime Care and Support NSW and the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland.  She is accredited for Functional Independence Measure assessments & undertakes medico-legal assessments for expert opinion and comprehensive reports. Her reviews are thorough, timely and easy to read.

Dr Ward is passionate about holistic health and lifestyle, behavioural and psychological rehabilitation.  She likes to incorporate evidence-based wellness tools like mindfulness, healthy eating, exercise and social/lifestyle prescription into her goal-directed and patient-centred care.  She promotes the key message that living with illness or injury need not be a barrier to feeling well or living life to the full. Dr Ward’s therapeutic emphasis is to support a client to self-compassionately accept themselves and acquire self-mastery skills to maximise their functional ability and quality of life.  She aims to help empower clients to independently self-care and optimally manage their circumstance using wellness tools and adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Dr Ward has always been an advocate of health professional wellbeing & promoting a more supportive & nurturing medical culture that facilitates wellbeing & sustainable careers. She founded Ataraxia Collective in 2018 as a creative adjunct to her clinical practice hosting retreats & workshops show casing powerful holistic tools like mindfulness & yoga.  She currently runs physician wellbeing & CPD retreats.  She is a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Member Health & Wellbeing Committee & director for the not for profit charity Mood Active.  She enjoys professional writing on topics related to doctor wellbeing & is publishing her first self-care book Mastering Real Wellness this year.

Dr Susannah Ward
Physician Rehabilitation Medicine
Lifestyle rehabilitation, wellness, yoga, mindfulness
BMed Sci(hons) MBBS(hons) FAFRM(RACP) RYT200

Visit Dr Ward’s LinkedIn Page

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