High Performance Sport Summer Seminar Series

Andrew Walshe

Future of high performance – creativity and machines

Liminal Collective

Andy is a founding member, partner and Chief Performance Officer of Liminal Collective.

A globally recognised leader and expert in the field of elite human performance, his experience runs the gamut of human performance – including individuals, teams and large organisations in sport, culture, military and business settings. His work to demystify talent has led him on a mission to hack human performance, and to share his learnings for the betterment of society.

Andy was the Director of High Performance for Red Bull, where he worked with hundreds of international athletes and cultural opinion leaders and supervised a team of industry-leading scientists, engineers, physicians and technologists to develop and implement elite performance models. He was the Performance Manager for Red Bull Stratos, leading the performance plan for Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking jump to Earth from the stratosphere in 2012.

Clare Minahan

Performance considerations for female athletes

Kassia Beetham

The pregnant athlete

Dr Kassia Beetham is an accredited exercise physiologist and course coordinator for the Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology at ACU’s Brisbane Campus. Kassia’s research investigates the effects of high intensity exercise in lifestyle-related cardiometabolic diseases. She is extending this research into the effects of higher intensity exercise during pregnancy, in particular the effects of higher intensity exercise on foetal outcomes, the effect of high-impact exercise on post-partum pelvic floor dysfunction, and the prevalence and effects of higher intensity exercise and resistance training in pregnant athletes. Kassia is also investigating cardiovascular changes in response to exercise from conception through to birth.

Alannah McKay

Iron supplementation in athletes: Does timing matter?

Dr Alannah McKay completed a Bachelor of Science (Exercise, Health and Sports Science) at the University of Western Australia in 2014. Subsequently, Alannah completed a postgraduate position at the Australian Institute of Sport, where she was involved in the preparation of many Australian athletes prior to the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic games. Since then, Alannah has submitted her PhD titled The Effect of Dietary Manipulation on Iron Metabolism and the Immune System in Elite Athletes, which was undertaken in partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport, Western Australian Institute of Sport and the University of Western Australia.

Alannah joined Australian Catholic University as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in 2020. Her research will continue to explore the impact of diet and exercise on a range of health outcomes in athletes, with a specific interest in iron metabolism.

Nirav Maniar

Understanding injury prediction

Dr Nirav Maniar is a senior lecturer in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences at Australian Catholic University and leads the biomechanics program of research within the Sports Performance, Recovery, Injury and New Technologies (SPRINT) Research Centre. His expertise includes the use of 3D motion capture, musculoskeletal modelling, and data analytics and visualisation. His specific research interests focus on the mechanics, prediction and rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament and hamstring injury.

Courtney McNamara

Managing the health (and beyond) of the high performance student athlete

Courtney McNamara joined the University of Notre Dame Sports Medicine Department in 2015 as an Associate Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist. Courtney started working with the swimming and diving teams before joining the football staff in 2019. Courtney also assisted with the women's basketball team from 2019 to 2021.

Prior to Notre Dame, Courtney spent three seasons with Major League Lacrosse team the Boston Cannons, one season as a clinical student with Notre Dame’s men’s lacrosse team, and one year at the Orthopedic Spine and Sport Physical Therapy. Courtney graduated with a Bachelor in Rehabilitation Sciences in 2013 and Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Northeastern University in 2014. Then later completed a Master in Athletic Training at Bridgewater State University in 2016.

Marc Portus

Good performance starts with good strategy

Dr Marc Portus is the founder and Managing Director of Praxis Performance Group and its sibling business The Pace Doctor. He has more than 20 years’ experience in elite sport leading and managing high performance teams including working as HP System Consultant for the International Cricket Council, the SSSM Manager at Cricket Australia, and at the Australian Institute of Sport as the Head of Movement Sciences. He holds a PhD investigating spinal injuries in cricket fast bowlers from the University of WA, and an Executive MBA from Queensland University of Technology. Marc’s philosophy is to bring a progressive, aspirational but realistic mindset to help clients solve their business challenges. This has been partly inspired by the definition of ‘praxis’ – “the practical application of theory and knowledge”. His dual professional interests include nurturing and managing ecosystems in sport and helping cricket fast bowlers realise their potential.

Alan Pearce

Twelve days and counting. What does the physiological evidence tell us about recovery following concussion in sport?

Dr Alan Pearce is a neurophysiologist who has been focussing on concussion/mild TBI and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Alan was the first to report on longitudinal impairments in both retired professional and club-level Australian Rules football players in 2014 and retired professional rugby players in 2017. Alan was also the first to publish on physiological change and recovery from acute concussion in 2015 initiating the discussion regarding return to play. His work has been featured internationally across all media including the New York Times, BBC, nationally across all media in Australia, and the documentaries Head Games and Dangerous Games.