Australian Hand Therapy Association Credentialing Council

Elissa Campbell | Independent Member of Council

Elissa is a lawyer with extensive experience in health law and policy. She has worked for many years in a variety of health policy and legal roles in the public, private and university sectors with a focus on not-for-profit member associations. She has a strong understanding of the health system and policy issues important to health professions. Elissa is currently working as Policy and Advocacy Manager at Audiology Australia and prior to that was Policy Manager at the College of Psychiatrists for several years. She has a Masters of Health Law from Melbourne University and a Masters of Public Health from the University of Sydney and was previously a committee member and policy lead for the Victorian Branch of the Public Health Association of Australia.

Tracey Clark | AHT Member | Physiotherapist

Tracey is a clinician, educator and researcher. She is a senior hand therapist at a tertiary referral hospital in Western Sydney and runs a private practice in Sydney’s northwest. She teaches hand therapy at UTS and is an orthotics presenter for AHTA. Tracey is the recipient of an AHTA PhD scholarship at Bond University, where she is researching hand therapy competencies. Having held many executive positions in AHTA, including president and inaugural chair of the Credentialing Council, Tracey now serves on the Council as an AHT member. In 2017, Tracey was made a life member of AHTA for her contributions to the profession. In her spare time, Tracey enjoys researching family history, reading and hiking.

Charlotte Dornbusch | AHT Member | Occupational Therapist

Charlotte is an Occupational Therapist who graduated from the University of Queensland in 2017. During her career, she has worked extensively in both the community and private practice settings. Charlotte is an Accredited Hand Therapist as awarded by the Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA). She currently works in a large private practice in Queensland alongside highly skilled Hand and Upper Limb Surgeons. Charlotte recently joined the Credentialing Council in 2025 and is looking forward to advancing standards within the profession. Charlotte has a passion for person-centred care, evidence-based practice, and striving for the best outcomes for her patients. 

Jamie Exton | AHT Member | Physiotherapist

Jamie is a New Zealand trained physiotherapist and AHTA accredited Hand therapist with over 25 years of experience in treating musculoskeletal disorders. He has worked in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia as a senior physiotherapist in both Orthopaedic and musculoskeletal specialty services. Jamie became an accredited hand therapist as awarded by the Australian hand therapy association in 2022, and has subsequently gained experience as a mentor within the AHTA accreditation programme.  He has a special interest in treating orthopaedic and sports injuries in the upper limb, and works closely with the Orthopaedic specialists providing post operative care and rehabilitation. Jamie is also the proud father of four active boys and enjoys being the volunteer physio for their multiple sporting teams.

Miles Gray | AHT Member | Physiotherapist

Miles is a physiotherapist with extensive experience in upper‑limb rehabilitation across public and private settings. He works within a multidisciplinary surgical team and has completed accreditation as an Accredited Hand Therapist (AHT). Miles has held senior clinical roles and contributes to professional governance through committee and credentialing work. His interests include evidence‑based post‑operative care, complex trauma, and supporting high standards within the profession.

Jessica Holding | Academic Member of Council | Occupational Therapist

Jessica is an Occupational Therapist and Accredited Hand Therapist as awarded by the Australian Hand Therapy Association. She is a Lecturer at Griffith University having commenced working in academia after working as a hand therapy practitioner across public and private settings for fourteen years. She has a passion for the value that an occupational perspective brings to hand therapy and the findings of research in this field form part of her Master of Philosophy candidature. Prior to commencing work with the Credentialing Council, Jessica was a member of the AHTA Education Committee and was involved in accrediting elective courses, writing and reviewing course assessments.

Susan Stinton | AHT Member | Physiotherapist | PhD

Susie is an Accredited Hand Therapist (as awarded by the AHTA), physiotherapist and researcher with more than 20 years of clinical experience. She has worked in the hand and upper limb field in Perth, London and Sydney, in both public and private sectors. Alongside her clinical work, she completed her PhD in 2023, with her thesis titled “The impact of wrist and forearm fractures on return to driving” with her work published in multiple international scientific journals. To further her research skills, Susie is currently completing her post doc at Royal Perth Hospital. Outside of her professional life, Susie enjoys hiking, gardening and spending time with her family and 2 young boys.

Melissa Wallace | AHT Member | Physiotherapist

Melissa is a Physiotherapist and holds a Masters of Science in Hand Therapy from University of Derby in the UK. She is a Senior Hand Therapist at Hand Therapy Centre in Newcastle New South Wales, having worked in upper limb rehabilitation, across public and private sectors in Australia, for over 10 years. In addition to clinical work, Melissa is passionate about teaching and advancing the practice of hand therapy. She has presented several posters at Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA) conferences, is a Senior Presenter for Clinical Edge, and is an AHT Mentor. 
 

Colette Zemljic | AHT Member | Occupational Therapist

Colette is an Accredited Hand Therapist with over 30 years of experience as an Occupational Therapist. She has more than 20 years’ experience in hand and upper limb rehabilitation across Australia and the UK. Her career has encompassed complex clinical practice, leadership, mentoring, sessional university tutoring and assessment, as well as professional advocacy. She has represented Australian hand therapists on the AHTA National Advocacy Committee for six years and has seen the AHT credential become increasingly recognised within the healthcare sector.

Colette has a strong appreciation of the role supportive, individualised mentoring plays in developing confident, competent clinicians. She recognises that hand therapists require different forms of guidance and challenge as they progress towards advanced practice, including the opportunity to contribute to the development of others. She is passionate about the development of the AHTA Mentorship Program and believes the Accredited Hand Therapist credential reflects professional integrity, evidence-informed practice, reflective learning and an ongoing commitment to excellence.