Dr Laine Chilman is a core member of the Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre (ITRC), as well as a Lecturer in Occupational Therapy and Program Coordinator for the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC).

With academic qualifications in nursing (QUT), occupational therapy (UQ), and a PhD from UniSC, she brings extensive clinical experience from Australia and the UK, together with a strong commitment to children’s development, family wellbeing, and culturally responsive health practices.

Research Focus

Dr Chilman’s research centres on improving children’s health and family wellbeing through supportive, culturally informed interventions for parents and carers. Her core interests include:

• Childhood development and mealtime wellbeing, including picky eating and family mealtime dynamics.
• Family-centred Occupational Therapy, particularly Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) adapted for diverse cultural contexts, including First Nations families.
• Co-design and lived-experience methodologies that elevate parent, carer and community voices in shaping health-supportive tools and interventions.

Her work is grounded in qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches, with a strong values base in equity, inclusion and community-led research.

Key Research Impact

Dr Chilman’s doctoral work reframed picky eating as a complex behavioural and relational challenge rather than a simple nutritional issue, creating new pathways for therapeutic and parental-support interventions. Her development of an online OPC intervention for parents is showing early promise in improving children’s mealtime behaviours, reducing parental stress and enabling accessible, evidence-based support for families. Her cultural responsiveness including engagement with First Nations communities supports equitable, inclusive health practices and contributes to national conversations on early childhood wellbeing.

Recent Grants & Projects

Her recent competitive funding highlights a strong trajectory in community-engaged, translational health research:

• 2024–2026 – “Unlocking Precision Healthcare: Tailoring feeding disorder management for culturally diverse children” (Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, A$37,709).
• 2025–2026 – Vona & Marié du Toit Research Grant, exploring the Vona du Toit Model of Creative Ability in mental-health OT practice.
• 2024–2025 – Pilot RCT: “A Culturally Responsive Coaching Intervention for Paediatric Feeding Disorders” (UniSC SPARK funding, A$8,528).
• 2023–2025 – UniSC Connect Grant, strengthening evidence for OPC as an intervention for priority communities.

Translation to Practice and Policy

Dr Chilman’s work directly informs:

• Accessible family-support interventions, such as online OPC programs that enhance mealtime behaviours and parental wellbeing.
• Culturally responsive health-service delivery, especially in paediatric and early-childhood settings.
• Occupational therapy education and workforce development, where she integrates contemporary research into teaching and curriculum design.
• Public health and allied-health practices addressing feeding difficulties, nutritional wellbeing and early intervention.

Recognition and Significance

• 2024 UniSC Vice-Chancellor & President’s Award for Excellence in Research Impact - Early Career Academic.
• 2024 UniSC Learning & Teaching Excellence Award (team) for innovation in OT education.

Dr Chilman’s work strongly aligns with the ITRC’s commitment to equity, culturally responsive practice and community impact. Her focus on children, families and First Nations engagement exemplifies the Centre’s values of inclusion, respect and transformative research.