About

The Dizziness & Balance Disorders Centre is dedicated to patients who have, or think they may have, vertigo, dizziness or unsteadiness.

Professor Dr Margie H Sharpe is the Director and Principal of the Dizziness & Balance Disorders Centre, which she established in 1993 as the first physiotherapy practice in Australia dedicated to vestibular and balance disorders. She has practised as a registered physiotherapist specialising in vestibular and balance rehabilitation since the late 1980s.

Experienced

Professor Sharpe has been treating patients with vestibular disorders since the late 1980s, during which time she has witnessed growing interest from allied health professionals, medical practitioners and the public in this specialised field, alongside major advances in the understanding of the vestibular system in health and disease — including new techniques, equipment and treatment approaches for examining vestibular function.

Accredited

Professor Sharpe is a registered physiotherapist (AHPRA, Physiotherapy Board of Australia) who works exclusively in Vestibular and Balance Rehabilitation Therapy. Her qualifications are PhD (Psychophysiology, Flinders University of South Australia), MSc, BApplSc (Physiotherapy), and AUA (Diploma of Physiotherapy, Associate of the University of Adelaide). She is a Member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association (MAPA) and the Australian College of Physiotherapists (MACP), and a member of the Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA). She was among the first cohort awarded APA Titled Neurological Physiotherapist status, and is the first neurological physiotherapist in Australia to hold a PhD in Psychophysiology. She has completed international courses, lectures, seminars and case conferences on the evaluation, treatment and management of vestibular disorders, and teaches these topics to medical and allied health professionals through her own education and training courses.

Approach

Professor Sharpe’s approach to patients with vertigo, dizziness and unsteadiness draws on current published clinical and research literature. Where a patient’s presentation calls for it, she refers to allied and medical colleagues — including psychologists and general practitioners — as part of managing their care. She works with patients presenting with complex vestibular disorders and refractory dizziness from across Australia and overseas.

Global

Professor Sharpe maintains professional relationships with clinicians and researchers in vestibular disorders across Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and North America. She is an invited keynote lecturer at national and international conferences, and delivers professional development courses and seminars to medical and allied health professionals on the evaluation and management of vestibular disorders.