Dr Johnny Bourke

Researcher, New Zealand

Dr Johnny Bourke is the Disability and PLEx Lead at the Burwood Academy of Independent Living (BAIL) in Christchurch, New Zealand. Johnny received a 2018 travel grant to attend the ISCoS Meeting in Sydney, Australia.

“In 2018 I received a Spinal Research Institute (SRI) travel grant to attend the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) Annual Meeting in Sydney, Australia. This enabled me to present a workshop presentation titled Experts Of Experience: Partnering With People With Spinal Injury In Research.This presentation was very well received and led to many discussions with colleagues who were in the audience. I am also now following up several leads for collaboration on this topic, which would not have been possible without the opportunity to attend, present, and discuss this area of research with other researchers and colleagues in the field.

“The SRI travel grant was a vital and invaluable resource that enabled the meeting of colleagues face-to-face, and hearing presentations regarding the latest research in the field of SCI. These occasions can help an early career researcher connect with more experienced researchers on the funding of projects, thus advancing both research experience and subsequently a research career.

“The SRI travel grant was also incredibly helpful due to the extra challenges I face travelling as a person with spinal-cord injury, such as travelling with a support worker, needing extra equipment, accessible accommodation, and having a higher risk of experiencing health complications.” (Report extract).