Congratulations to Pitch Plus winner Sarah

The ACU Collaborate Plus team would like to congratulate winner of the ACU Pitch Plus Award, Sarah Ashcroft, for her 'Common Good' idea. Sarah is a Strathfield-based accredited exercise physiologist and PhD candidate.

Sarah`s well-researched and professionally presented solution clearly demonstrated her understanding of this year’s theme: The Common Good. Her idea was a personalised exercise program to assist in priming the brain for stroke survivors.

Through her idea, which is designed to address inequality in access to and quality of rehabilitation services, Sarah hopes to help stroke survivors overcome physical and mental hurdles along with any sense of isolation. This solution assists stroke survivors regain confidence in their own ability to take on the world on exiting any clinic and concluding their rehabilitation.

On currently working towards piloting her program with patients at the ACU Exercise Lifestyle Clinic at the Strathfield Campus, Sarah said, "This is part of my PhD project aiming to ensure stroke survivors are offered evidence-based, quality exercise rehabilitation to help improve their confidence, independence, and quality of life.

"It is my goal to make sure they know they are more than just their diagnosis, and to help identify optimal rehabilitation practices to be used by all allied health professionals. I would like to thank my supervisors Dr Angelica Thompson-Butel, Dr Liam Johnson and Professor Suzanne Kuys for their ongoing support and for this amazing opportunity of winning the Pitch Plus Award.”

Congratulations to Sarah on her 3-minute pitch which won her $500.

The Collaborate Plus team were thrilled with the range and quality of ideas that responded to this year’s focus of The Common Good.

They would like to thank all entrants for participating in the initiative, particularly for their time in researching, practising and recording their pitch video. They were further encouraged by the underlying positive impact intended by the various solutions presented.

It's pleasing to see that ACU students are so talented and willing to help stimulate and enhance solidarity at ACU.

Visit the Collaborate Plus webpage to keep up-to-date with the Collaborate Plus programs.