Dr Brea Kunstler

Brea has a PhD from Federation University Australia. Her thesis was on the behaviour change techniques physiotherapists use to encourage their patients to be physically active. She also explored the barriers and facilitators that physiotherapists experience when attempting to promote physical activity. Brea also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science from Deakin University and Health Science from La Trobe University, and a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy from La Trobe University.

As a generalist health researcher, Brea’s current research involves reviewing literature, conducting surveys and interviewing those whose behaviour is the target of interest. Brea has several peer-reviewed publications as first author, has presented at several local and international conferences and engages with industry by delivering professional development seminars.

Brea completed a secondment with the National COVID19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce in 2021 where she contributed towards the development of living guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment in healthcare settings to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission. This work was awarded the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research – Enterprise (Team) at the Monash University Vice Chancellor's Education and Research Awards. In 2023 Brea lead a team of researchers from across different faculties at Monash University to conduct a survey and interview study to understand the attitudes people have towards the use of psychedelics to treat mental health conditions. She is actively involved in co-convening an Australia-wide group of researcher and clinical physiotherapists called Physios4PA, which advises the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) on physical activity matters. You can access many interviews and podcasts where Brea discusses physical activity behaviour change on LinkedIn.

In her spare time, Brea loves spending time with her husband and daughter. She also enjoys running and cycling to keep herself fit and healthy. Brea has run several marathons and rode her bike from Melbourne to Sydney in 2011 to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research. Her personal commitment to physical activity strengthens her passion for research that focuses on the benefits of physical activity for good health.