Dr Diana Robinson

MBBS FACSP

Diana Robinson is a Specialist Sport and Exercise Physician with over twenty years of clinical experience ranging from elite athletes to the everyday recreational exerciser. She was awarded the Fellowship of the Australasian College of Sports Physicians (ACSP) in 1995, being one of the first formally trained sports physicians in Australia. She has a strong interest in conditions of the hip, pelvis, knee, foot and ankle and how issues of technique, equipment, biomechanics and training errors contribute to injury. Her focus is to ensure the safe and effective return to sport, exercise or work for the injured or ill patient.

Diana was the Chairman of Training for the ACSP from 2005 -2010 and was a member of the Board of Censors, responsible for academic standards of the College, for 10 years. Over the last two years she has co-written an extensive revised Curriculum for the ACSP and developed a range of workplace based assessment tools used in the training of Sport and Exercise Physicians. She represents the ACSP on the Enhanced Medical Education Advisory Board, which advises the Department of Health and Ageing on Medical Specialist Training issues.

Diana has been the Medical Director for the "So You Think You Can Dance" dance competition televised on Channel 10, since its inception. She is currently the Honorary Doctor for the Leichhardt Rowing club.

Diana’s experience with elite athletes is extensive. Diana was appointed as an Australian Team Doctor for the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games and worked with the Australian Women’s Hockey team, the Australian Rugby Seven’s Team, the Australian Track Cycling Team, and the Australian Judo team. She was the Medical Director of Triathlon Australia 1993-2002 and the elite team doctor from 1992 – 2001. She sat on the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Doping Commission from 1995–2000 and played a number of roles within the ITU Medical Commission. In 2000 Diana was the Medical Director for the Men’s and Women’s Triathlon at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. She also provided sports medicine assistance to Athletes at the Athletics events and in the Athletes Village. She was the Medical director of the Uncle Toby’s Surf Life Saving Ironman Series and the Devondale Women’s Series for more than three years, and the medical director of the Triathlon Grand Prix and Formula One professional races. She has provided medical director duties for a large number of endurance sporting events from Ironman triathlons to shorter 'fun runs".

Diana, as well as being a keen tennis player, is an accredited international Women’s Tennis Association (WTA Tour) doctor, having cared for elite players at the NSW Tennis Open and other international tournaments. She has worked with the Australian Sailing Team since prior to Sydney 2000. In addition, Diana has worked with elite Gymnastics, Ballet, South Sydney Rugby League team, North Sydney Bears, and was the Chief Medical Officer for Warringah Rugby club for 7 years.

Diana’s other achievements involve working on the NSW Ministerial Taskforce for Women in Sport (1996-8) and particularly with the Active Girls Role Model Program aimed at curbing the sport drop-out rate by teenage girls.

As an author Diana co-wrote the Sports Medicine Australia Position Statement: the Benefits and Risks of Exercise During Pregnancy, as well as co-authoring a number of papers and original research articles published in peer reviewed journals and/or presented at major conferences. She wrote the original medical event coverage manual for Triathlon Australia for both able bodied and disabled athletes as well as the recommendations for junior participation in Triathlon.

Diana’s interest and expertise include issues affecting the exercising woman, including pregnancy, menstrual disorders and disordered eating behaviours. She has an expertise in dealing with all issues relating to the endurance athlete, particularly with regard to both acute and overuse injuries, and the medical problems that affect these athletes. As a sports physician she has an expertise with all musculoskeletal injuries, but more recently has developed a keen interest in that of posture, low back pain and truncal stability. Diana is very excited about her current involvement in the development of Stem Cell treatments for musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis and tendinopathies.