Biography
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Dr Nicki Scholes-Robertson is a Post doctoral researcher at the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, a kidney transplant recipient, and a physiotherapist. Her research focuses on improving equity and access to kidney transplantation for people from rural and remote communities and for women. She is a member of the Women in Transplantation Pillar III Working Group and SONG-Tx.
Nicki's personal experience with kidney failure has shaped her research career. After spending nine months on peritoneal dialysis, she received a living donor kidney transplant in 2014, generously donated by her younger brother, Andrew Burgess. This life-changing experience inspired a career transition into research.
In 2019, Nicki commenced her PhD at the University of Sydney, investigating strategies to improve access to kidney replacement therapies for people living in rural Australia. Her doctoral research was supported by a prestigious NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship.
Before entering academia, Nicki worked as a clinical physiotherapist, with extensive experience in rural and remote healthcare. Most recently, she was based in Alice Springs, where she worked with the Aboriginal community-controlled organisation Purple House as a consultant physiotherapist and mentored patients preparing for kidney transplantation.
Today, Nicki combines her professional expertise and lived experience to conduct research that aims to improve access to kidney care and transplantation for underserved populations across Australia. She also founded a charity called Rural Kidney Association which supports people and children on home dialysis. NIcki loves to walk and just completed 640km of the Camino Frances across Spain earlier this year.
