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Join the INSPIRE Project and help design a Virtual Reality-based therapy for people with Driving Anxiety
What’s the opportunity?
Have you felt anxious about driving after a car crash? You’re not alone. Up to 1 in 5 people feel anxious or nervous about driving after a crash.
The INSPIRE Project is developing a new way to help people with driving anxiety using Immersive Virtual Reality (VR). We want to hear from people with lived experience of driving anxiety after a car crash to help shape this project.
We’re looking for people to join our Consumer Advisory Group (CAG). You’ll help us design the VR therapy and make sure it works for people like you.
This project is being run by The University of Queensland’s RECOVER Injury Research Centre, and funded by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC).
What will you do?
As a member of the Consumer Advisory Group, you will:
- Work with psychologists, technology experts, and health professionals to assist with the design of the VR therapy. You don’t need any tech or design skills. You’ll help by:
- Talking about situations that make you feel anxious while driving.
- Giving feedback on VR scenes to make sure they feel real and helpful.
- Review therapy materials and giving suggestions.
- Help us create clear and useful information for participants.
- Share the project with your community or networks.
⚠️ Important: Some sessions may involve talking about things that could make you feel anxious. A trained psychologist will be part of the team and provide support if necessary.
RECOVER will also provide training and support for people who are new to research involvement in a consumer advisory group role or co-design project.
Time commitment
The project runs from 2025 to mid-2027. During this period you will be asked to:
- Attend 4 x 2-hour workshops (between September 2025 and March 2026) –held in-person at STARS, Herston.
- Attend 6 x 2-hour meetings (quarterly from 2026 to mid-2027) – held online
- Spend up to 8 hours reviewing project documents (spread from 2025 – 2027)
- Other consultation as necessary
Reimbursement and support
- You will be reimbursed $50 per hour for your time (based on Health Consumers Queensland rates).
- RECOVER will provide training and support if you’re new to consumer involvement in research or co-design.
Who can apply?
We welcome applications from people who:
- Are over 18
- Live in Queensland
- Have experienced driving anxiety after a car crash
- Can attend in-person sessions at the Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) in Herston, Brisbane
How to apply
Click the link and fill out a short form to register your interest.
Questions?
Email Dr Riley Brown: riley.brown@uq.edu.au
Project lead
Professor Trevor Russell
Director, RECOVER Injury Research Centre
The University of Queensland
Have you experienced a broken bone from a road traffic accident? Or are you a family member or carer of someone who has?
We need your help to co-design an inpatient physiotherapy treatment approach.
The Project
We are adapting a physiotherapy treatment that combines exercise with stress reduction to a hospital ward setting. We need input from patients and families/carers to ensure our adapted treatment would work in this setting.
Who can participate
We are looking for:
- People who have had a broken bone in a road traffic accident that required a stay in hospital, and/or
- Family members or carers of someone who has had such an injury
Benefits
You will be paid $234 for each attended workshop
What is involved?
- 5 x 2-hour co-design workshops, each about 3 weeks apart
- Attendance can be in-person or online
- Workshops will involve group discussion on how to best adapt a physiotherapy treatment approach from an 'outpatient' clinic setting to an 'inpatient' hospital ward setting
Get involved
For more information or to register your interest, contact:
Dr Scott Farrell at scott.farrell@uq.edu.au or Dr Jessica Formosa at j.formosa@uq.edu.au
This project has been approved by Metro North Human Research Ethics Committee [Approval No. HREC/2025/MNH/118626].