Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Nicole finished her PhD and joined the academic staff at the University of Canberra in 2014. Since graduating in 1997 from the University of Sydney, Nicole has worked as a physiotherapist in a number of different hospital settings in Australia and the UK such as acute and rehabilitation, public and private, urban and rural, as well as in primary health care. Her background is mainly in rehabilitation, with a more recent focus on cardiac rehabilitation, although she has worked in a number of different rehabilitation areas including pulmonary, amputee, orthopaedic and neurological. Nicole continues to work clinically in an acute hospital setting.
Dr Freene has a strong interest in the primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease and increasing the populations' physical activity levels, particularly in middle-aged adults. This was the focus of her PhD titled 'Physical Activity At Home: Long-term effectiveness of a community group exercise versus physiotherapist-led home-based physical activity program in middle-aged adults'. She is a founding member of the National Physiotherapy for Physical Activity group and a committee member of the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association of NSW/ACT Professional Development Committee. Nicole supervises both Honours and PhD students. Her current research focuses on increasing physical activity levels and decreasing sedentary behaviour in adults, both in healthy and cardiac populations.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, PhD (Health)
Award Date: 29 Aug 2014
Bachelor, BAppSc (Physiotherapy), University of Sydney
Award Date: 1 Mar 1997
Bachelor, BSc (Hons), Monash University
Award Date: 1 Mar 1992
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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(SOLVE-CHD_ Synergy project with _A very brief intervention for physical activity behaviour change in cardiac rehabilitation: the ‘Measure It!’ trial
Freene, N. (CI)
1/02/23 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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A very brief intervention for physical activity behaviour change in cardiac rehabilitation: the ‘Measure It!’ trial
Freene, N. (CI)
1/02/23 → 30/06/25
Project: Research
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CRAMS 2: From research to practice: piloting clinical implementation strategies for CRAMS (Cardiovascular Rehabilitation for transient ischaemic Attack and Mild Stroke)
FREENE, N. (CI), Walton, L. (CoI), Chadwick, H. (CoI), Austin, K. (CoI), Cowans, S. (CoI), Strahan, J. (CoI), Scott, P. (CoI), Kashkavij, S. (CoI), FLYNN, A. (CoI), NIYONSENGA, T. (CoI), MOHANTY, I. (CoI), Tyack, Z. (CoI), Stirling, M. (CoI), Poulsen, V. (CoI), Mandhan, V. (CoI), Patel, R. (CoI), Park, P. (CoI) & Piechowski, B. (CoI)
1/07/25 → 30/06/27
Project: Research
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Improving physical activity measurement for the secondary prevention of heart disease: accelerometer cut-points for physical activity intensities
FREENE, N. (CI), DAVEY, R. (CoI), Back, M. (CoI), PUMPA, K. (CoI), CLARK, B. (CoI), Lo, W. (CoI), Tan, R. (CoI) & NIYONSENGA, T. (CoI)
1/02/23 → 13/12/23
Project: Research
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A very brief intervention for physical activity behaviour change in cardiac rehabilitation: the ‘Measure It!’ trial
Freene, N. (CI), Davey, R. (CoI), McPhail, S. (CoI), Tyack, Z. (CoI), Kunstler, B. (CoI), NIYONSENGA, T. (CoI), Abhayaratna, W. (CoI), Gallagher, R. (CoI) & KEEGAN, R. (CoI)
1/02/23 → 31/01/25
Project: Research
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Consumer Experience of an Australian Multidisciplinary Long COVID Clinic That Incorporates Personalised Exercise Prescription: A Qualitative Analysis
Buettikofer, T., Maher, A., Rainbird, V., Bennett, M., Freene, N., Mitchell, I., Huang, H. C. C., Gaughwin, P., Johnson, M., Paratz, J. & Bissett, B., 2025, In: Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy. 28, 2, p. 1-12 12 p., e70179.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Developing physical Activity and Sedentary behaviour thresholds for the Secondary prevention of Heart disease (DASSH): a cohort mortality survival tree analysis
Freene, N., Lönn, A., Niyonsenga, T., Carroll, S., Bauman, A., Gallagher, R. & Davey, R., Apr 2025, In: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 22, 1, p. 1-11 11 p., 43.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Independent and joint associations of sedentary behaviour and physical activity with risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in 40,156 Australian adults with coronary heart disease
Lönn, A., Carroll, S. J., Niyonsenga, T., Bauman, A., Davey, R., Gallagher, R. & Freene, N., Jun 2025, In: American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 22, p. 1-8 8 p., 100998.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Measuring physical activity, automaticity and memory are determinants for physical activity promotion among physical therapists in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation: a cross-sectional survey
Zainuldin, R., Goh, C. H., Koh, W. H. J., Chong, S., Wong, Y. J., Patterson, K., Talbot, R. & Freene, N., 2025, In: Physiotherapy Theory and Practice. p. 1-10 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Activity counseling early postelective percutaneous coronary intervention (ACE-PCI): Mixed-methods pilot randomized controlled trial
Freene, N., Carroll, S. J., Flynn, A., Bowen, S., Holley, R., Rodway, K., Niyonsenga, T. & Davey, R., Mar 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Health Science Reports. 7, 3, p. 1-10 10 p., e1963.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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