29 Oct – 31 Oct 2026
Brisbane Convention &
Exhibition Centre
Inspiring minds, transforming lives
and moving past awareness!
#TraumaAware2026
CONFERENCE
29 Oct – 31 Oct 2026
Brisbane Convention &
Exhibition Centre
traumaawareeducation.com.au
Hosted by the QUT Faculty
of Creative Industries,
Education and Social Justice
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International keynote speakers

Keynote speakers will be announced shortly.

Dr Lori Desautels, PhD

College of Education, Butler University, USA

Dr Lori Desautels

Dr. Lori Desautels is an educator, researcher, and leading voice in applied educational neuroscience. Since joining Butler University’s College of Education in 2016, she has taught undergraduate and graduate students to integrate social and relational neuroscience into their practice, embedding a tier-one, trauma-accommodating Applied Educational Neuroscience framework throughout her coursework.

Lori developed the internationally adopted Applied Educational Neuroscience Certification, now used by thousands of educators, clinicians, and school leaders working with children affected by adversity. She is also a course partner with the Polyvagal Institute, collaborating with Dr. Stephen Porges to bring polyvagal-informed practices into schools, communities, and mental health settings.

Her work has appeared in Edutopia, Brain Bulletin, Mind Body Spirit, and the Brain Research Journal. She continues to co-teach in K–12 classrooms, integrating research-based practices that support nervous-system regulation, connection, and readiness to learn. Lori is the author of multiple books, including Connections over Compliance (2020), Intentional Neuroplasticity (2023), and Body and Brain Brilliance (2024).

Lori has worked with over 200 school districts across the U.S. and internationally—reaching more than 150,000 educators—and continues to advocate for trauma-responsive, relationship-centred educational practice.

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Professor Sally Pearse BA, MA, PGCE, EdD, EYP, NTF, PFHEA

Strategic Lead for Early Years & Director, Early Years Community Research Centre
Sheffield Hallam University, UK

Professor Sally Pearse

Sally is a professor of early childhood at Sheffield Hallam University and the Director of the Early Years Community Research Centre (EYCRC) which delivers nursery places and family support services in an area of social and economic challenge. Since 2017 Sally led work with early years colleagues from across South Yorkshire to develop collaborative projects, including a regional vision for effective early years practice and a project to transform the regions speech, language and communication services.  Sally has an interest in trauma informed practice and introduced this into Initial Teacher Education at Hallam, and as an underpinning principle of the community work at the EYCRC. Prior to her current role Sally was Hallam’s Head of Area for 0-5 Teacher Education.  

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Sue O’Brien BA (Ed) Hons, QTS, MA, PFHEA

Associate Professor in Pharmacy and Pharmacoepidemiology and Enterprise Fellow at the University of South Australia.

Sue O’Brien

Sue O’Brien is the Head of the Sheffield Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam University.  The SIoE is a sector leading, ambitious, inclusive institute, exemplifying the power of education to transform lives​. Sheffield Hallam University have been training teachers for over 120 years and currently train over 1,000 new Hallam Teachers each year across all four age phases directly through Sheffield Hallam’s core programmes, as well as over 2,000 teachers nationally through a variety of partnerships. Prior to this role Sue was the Strategic lead for a pioneering, award winning, Civic based programme which led the University Transforming lives agenda.  In this role Sue rolled out the inclusion of Trauma Informed training for all Initial Teacher Education students , across all age phase from 0 to 19 as well as working extensively regionally to support schools and other organisations embed a Trauma Informed approach .This work included pioneering trauma informed mentoring work for young people during and in the after math of the Covid epidemic lock down of schools and settings.  Sue in her current position engages colleagues across the institution and across the Higher Education sector in researching and embedding Trauma Informed practice in Higher Education.

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Sue O’Brien BA (Ed) Hons, QTS, MA, PFHEA

Associate Professor in Pharmacy and Pharmacoepidemiology and Enterprise Fellow at the University of South Australia.

Sue O’Brien

Sue completed her undergraduate studies in mathematics and initial teacher education at Christ Church University in Canterbury and taught, in her early career, in Staffordshire. Since leaving the primary classroom Sue has worked for a number of years in ITE initially at Newman University College Birmingham where she became Head of Mathematics Department and later at Bishop Grossteste University, Lincoln. 

Since moving back to her native Sheffield and coming to work at SHU Sue has held various positions supporting the development of ITE provision for the university. This involved the development of the extensive school direct and SCITT provision as well as leading the department and its partnerships in its quality assurance and quality enhancement of ITE, culminating in outstanding outcomes in the most recent OFSTED inspections.

In her role within the South Yorkshire Futures Programme Sue was strategic lead for the Performance Strand. South Yorkshire Futures is a social mobility partnership aiming to improve attainment and raise the aspirations of young people throughout region.

The performance strand is founded on the premise that to improve outcomes for children and young people then investment in the workforce has to be a priority. This strand therefore focusses on teacher recruitment and retention alongside broader school workforce support and development. Crucial to its success has been and will continue to be the collaborative work across all ITE providers, schools, academies and MATS in the South Yorkshire region .

In line with her current role, Sue's current interests lie with teacher recruitment and retention, exploring the motivations and pathways to teaching as well as investigating the role that schools as places to work have in the attraction and retention of teachers .

Teacher Recruitment and Retention, Early Career support, Primary Maths , Teacher Development.

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Important dates

2025

27
Nov
Registration opens

2026

28
Jan
Call for abstracts
1
May
Abstract submission deadline
24
Aug
Early bird registration closes
24
Sep
Accommodation booking deadline
29
Oct
Conference commences