The RIS team

Stuart Canavan

RIS Director - Clinician, Human Performance Consultant, & Educator

With 30 years of experience in the physiotherapy, health and human performance industry, Stuart holds a unique combination of experience and qualifications in Australia. Extensive experience as a clinician, lecturer and educator in the physiotherapy profession is combined with a background in high performance sport has seen him positively influence the lives of thousands of patients, athletes, teams and his profession both in Australia and abroad.

Stuart’s pathway as a professional was influenced by his childhood in a highly athletic family. These early years had a strong influence on his drive to become a health professional with a special interest in the use of exercise as a therapeutic and performance tool. His career has seen him work in the USA for six years as a physio and university lecturer before returning to Australia to develop a very large and successful practice in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. He has an established reputation and special interest in the management of patients with complex clinical presentations.

As a clinical and performance director he assisted in the development of one of Australia’s largest high school based sport academies. The success of this academy in both performance enhancement and injury prevention, including world leading results in ACL injury prevention, has seen it become a blueprint for many other high school based sports academies around Australia.

In the final phase of Stuart’s career he founded the Regional Institute of Sport with a drive and passion for making world class rehab, athletic performance and development programs available to anyone, especially those in regional areas.

A lifelong athlete, Stuart competes at Masters Level as a 400m hurdler and absolutely loves being a part of competitive sport. He personally lives the motto of Plan, Prepare, Perform.

Matt Kemp

Performance Coach

Matt has an academic background that includes a Degree in Exercise and Sports Science majoring in Strength and Conditioning. Matt has completed post graduate studies with the ASCA and now holds a Level 1 certification in S&C.

Matt’s path towards his role with the RIS has been influenced by his personal experiences as a junior athlete and the frustration that comes with injury. He uses the latest applied sports science techniques to develop performance programs to optimise not only game day results but develop more robust athletes capable of withstanding the demands of sport.

Matt’s personal sporting pursuits include playing football and cricket for his home town club in Cobden, Victoria.

If you are interested in ways that Matt could assist you develop a customised performance program that includes the use of the latest testing technology let us know.

Tynan Shannon

Performance Coach

Tynan is a passionate coach who has a dual degree in Sports Management and Exercise and Sports Science. This has provided him with a wealth of knowledge surrounding the importance of developing athletes through strength and conditioning and insightful view into nutrition and recovery for performance. Tynan is also a keen athlete, who prepares himself for his own sporting endeavors, so he understands the importance in preparing the body to perform well under pressure and to also practice what you preach.

Tynan currently is a cyclist who competes nationally within Australia and is taking the correct steps toward competing internationally within the next 12 months. Tynan has also competed at high levels within cricket and football where he played for the Greater Western Region Rebels and the Western Waves. Tynan seeks to provide our young athletes from the region with the building blocks required to perform at the highest individual level. He also strives to provide RIS athletes with all the necessary information required to perform on game day.

Tynan embraces the motto of Plan, Prepare, Perform, and relays this message to the RIS athletes.

Emily McNeil

Accredited Sports Dietitian

Emily is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Sports Dietitian and Credentialed Eating disorder Dietitian.

Emily enjoys working with all people to achieve their goals, whether that’s fuelling to improve sporting performance, or optimising overall health and wellbeing.

Emily is known for her nurturing personality, individualised and inclusive approach to providing nutrition support. She thrives supporting people to make sustainable changes to their nutrition and develop a positive relationship with food to achieve optimal health and performance.

Emily has always been passionate about health and all sports, with a particular interest in cycling, triathlon, team sport, preventing low energy availability / REDs, and supporting people struggling with an eating disorder and/or disordered eating.

Emily’s love for supporting athletes stems from growing up playing representative basketball, supporting Carlton Football Club and her ongoing participation in local criterium and road races across Melbourne.

Emily’s areas of interest include working with junior and elite athletes to adequately fuel their training and competition, people experiencing an eating disorder (18 years and older), disordered eating, or those wanting to improve their relationship with food to get the most out of their body, and feel good in their body!

Outside of this role you will find Emily road cycling, competing in local criterium races or out exploring on her gravel bike.