The Ballarat-based physiotherapist takes on the role with a passion to make a difference and promote greater diversity in helping to shape the industry.

Dr Kemp, a renowned hip injury expert, will become one of three editors for British Journal of Sports Medicine from January 1. She is the only physiotherapist in the role with her fellow editors, one in Canada and the other in South Africa, both sports doctors. The editor-in-chief is a sports physician in the United States.

While Dr Kemp has a strong record in her research being published, and she has worked as an associate editor for the journal, she said her appointment was a reflection on those around her. She felt it was good recognition for sports medicine in Australia, for the work of physiotherapists and to proudly represent Ballarat.

Dr Kemp will remain based in Ballarat where she will continue to treat at Lake Health Group and in her work with La Trobe University's Sports and Exercise Medicine Research Centre. To have editors actively involved in clinical practice and research is important to the journal.

"This is the number one sports medicine journal and it gets loads and loads of paper sent to it but probably only about 10 per cent gets published," Dr Kemp said. "Part of the job is to decide which of these goes to peer review. In that, editors can really shape the strategic focus of the journal and the sports medicine industry.

"...One thing the journal is pushing is equity and diversity, not only for women but also people of colour and people with disabilities. Traditionally, journals have always had straight, white men running them."

Dr Kemp said there had been a global push in medical research to change the way research was done. For too long, she said, white men had been the focus and the assumption was females were smaller versions of men. She said this was a key reason why diversity was so critical in the sports medicine industry.

"It's great to have different people involved in leadership, but you have to actively make that change happen," Dr Kemp said.

"If you let things take course then you find the same things keep happening. You need to make change a priority."

British Journal of Sports Medicine editors are often key guests at major conferences across the world and are called on to judge presentations. There are also meetings in London. This is on hold for Dr Kemp during the COVID-19 pandemic but there were still plenty of ways to represent and promote the journal online.

Dr Kemp said it was an honour to represent Ballarat and regional Victoria on the world stage.

"Often people assume all the talent is in Melbourne and bigger cities and people assume in regional areas, the quality is not there," Dr Kemp said. "We have great quality in Ballarat. You don't have to live in a big city to be an expert in what you do."