I am interested in research with children and young people and, in particular, their experience and perceptions of the education system.  I am drawn to inclusive and participatory strategies to engage participants in the research process and allow their voices to be heard.

My other areas of interest include problem based learning, resilience, and occupational justice.

I graduated from the University of Brighton in 2008, having completed an MSc in Health Through Occupation.  I completed subsequent postgraduate training in Bobath Therapy, Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy, and Sensory Integration (SI).

Whilst working as a Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist within a children's therapy service, I created a new adapted scale for the Therapy Outcome Measure (TOM) for children with sensory processing difficulties.  The scale was subsequently included in the 2019 TOM User Guide for clinicians.

In 2019, I completed my MRes in Clinical Research having conducted a research project with two children with special educational needs within a mainstream Primary School.  I later presented the findings at an international conference.

I was employed as the AHP Learning Environment Lead within a large community trust in 2019 and had oversight for student placements and also assisted with setting up Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy apprenticeship schemes alongside local HEIs.  My paper evaluating an Occupational Therapy apprenticeship programme was published in the International Journal of Practice-based Learning in Health and Social care in April 2023.

Since moving to the University of Brighton in 2020, I have supervised numerous student research projects at Master's level and also have experience of peer reviewing articles for academic journals.  I completed my PGCAP in 2022, which involved a small scale research project looking at student experiences of learning over lockdown.

In May 2024, an article I co-authored was accepted for publication in the Journal of Occupational Science.  The study used Mass Observation data to explore constraints to outdoor leisure occupations.

More recently, I have been involved in participatory projects with my research partners (https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/acorn/). Starting with a scoping review, looking at the occupational particupation of Uk-based Primary School children, we have developed a local research network and are engaging in primary research with East Sussex schools.

I began teaching on the BSc OT programme as a visiting lecturer in 2019 before being offered a permanent role teaching on the MSc (pre-reg) and BSc programmes in September 2020.

I use problem based learning (PBL) as a teaching approach on the Occupational Therapy course.  I find this fits well with the client-centred ethos of the OT profession as well as my own pedagogic philosophy, which is to facilitate learning through self-directed enquiry and reflective dialogue.

I currently chair the 'Problem Based Learning Collaborative Learning Group' (formerly the specialist interest group) and have created an associated edublog that includes information, resources, and latest research.

I also provide problem based learning teaching sessions on the postgraduate 'Healthcare Professional as Educator' module as well as the Brighton and Sussex Medical School.