Staff Profile

Ms Samantha Ashby is a Lecturer in occupational therapy. She worked as an occupational therapist since 1987. She has worked in a range of health settings and occupational rehabilitation settings for 14 years in the UK and Australia. She completed her Masters RHD at the University of Sydney in 1999 “The impact of chronic low back pain on people’s lives.” She began her career in academia at the UK at Coventry University from 1997-2003. Since returning to academia in 2007, she has commenced her PhD study “The theoretical knowledge used and valued by occupational therapists in mental health practice: Influences and applications” and has published 5 papers in peer-reviewed journals and given 8 conference presentations.

Ms Ashby has published on the impact of chronic low back pain on occupational engagement and participation Her current research interests are in the nexus between theoretical knowledge in practice and the curriculum. She is also researching the development of professional identity and professional resilience in occupational therapy students and practitioners. She is currently working with two research teams on topics including health professional interventions for weight management, and student assessment.

She is an invited reviewer for three international journals in the field of occupational therapy and rehabilitation. Ms Ashby also presents workshops for professional organisations on the Model of Human Occupation, Kawa Model and the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement. She has presented workshops on these topics in NSW, and Queensland for a range of professional organisations. In 2011, she represented the University of Newcastle in an ALTC funded project which aimed to engage emerging OT academic leaders in a community of practice designed to build capacity in curriculum development and renewal.