Personal profile
Biography
Jo joined the University in 2019 as a Lecturer Practitioner in Occupational Therapy and became a full-time lecturer in Feb 2020.
Jo qualified as an Occupational Therapist from the University College of Ripon and York St John in 1993 and progressed to work as a rotational Occupational Therapist in City Hopsitals Sunderland, covering areas including elderly mental health, stroke services, orthopaedics and elderly rehabilitation. She progressed to a Senior II post specialising in in-patient elderly and stroke rehabilitation. She then moved to Northumbria Healthcare Trust as a Senior I in acute medical and rehabilitation and deputy head of the department.
In 1998 Jo moved to Barnsley NHS Foundation Trust to work in acute medical and undertook a secondment to review nuring modules at Sheffield Hallam University for AHPs integration. She then moved to the community rehabilitation team to continue her specialism in stroke and elderly rehabilitation, undertaking masters modules at Sheffield Hallam University to support this.
Since joining Huddersfield University Jo has achieved her PGCert in Health Professional Education and is excited to ensure students have an excellent learning experience including sharing her passion for Occuaptional Therapy.
Jo has now commenced a PhD in Green Care Social Prescribing, focussing on a longitudinal study of the lived experience of the green occupation and its contribution to occupational identity.
Research Expertese and Interests
- Social prescribing, especially Green Care
- Relationship between occupations and health
- Occupational identity
- Occuapotional needs of individuals with wellbeing challenges
- Student learning experience