Samantha Tavender

Samantha joined the University of Huddersfield in July 2021 as a lecturer in Occupational Therapy. Samantha qualified as an Occupational Therapist with a BSc from Sheffield Hallam University in 2011. Samantha has experience working in a variety of mental health settings across the lifespan in both the NHS and Voluntary sector. In 2015, Samantha was awarded a scholarship from the Elizabeth Casson Trust which funded her Masters degree at Tufts University in Boston Massachusetts, USA. In 2019 Samantha completed her NBCOT exam enabling her to become a licensed Occupational Therapist in the state of Florida in the United States of America, where she worked in pediatrics and as a lecturer at Kieser University. In 2023 Samantha was awarded a grant from The Constance Owens Trust to support her PhD studies 'The lived experience of endometriosis and its impact upon occupation'. 

Samantha's main interests are endometrosis and the impact of this on occupational performance and participation and she has recently presented at local and international confrences raising awareness of endometriosis. Occuaptional Science theory and its application to occupational therapy. The lived experience. The effects and impact of the cost of living crisis.