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Dr Claire Hart

Assistant Professor

School: Communities and Education

Throughout my extensive educational, research and practice experiences I have demonstrated commitment to workforce development, excellence in education and the creation of high quality research. In my current role as Assistant Professor I deliver under-graduate, post-graduate and apprenticeship occupational therapy education, focused on inclusivity, creative engagement and occupational theory.

Learning and Teaching

As a Senior Fellow of the HEA, I am committed to delivering the highest quality research-informed and multi-voiced teaching, tailored to the future needs of the discipline. My teaching has been rated exellent by QAA and I have multiple nominations and an award for innovative delivery through creative teaching methods. I am expereinced in curriculum development and review and keen to challenge epistemic hegemony in order to promote and open, inclusive and reflexive approach to occupational therapy education. I am a Designed Quality Body assessor for QAA and have been invited reviewer for ultiple programmes in the UK and Europe.

I am interested in the internationalisation of education, and work to decolonise my teaching to reflect a world focused view of occupational therapy. I have delivered teaching overseas and prepared programmes for delivery with/by international partners in Europe, India and South East Asia.

Research and Scholarship

I have an established contribution to occupational therapy and occupational science research and scholarship, focusing on the needs of refugees and people seeking asylum. I am committed to developing research which challenges traditional methods in order to promote more culturally sensitive and inclusive projects. I wish to expand the range of voices contributing to knowldge generation, giving a platform to often excluded participants using creative and novel methods to enhance data gathering and ensuring my research is shared in meaningful and accessible ways.

Professional contributions:

I actively contribute to professional developments nationally and internationally as Chair of Occupational Science Europe (OSE) and member of OSE research committee. I contribute to occupational theory development and discourse, review for academic programmes and professional journals and provide leadership, mentoring and suprvision for academic and practice colleagues.

I regularly present at local, national and international events, often as invited speaker or keynote. I have contributed to the Royal College of Occupational Therapists' 'Complexity of Occupation' lecture series and am a registered expert on occupation and migration with OSE.

Claire Hart

  • Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
  • Objectifying gaze: how attitudes shape occupational choice, Hart, H. 2 Oct 2025, In: Journal of Occupational Science
  • A scoping review protocol on precarious work in a European context, Morville, A., Fristedt, S., Hart, C., Jansson, I., Mondaca, M., Prior, S., Rivas Quarneti, N. 8 Apr 2024
  • Imagined futures: Occupation as a means of repair following biographical disruption in the lives of refugees, Hart, H. 2 Jan 2023, In: Journal of Occupational Science
  • Om aktiviteter i skyggen, Hart, C. 9 Mar 2023
  • The whole of the moon: How our occupational lens helps or hinders our exploration of the dark side of occupation, Hart, C. 18 Oct 2020, Illuminating The Dark Side of Occupation, London, Taylor & Francis
  • 'Keeping busy with purpose': how meaningful occupation shapes the experience of forced migration., Hart, C. 26 Oct 2019, In: Migration Studies
  • People seeking asylum can have a better life - lift the ban on work, Hart, C. 21 Nov 2019
  • Finding purpose through altruism: The potential of ‘doing for others’ during asylum, Smith, H. 2 Jan 2018, In: Journal of Occupational Science
  • Keeping busy with purpose: Virtuous occupations as a means of expressing worth during asylum., Hart, C. 2018
  • Austerity and the rise of hostility towards marginalized groups, Hart, H. 11 Nov 2016, Occupational Therapies Without Borders , Amsterdam, Netherlands, Elsevier

Fayrouz Al Haj Moussa Co-production of a service model and implementation guide informing the development of community-centred services fostering refugees’ mental health Start Date: 01/10/2023

  • Occupational Therapy PhD July 09 2018
  • Teacher Training (Further Education) PGCE June 01 2000
  • Counselling MA December 13 1999
  • Diploma of the College of Occupational Therapists DipCOT 1988


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