Q & A
I really enjoy working with other people and teaching , mentoring or sharing knowledge , often results in me learning more than the people I am supposed to be supporting . Students and mentees have taught and inspired me so much over the years .”
Q & A
Q & A with Professor Katrina Bannigan
With over 26 years of expertise , Professor Katrina Bannigan is an internationally renowned occupational therapist researcher and educator . Here she talks about her career journey , and why research and scholarly activity is vital to the profession ’ s development .
The RCOT Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture is given in honour of Elizabeth ’ s contributions to the profession of occupational therapy . The first woman to be awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Bristol in 1929 , she specialised in psychiatry and introduced occupational therapy to England , setting up the first school of occupational therapy , Dorset House , in Bristol .
The lectureship is awarded to an RCOT member whose peers consider them to have made and be making a significant contribution to the profession ’ s development .
Professor Katrina Bannigan , a recognised leader of research within and beyond the profession , with an outstanding portfolio , will give our 2024 lecture later this month .
Q
A
For people who are not already familiar with you or your work as a researcher and educator , can you tell us something about your career journey so far ?
I started working in mental health doing a rotation and then worked in a day hospital . But early in my career I took up a research assistant post at the then-NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination .
From there I went to work at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust – in its previous iteration as
Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust . I was appointed as a research and development occupational therapist ; a first of its kind in the UK and a forerunner to the clinical academic role , based at the Institute of Rehabilitation .
I spent half of my time doing a PhD and the other promoting evidencebased practice within the allied health professions . As a head occupational therapist , I also contributed to managing the department .
The role benefitted my career immeasurably ; it ’ s the bedrock of my academic career and it gave me the opportunity to study for a PhD early on .
Evidence-based practice has been the driving force of my academic career . Doing so much critical appraisal teaching at Hull led to a lifelong fascination with research methods ; and I was awarded my senior fellowship in higher education for excellence in teaching research methods .
Since leaving Hull , I have worked at the universities of Teesside , York St John and Plymouth , which has involved teaching and researching in research methods and occupational therapy teaching teams .
Over the years I have developed expertise in evidence synthesis – I published one of the first systematic reviews in occupational therapy , with Alison Bullock – and developing occupation-based complex interventions .
I really enjoy working with other people and teaching , mentoring or sharing knowledge , often results in me learning more than the people I am supposed to be supporting . Students and mentees have taught and inspired me so much over the years .”
18 OTnews April 2024