lead her to working with the British Bathroom Manufacturers Association on the development of age friendly products .
Kate is passionate about motiving the next generation of occupational therapists through teaching entrepreneurship in several universities , inspiring the students on the potential of the profession , that there are opportunities in most sectors of society and our only limitation is our lack of imagination .
She said : ‘ I was fortunate enough to be introduced to occupational therapy at the age of 14 and since qualifying in 1987 , I have had opportunities to take our profession into new and emerging areas . I am passionate about the value our profession can offer in so many sectors ... I believe our profession can fly and the only limiting factor is our own imagination .
‘ During my career I never thought I would be privileged to receive a Fellowship and I am immensely proud and honoured that my colleagues felt my achievements warranted a nomination and selection for the award .’
Jo Adams
Jo Adams is Emeritus Professor of Musculoskeletal Health , School of Health Sciences , Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences , University of Southampton and Visiting Professor at University of Leeds .
Since 1986 , Jo has worked as an occupational therapist in the NHS , social services , charitable sectors and universities across the UK and overseas .
Jo ’ s early career started at Sheffield and Chesterfield . She accepted her first management post in a community hospital in Nova Scotia and enjoyed working within a different health culture . Returning to the UK , she started working within Hampshire Social Services as a senior therapist . Hampshire Social Services supported Jo to research the effectiveness of community care and housing for people with disabilities for her MSc , which opened the door to a 30-year academic career at the University of Southampton .
As one of the founding lecturing staff of the Wessex Occupational Therapy degree programme , Jo worked alongside inspirational students and staff to develop inclusive national and international networks , to position occupational therapy prominently within multidisciplinary education and research teams .
Jo was awarded a Principal Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy for international student engagement work and the involvement of students as co-authors on numerous publications . An experienced educator , Jo led the research teaching for all health professions at the university for 20 years , engaging over 5,000 allied health students in applied research , involving pre- and post-registration students and interns in funded research programmes , publishing academic research papers with students and served as the occupational therapy lead for many education and research programmes with Versus Arthritis .
Jo has represented occupational therapy on influential national and international committees and was promoted to Professor of Musculoskeletal Health in 2015 , while serving as the
Jo Adams educational Professional Lead for Occupational Therapy at the University of Southampton .
She said : ‘ I was thrilled and honoured to have been nominated and awarded an RCOT Fellowship and thank those who took time to complete the nomination on my behalf . As with all achievements , this Fellowship is testament to the tremendous teamwork of many individuals who have worked for so long alongside me in education and research .’
I was thrilled and honoured to have been nominated and awarded an RCOT Fellowship and thank those who took time to complete the nomination on my behalf . As with all achievements , this Fellowship is testament to the tremendous teamwork of many individuals who have worked for so long alongside me in education and research .”
56 OTnews November 2022