The last election of Occupational Science Europe was held in 2021. The call for nomination received a total of 4 electible candidates. After an online and open voting for OSE members (email list), three new members joined the Board.
Therefore the new members of the Board are:
María Alonso-Ferreira
I have been contributing to Occupational Science Europe since 2017 as a member of the Social Media Committee and because of the very enriching and positive experience I am now willing to make part of the OSE Board.
Since the beginning of my career I had an interest for subjects relating to social and occupational justice, vulnerable populations, gender studies and migrations so this is how I decided to expand my curriculum getting a Master’s Degree on Social Policies and Community Intervention in which I chose to further specialized on gender and equality policies.
In the present time, I work whit asylum seekers within the Spanish national International Protection system. This position has enlarged my interests in occupation from global perspectives and the conviction in its transformative capacity.
Tanja Krizaj
My teaching and research has been heavily informed by occupational science which is my primary research interest. I am a peer-reviewer for the Journal of Occupational Science and I completed my PhD on the topic of Older Slovenians’ meaningful occupations and how these are influenced by the transition into a care home. My research was published in high quality journals and presented at the OSE Conference in Amsterdam. I was also an invited keynote speaker at the Slovenian Occupational Therapy Conference where I further disseminated this foundational occupational science knowledge.
University of Plymouth has always been involved in the OSE network and I would be honoured to continue with this commitment, becoming an OSE Board member and contributing to the European Occupational Science community.
Martin Fitzgerald
I have 25 years clinical experience working as an occupational therapist in New Zealand and the UK. Since 2015 I have worked as a clinical / academic for an NHS Trust and the University of Bradford; I now work fulltime for the University. I live and work in the UK but am an Irish and New Zealand citizen. My interest in occupational science began with my undergraduate training at the Auckland Institute of Technology. At the University of Braford a colleague and I led on the Occupational Science content within our undergraduate program. Building on this experience we have established the first MSc in occupational science in the UK. Our first intake was in September 2021. This program is focussed on the investigation of phenomena, populations, communities, cultural groups, environments, disorders, disabilities and illness through the lens of occupation. It is focused on meeting the challenge, as set out by Whitford and Hocking (2012), to deliver applied research to address real-world
challenges such as social exclusion through the lens of occupation. This program is available to occupational therapy and social scientist graduates and those with relevant real-world experience. It therefore meets the Occupational Science Europe goal of multidisciplinary participation. As a member of your Board, I hope to support and sponsor the development of occupational science through scholarship, in support of occupational therapy practice and as a tool of enquiry to understand and promote social inclusion, participation and occupational identity.
WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THESE CANDIDATES!
We hope to see you involved in OSE! We would be honoured to have your commitment, motivation and expertise within the network (committees, activities, or any other idea you might have).
Angela Payne
I am passionate about Occupational science as the supporting science for Occupational Therapy and have been teaching on the subject for several years. I have completed an MSc in Occupational Science at Leeds Beckett University and have presented several times at OSE conferences on my research and areas of interest.
I would really value such an opportunity to be able to promote OS wider and encourage others to share knowledge and create discussion.
Occupational Science Europe 