Dr Anna Pettican

Biography

Anna is an Occupational Therapist with practice and research interests in developing, implementing, and evaluating complex health and social care interventions that address health inequities, through promoting movement, physical activity, and community participation. Anna currently leads a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between the University of Essex and the Minstead Trust, which is funded by Innovate UK. The KTP is co-producing new ways of working with adults with learning disabilities, their family carers, and paid support staff, to better support the transition from the family home into a supported living environment, as part of them living healthy, active and fulfilling lives. Anna has particular expertise in using co-production and participatory methods to work with marginalised and seldom heard groups on an equal basis (such as people living with mental health problems, disabled people, and neuro-divergent people), in an effort to democratise the production of knowledge, develop sustainable community health improvements, and advance social and occupational justice. Anna has an established track record in generating research income and has been involved in securing over £1 million in competitive grant funding since completing her PhD in 2019. For example, from charitable and other grant funders (e.g. Research England's Participatory Research Fund, Innovate UK, the Elizabeth Casson Trust, and Essex County Council) for research projects on disabled people's experiences of accessibility in leisure centres, participatory research methods (go-along interviews), and evaluating various community-based interventions (e.g. football as an intervention for people with mental health problems, and Metaverse as an intervention for supporting neuro-divergent students with the transition to University). She has published academic output at international levels of recognition in the fields of disability studies, public health, and qualitative health research. Anna currently co-lead's, with her physiotherapy colleague Dr Adrian Mallows, the Essex hub for the Community for Allied Health Professions Research. This has mostly recently resulted in an 'ideas exchange' initiative, which is connecting the real-world issues that practitioners encounter with students who are completing their dissertation projects. Since 2020 Anna has been a member of the Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Public Health Expert Advisory Group convened by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (previously Public Health England), which has a particular remit for enacting the current UK AHP Public Health strategic framework across practice, research, and education. In 2024 Anna won the University's Faculty of Science and Health PhD Supervisor of the Year award (student nominated). Anna is currently a member of the International Advisory Board for the British Journal of Occupational Therapy. She is also is currently external examiner for the new MSc (pre-registration) Occupational Therapy programme at St Mary's University London. Anna is also a member of the Occupational Science Europe Research Committee, the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is a reviewer for the British Journal of Occupational Therapy, the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal and Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. Anna works part-time, Tuesday-Thursday.

Qualifications

• PhD Occupational Therapy University of Essex,

• Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice University of Essex,

• MSc Occupational Therapy Brunel University London,

• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy Coventry University,

Appointments

University of Essex

• Post-doctoral Researcher (Senior Research Officer), School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, University of Essex (1/8/2019 - 31/12/2021)

• Lecturer in Occupational Therapy (Career break July 2017-Nov 2018), School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex (2/11/2009 - 31/7/2019)