Dr. Claire Gleeson

Biography

Dr. Claire I. Gleeson is a registered occupational therapist with CORU (OT020918). She holds a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Occupational Therapy, a Master of Science by Research and Ph.D. from Trinity College Dublin. She also gained a Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Education from Queen's University, Belfast, specializing in Autism and an Associate Postgraduate Certificate in Narrative Research from the University of East London. Clinically, Claire has extensive experience working within the fields of Mental Health and Autism. Her work has spanned across all educational levels; from primary school to university; supporting individuals in engaging with meaningful occupations. Notably, Claire's clinical expertise is in supporting young adults with disabilities at university to navigate both academic and social aspects of student life. She established the Students with Disabilities Ambassador Programme, a student-led initiative designed to empower students with disabilities to develop work-readiness skills while serving as role models for their peers. Additionally, Claire was one of the Project Leads on the establishment of the Career Pathways Service developed and delivered from Genio Trust funding, which supported students with mental health challenges in transitioning from college to the workforce. Claire has extensive teaching experience within higher education, having lectured on the Occupational Therapy degree program, the Professional Master of Education program at Trinity College Dublin, and the Autism Studies course at University College Cork. In her current role as Practice Education Coordinator for the Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Claire holds overall responsibility for the practice education component of the four-year undergraduate Occupational Therapy programme. Her responsibilities include the operational management, strategic development, and quality assurance of practice education, ensuring that the practice education component of the course meets accreditation standards and delivers high-quality learning experiences. Claire previously served as Regional Placement Facilitator, a role in which she coordinated clinical placements and supported students in their transition to practice. Claire's research interests encompass autism, neurodiversity, disability, and teaching and learning within clinical practice environments. Her recent work has focused hearing the voice of autistic women and their experiences of navigating the world of work. Her research embraced a neurodiversity paradigm to learn about how employers and society can support autistic women to thrive at work. Claire is also involved in several interdisciplinary projects aimed at enhancing teaching and learning in clinical settings. These include the development of a feedback literacy e-learning module for undergraduate healthcare students, as well as investigating Occupational Therapists" and Physiotherapists" perceptions of an e-learning course focused on providing effective feedback to students during practice education placements. Additionally, she is a collaborator on the INHED-funded project, 'Preparing Collaborative Practice-Ready Graduates: Exploring Practice Educators Perceptions of Practice-Based Interprofessional Education'.