Rate My Professor Emma Crawford

Dr Emma Crawford serves as a Lecturer in Occupational Therapy within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, at The University of Queensland. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Master of Occupational Therapy Studies, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science and International Studies from The University of Queensland, completing her PhD in 2015 on asylum seekers' experiences in Australia from 2012 to 2014, focusing on the structural-personal interaction process. Prior to her academic role, Crawford practiced as an occupational therapist in diverse settings, including with children with autism, asylum seekers, and Indigenous Australians managing chronic diseases. Her PhD research built on clinical experiences, exploring social structures shaping human activities and human rights for asylum seekers.

Crawford's research promotes wellbeing for infants, children, families, and communities via cross-cultural collaborations with community organizations to foster social change, mitigate disadvantage, and cultivate health-enhancing early life environments and activities, in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3. Core areas encompass partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled entities like the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health; responsive infant care and Neuroprotective Developmental Care addressing unsettled behaviour, maternal mental health, breastfeeding, sleep, and mother-infant co-occupations; human rights integration in occupational therapy practice and education; and occupational experiences of asylum seekers and refugees, particularly in perinatal periods. She has authored or co-authored over 60 publications, including 'New perspectives on responsive infant care: a qualitative study of the ways in which Neuroprotective Developmental Care (NDC) shapes mother-infant co-occupations' (Journal of Occupational Science, 2024), 'Occupational multi-level responsiveness: describing the skills used by occupational therapists working with children seeking asylum in Australia' (Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2022), 'An evaluation of Neuroprotective Developmental Care (NDC/Possums Programs) in the first 12 months of life' (Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2021), and the book chapter 'Fundamentals of occupational therapy: understanding the environment' (2021). Crawford teaches culturally responsive occupational therapy, co-developed a human rights course for students, supervises postgraduate research, and convenes the Queensland Occupational Justice Special Interest Group. As part of a team, she received a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning in the 2020 Australian Awards for University Teaching.