Biography
Sabrina Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy at Birmingham Newman University within the Faculty of Arts, Society and Professional Studies. Sabrina is a registered Occupational therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council. Before joining Birmingham Newman University Sabrina worked in clinical practice as a Team Lead Occupational therapist in a community intermediate care team. Prior to this role, Sabrina worked across acute and community settings in the following specialities – medicine, orthopaedics, rehabilitation, respiratory, admission avoidance and Long Covid rehabilitation. Sabrina has also worked in various other roles within healthcare over the past nineteen years.
Sabrina’s previous teaching experience within higher education includes working as a Visiting Lecturer and Guest Lecturer on pre-registration Occupational therapy programmes at the University of Worcester, Coventry University, and the University of Wolverhampton.
Sabrina is currently completing her Masters in Transforming and Leading in Healthcare and aims to use this knowledge and experience to facilitate and support the learning within the School of Nursing and Allied Health for students on pre-registration professional courses.
Profile
Research Interests
Sabrina has remained involved in research both as a participant and as an active researcher since qualifying as an Occupational therapist. Sabrina’s clinical research areas of interest and engagement are within physical rehabilitation and the therapeutic role of Occupational therapists within pulmonary rehabilitation and respiratory care.
Sabrina has also focussed on exploring equality and diversity within Allied Health Professions, alongside the development of students and the future workforce. Sabrina was an active researcher in 2022 on a project for Health Education England that explored the leadership journey and experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic Occupational Therapy graduates from Coventry University, which focussed on the facilitators and barriers to successful leadership identity and attainment.
Sabrina plans to continue actively researching the above topics and would like to also focus on simulation within Allied Health pre-registration education now she has joined Birmingham Newman University.
Membership of Professional Organisations:
Sabrina maintains her registration as an Occupational Therapist with the Health and Care Professions Council. Sabrina is also a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.
Qualifications:
BSc Occupational Therapy (Coventry University, 2015)
BSc Health Studies (Birmingham City University, 2009)
Other Activities
Conference Presentations
Thomas, S. and Nthakomwa-Cassidy (2016) Transforming Occupational therapy student learning beyond a university: Reflections from a visit to a Prison and Timpson Foundation, The Big HLS Conference: Working Across Boundaries, Coventry University, Coventry, UK.