Emma George

Associate Professor Emma George

Program Director Occupational Therapy

School of Allied Health Science and Practice

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

As an occupational therapist (Ahpra registration #1749421) I am fascinated by the role and importance of occupation as a right for health and well-being. My research projects all explore the way we address health inequities among marginalised people and communities with a commitment to social and occupational justice. I have led and collaborated in research on national policy implementation, the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, and the recovery from exploitation and modern slavery in Australia and India. In all of my research I am committed to learning more about occupational injustices (marginalisation, alienation, deprivation, imbalance, apartheid and dysfunction), the recognition and realisation of rights, and the response of allied health in order to promote equity and justice, culturally safe practice and trauma informed care.

I am happy for students to contact me to discuss potential research projects ideas and supervision.

Research interests: 

  • Aboriginal childhood and culturally safe and responsive allied health service provision 
  • Equitable accessibility of health care for marginalised communities 
  • Addressing occupational injustices and promoting occupational rights 
  • Recovery from human trafficking and modern slavery 
  • Evidence based practice in occupational therapy 

Current major projects: 

  • "Virtucare" - The VirtuCare project applies learnings from the role played by telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic to inform the co-design, piloting and evaluation of inclusive virtual healthcare and rehabilitation services in India. It will produce a model of care to address health and rehabilitation needs of people with disability who were often excluded in the rapid expansion of telehealth. This project is a collaboration with researchers from the Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, E-Sanjeevani, The George Institute for Global Health, the Indian Institute for Public Health, Flinders University, Emmunuel Hospital Assocation and the University of Adelaide. Virtual Healthcare: Towards an Inclusive Future of Healthcare - Australia India Institute (unimelb.edu.au)
  • "Piloting a Modified Occupational Justice Health Questionnaire" - This project aims to pilot a new research tool for use with marginalised women in rural India. This work follows two successive grants through the Australia India Institute, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) and Good Shepherd (GS). From an occupational justice perspective, marginalized women in rural India experience occupational injustice through alienation from meaningful activity, occupational deprivation leading to marginalisation, and occupational imbalance where they are over-occupied, under-occupied or unoccupied. Marginalisation of women is seen in the way that gender and caste make them vulnerable to discrimination and exploitation, and can lead to deprivation. Women in these situations are often unable to seek help and are described as “invisible” to mainstream society, held captive by the unfair cultural, societal, and power-based relationships that force them to work under exploitative conditions. The main outcome of this research is the development of three case narratives from women in rural India. 

 

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2022 - ongoing Program Director - Occupational Therapy University of Adelaide
    2020 - ongoing World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) 1st Alternate Delegate Occupational Therapy Australia
    2019 - 2022 Senior Lecturer Occupational Therapy University of Adelaide
    2018 - 2019 Lecturer Occupational Therapy Flinders University
    2016 - 2020 PhD Candidate - NHMRC Funded Scholarhip Flinders University
    2015 - 2015 Lecturer: Equity University of South Australia
    2012 - 2015 Lecturer Occupational Therapy University of South Australia
    2011 - 2012 Lecturer: Equity, Indigenous Student Support University of South Australia

  • Education
    Date Institution name Country Title
    2016 - 2020 Flinders University Australia Doctor of Philosophy
    2013 - 2014 Flinders University Australia Master of Public Health
    2010 - 2012 Flinders University Australia Master of Health and International Development
    1998 - 2001 University of South Australia Australia Bachelor of Applied Science (OT)

  • Research Interests
    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Health Policy Human Rights and Justice Issues Public Health Child and Adolescent Health Indigenous and Disadvantaged Health

2024: Early Grant Development Award. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences Internal Strategic Research Support Schemes. Project: Occupational justice case narratives with marginalised women in India. $20,000.

2024-2025: New Colombo Plan, Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Project: Allied health student placement in India. $107,250.

2023: Unnati Research Collaboration Grant, Australia India Institute. Project: Developing an enhanced model of care for survivors of exploitation. $29,700.

2023: AIRS Fellowship, Australia India Institute. Project: Critiquing the ‘Occupational Justice Health Questionnaire’ for use with survivors of sexual servitude and exploitation in India. $6,200.

2022: Australia India Council, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Project: VirtuCare: co‐designing disability‐inclusive virtual healthcare and rehabilitation in India. $176,000. 

2022: School of Allied Health Science and Practice Research Support Grant, The University of Adelaide. Project: VirtuCare: co-designing disability-inclusive virtual healthcare and rehabilitation. $4,900

2021: School of Allied Health Science and Practice Research Support Grant, The University of Adelaide. Project: Amplifying occupational justice in practice through podcasting as a research method. $2,490

2021: School of Allied Health Science and Practice Research Support Grant, The University of Adelaide. Project: Nature-based interventions in allied health: current practice, challenges and opportunities. $2,480

2016-2018: NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence for Social Determinants and Health Equity (Flinders University) - PhD Scholarship $30,000 per year. 

2016: Flinders University, School of Medicine, Seeding Grant, Student Investigator. Funds: $13,260 

 

I am the Program Director for the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours).

I have experience teaching occupational science, public health, Aboriginal health, and supervising community based projects and placements. 

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 Principal Supervisor Enabling occupational transition, participation and social inclusion for women leaving ritualistic sexual slavery in rural Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Caitlin Prince
    2021 Co-Supervisor Access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS): An exploration of how individuals and families access the scheme for the first time. Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Part Time Miss Jessica Lee Charlton

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2020 - ongoing Member Australasian Society of Occupational Scientists Australia
    2020 - ongoing Member Environmental Physiotherapy Association Australia
    2018 - ongoing Member Occupational Therapy Australia Australia
    2018 - ongoing Member World Federation of Occupational Therapists Australia
    2011 - ongoing Member Indigenous Allied Health Australia Australia
  • Position: Program Director Occupational Therapy
  • Phone: 83133122
  • Email: emma.george@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Engineering and Maths. Sciences, floor Fourth Floor
  • Room: 408B
  • Org Unit: Occupational Therapy
Connect With Me
External Profiles