Professor Lesley Collier
Honorary Professor - Health Sciences

Summary

Dr Lesley Collier is a Reader in Occupational Therapy within the College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University. Lesley is an occupational therapist by background with a clinical interest in sensory integration and cognitive impairment. She has led and participated in national and international research programmes related to sensory processing and sensory stimulation for people with cognitive impairment. Outcomes from this work are widely published and she leads collaborative partnerships with charities, industry and the NHS to improve the translation of research into practice. She is also an experienced educator having taught health care professionals at pre and post registration level for over 24 years

“I am a HCPC registered Occupational Therapist with a specialist interest in dementia, sensory processing and sensory integration”

Before moving to academia I worked as an occupational therapist in Dorset specialising in neurology and dementia care. I particularly enjoyed working with those with severe cognitive impairment and perceptual disorders and developed an interest in using sensory approaches to address these problems. I now teach at both under graduate and post graduate level with a focus on neurology, sensory and information processing and sensory approaches for people with cognitive impairment.

I hold a number of research grants exploring the use of sensory approaches with people with cognitive impairment and work in partnership with Sensory Integration Network UK & Ireland, members of the TAG European Consortium and alongside a number of UK based charities. I am committed to supporting and developing therapists for the future. I am a mentor for the National Institute for Health Research to support clinical academic careers, Occupational Therapists working in emerging areas of practice and supervise a number of occupational therapists and other clinical staff undertaking PhDs.

Responsibility

Programme Lead MSc (pre-registration) Occupational Therapy