Georgia Spiliotopoulou

Academic qualifications

• PhD (Brunel)
• PGCert LTHE (Brunel)
• MSc in Neurorehabilitation (Brunel)
• BSc (OT) (TEI Athens)

Profile

Prior to joining the Brunel School of Health Sciences and Social Care, Georgia worked in physical, learning disabilities and children’s settings both in Greece and in the UK. Her doctoral research explored the impact of cognitive skills on school-aged children’s reading ability. As part of her research, she pilot-tested assessment tools for children’s working memory and metamemory. She is interested in quantitative research focusing on outcome measures’ development and assistive technology. Currently, she is working with two specialist groups of the College of Occupational Therapists in devising practice guidelines for occupational therapists.

Committee responsibilities

• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy Examination Board
• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy Course Committee
• MSc (OT) Occupational Therapy Course Committee
• Division Research Steering Committee

Admin responsibilities

Module leader in Research Methods (year 3)

Representative of the Research Centre for Professional Practice at the School’s Research Committee

Other responsibilities

• Reviewer for the School of Health Sciences and Social Care Research Ethics Committee
• Personal tutor for level 1, 2 and 3 undergraduate students
• MSc supervisor

Teaching responsibilities

Lecturer in Occupational Therapy for the undergraduate and MSc programme:

Research methods (BSc)

Occupational performance (BSc)

Research proposal (BSc)

Enabling health and well-being through occupations (BSc)

Evidence-based practice (MScOT)

Paediatric module (MScOT)

Teaching and learning theories for the Practice Placement Educators’ course

Research interests

• Evidence-based practice using mostly quantitative approaches
• Development of assessment tools
• Evaluation of reliability and validity of assessment tools
• Children’s cognitive development and rehabilitation
• Assistive technology
• Practice guidelines development

Research centres

• Centre for Professional Practice (CPPR)
• CCentre for Research in Rehabilitation (CRR)

Research projects and grants

Atwal A, McIntyre A, Spiliotopoulou G, Money A, Elliman A (2010) Bringing the home into hospital: Preparing older patients for home discharge using 3D visualisation software. Pump priming money from Brunel University. £1 250

Atwal A & Spiliotopoulou G (2009) Development of evidence-based practice guidelines for occupational therapists working with people with acquired brain injury. College of Occupational Therapists. £12 700

Atwal A, Spiliotopoulou G (2009) Knowledge Transfer: Collaboration between the Brunel University Centre for Professional Practice Research and the College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section – Trauma and Orthopaedics in producing clinical guidelines for the occupational therapists working with people with lower limb amputations. £12 000

Dong H & Spiliotopoulou G (2008) Learning design through the use of simulation tools and multidisciplinary collaboration. The Higher Education Academy’s Engineering Subject Centre. £3 500

Membership and affiliation

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of the British Association of Occupational Therapists

Professional activities or recognition

• Reviewer for the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
• Reviewer for the British Journal of Occupational Therapy

Conferences

Atwal A, Spiliotopoulou G, Giles A (2011) Factors influence the quality of life of poliomyelitis survivors and those experiencing post-polio syndrome. Oral presentation for the European Conference on Polio, 31 August – 2 September, Copenhagen, Denmark

AG Money, A McIntyre, A Atwal, G Spiliotopoulou (2011) Bringing the Home into the Hospital: Assisting the Hospital-Home Discharge Process using 3D Home Visualisation Software. Proceedings of the 15^th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI International), 9-14 July, Orlando, Bonnet Creek, Florida, USA.

Spiliotopoulou G, Atwal A, Fowkes C (2011) Does provision of assistive technology predict happiness in people with post-polio syndrome? Oral presentation for the 35^th Annual Conference of the College of Occupational Therapists, 28 June – 1 July, Brighton, UK.

Dong H, Spiliotopoulou G (2010) Engaging large class with user-centered design through the use of simulation tools and interdisciplinary collaboration. Oral presentation for the 12^th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education. 2-3 September 2010, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

Spiliotopoulou G (2010) Development of an assessment tool for Working Memory skills for Greek school-aged children - A feasibility study". Oral presentation for the 15^th Congress of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 4 – 7 May, Santiago, Chile.

Spiliotopoulou G, Atwal A (2010) Knowledge transfer - Collaboration between academics and clinical specialists in producing national practice guidelines for lower limb amputees. Guided poster presentation for the 15^th Congress of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 4 – 7 May, Santiago, Chile.

Atwal A, Spiliotopoulou G (2010) Knowledge transfer between academics and clinical specialists in producing evidence-based guidelines. Oral presentation for the 34^th Annual Conference of the College of Occupational Therapists, 22 – 25 June, Brighton, UK

Spiliotopoulou G (2009) Measuring the reliability of paediatric outcome measures by using Cronbach’s alpha: Is this a reliable practice? Oral presentation for the 5^th Hellenic Occupational Therapy Conference, 28 – 29 November, Athens, Greece

Spiliotopoulou G (2009) Reliability reconsidered: Cronbach’s alpha in occupational therapy paediatric assessment. 33^rd Annual Conference of the College of Occupational Therapists, Brighton, UK.

Spiliotopoulou G, Reynolds F (2007) The interrelationship between metamemory components and visual/verbal working memory in children aged 7-11 years. 4^th Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Congress, June, Hong Kong.

Spiliotopoulou G (2007) Preparing occupational therapy students for practice placement – initial evidence. 4^th Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Congress, June, Hong Kong.

Spiliotopoulou G (2004) The role of the sensory integration approach and other therapeutic methods in the rehabilitation of attention deficits in children with specific learning disabilities.7^th European Congress of OT, Athens, Greece.

Publications

Journal Papers

(Forthcoming) Atwal, A., Spiliotopoulou, G., McIntyre, A. and Money, A., Occupational therapists’ perceptions about the clinical utility of the 3D interior design software, Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology Forthcoming

(2012) Atwal, A., Giles, A., Spiliotopoulou, G., Plastow, N. and Wilson, L., Living with polio and post-polio syndrome in the United Kingdom, Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences Forthcoming

(2012) Atwal, A., Spiliotopoulou, G., Plastow, N., McIntyre, A. and McKay, E., Older adults' experiences of occupational therapy pre-discharge home visits: a systematic thematic synthesis of qualitative research, British Journal of Occupational Therapy 75 (3) : 118- 127

(2012) Spiliotopoulou, G. and Atwal, A., Is occupational therapy practice for older adults with lower limb amputations evidence-based? A systematic review, Prosthetics and Orthotics International 36 (1) : 7- 14

(2012) Spiliotopoulou, G., Fowkes, C. and Atwal, A., Assistive technology and prediction of happiness in people with post-polio syndrome, Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology 7 (3) : 199- 204

(2011) Atwal, A., McIntyre, A., Spiliotopoulou, G. and Plastow, N., Achieving recognition, British Journal of Occupational Therapy 74 (11) : 544- 544

(2011) Morley, M., Atwal, A. and Spiliotopoulou, G., Has occupational science taken away the occupational therapy evidence base? A debate, British Journal of Occupational Therapy 74 (10) : 494- 497

(2011) Atwal, A. and Spiliotopoulou, G., Knowledge transfer: Developing guidelines for occupational therapists working with people with lower limb amputations (Editorial), British Journal of Occupational Therapy 74 (3) : 109- 109

(2010) Plastow, N., Spiliotopoulou, G. and Prior, S., Group assessment at first year and final degree level: A comparative evaluation, Innovations in Education and Teaching International 47 (4) : 393- 403

(2009) Atwal, A. and Spiliotopoulou, G., How can we make research evidence more accessible (continued... )?, British Journal of Occupational Therapy 72 (5) : 234- 234

(2009) Spiliotopoulou, G., Reliability reconsidered: Cronbach's alpha and paediatric assessment in occupational therapy, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal 56 (3) : 150- 155 Download publication

(2009) Spiliotopoulou, G., Management of children with ADHD and LD: a survey of paediatric occupational therapists in the UK, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Research and Practice 6 (1) : 5- 19 Download publication

(2007) Spiliotopoulou, G., Preparing occupational therapy students for practice placements: initial evidence, The British Journal of Occupational Therapy 70 (9) : 384- 388 Download publication

Book Chapters

(2011) Money, A., McIntyre, A., Atwal, A., Spiliotopoulou, G. and French, T., Bringing the Home into the Hospital: Assisting the Pre-Discharge Home Visit Process Using 3D Home Visualization Software. In: Stephanidis, C. ed. Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Applications and Services.. Springer (6768/2011) : 416- 426

Books

(2011) Spiliotopoulou, G., Occupational therapy with people who have had lower limb amputation: Evidence-based guidelines. College of Occupational Therapists