Dr Mellissa Prunty
Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy

Summary

Mellissa is the Divisional Lead for Occupational Therapy. She is a children's Occupational Therapist by background. She qualified from the MSc (pre-reg) programme at Glasgow Caledonian University in 2010. She previously completed a BSc (Hons) in Kinesiology at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, while on athletic scholarship for women’s basketball. She completed her PhD on handwriting difficulties in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), which she undertook at Oxford Brookes University under the supervision of Prof. Anna Barnett, Dr. Mandy Plumb and Dr. Kate Wilmut. Mellissa has worked in a variety of childrens' services and specialises in working with children with coordination difficulties. She founded the children's occupational therapy research clinic at the university which investigates key skills and participation in childhood including handwriting, activities of daily living and cycling. The clinic currently offers placements to occupaitonal therapy students at the university. Separate to this Mellissa co-led the development of wheelchair basketball and disability sport on campus. She has organised a series of inter-professional training days for health care students and has incorporated wheelchair basketball into the occupational therapy curriculum. The wheelchair basketball project has now expanded into the local community and a new club for children and adults is now underway (Brunel Bulls).

Mellissa joined Brunel University London as a Lecturer in October 2013.

http://www.brunel.ac.uk/occupational-therapy/research/kidspace

http://www.brunel.ac.uk/life/sport/community-activities/Wheelchair-Basketball

Responsibility

Divisional Lead for Occupational Therapy

Out going Programme Director for the MSc Occupational Therapy Programme