Lisette Farias Vera

I am a registered occupational Therapist, Senior Lecturer (Lektor), and Associate Professor (Docent) at the Division of Occupational Therapy at NVS. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Chile in 2008, followed by an European Master of Science in Occupational Science in 2012, and a PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Occupational Science field) in 2018 at Western University in Canada and later conducted postdoctoral research at the Nursing Division at Karolinska Institutet, focusing on implementing and evaluating complex health-promoting interventions in disadvantaged communities and schools.

In addition to my academic role, I am also an Associate Editor at the Journal of Occupational Science, part of the Executive Board of Occupational Science Europe, and Junior Leader at Women In Science and Education (WISE) at KI, and part of the Executive Committee of the Interdisciplinary Network for Qualitative Researchers at KI (KI-QUAL).

I lead Team Health Equity within the ENGAGE research group.

My research focuses on addressing critical issues of health equity from an occupational perspective. Specifically, I investigate the intersecting factors that contribute to social and health inequities, tailoring health promotion and prevention interventions to communities' needs and their context. My research involves working with communities and stakeholders (e.g., families, healthcare professionals, social workers, and shelter workers) to inform policy, education, and practice.

My research centers on two primary areas:

1.      Health promotion and prevention of chronic conditions and noncommunicable diseases, such as stroke, among individuals living in disadvantaged communities; and

2.    Health promotion in community settings to ensure children and families have equitable access to meaningful leisure activities that support social participation and well-being.

The core of my research in teaching is health professional education, particularly transformative learning, professional reasoning, and critical reflexivity. I supervise undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. I teach within (critical) occupational science, epistemological foundations of qualitative research, and critical social theory. My focus on the internationalisation of the curriculum follows equity, decolonisation, and anti-racism perspectives.

I serve as a faculty member for the European Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and the Dalhousie University Master of Science in Occupational Science, and as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Occupational Science.

Course Leader

Undergraduate level: Work, activity, and participation (15 credits) (In Swedish)

Master Level: Occupational Science 1 (15 credits) (In Swedish)

Doctoral Level: Occupational Science conceptual development and application on research (3.0 credits) (In English)

Qualifications

26 weeks (29 hp credits) of formal education in higher education pedagogy

Member of KIs Pedagogical Academy

Representative of the teachers' team involved in semesters 4-6 of the Occupational Therapy program