Claire Pearce (BAppSc (Occupational Therapy), MSc (Health Sciences), PhD)
Assistant Professor and Discipline Lead Speech Pathology & Occupational Therapy
Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Australia
Date of Visit: Monday, May 25 and Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Purpose of Visit
The purpose of this visit is to explore opportunities for collaboration between UBC and the University of Canberra. The visit aims to support dialogue on curriculum innovation, with a focus on preparing graduates for contemporary and emerging practice contexts. Ideas for discussion include approaches to curriculum design, programmatic assessment and universal design for learning to support professional identity formation in health professions education. The visit provides an opportunity to build collaborative research connections, learn from CHES’ leadership in educational scholarship, and contribute to dialogue on strengthening workforce development across health professions.
Biography
Claire Pearce is an Assistant Professor and Discipline Lead for Speech Pathology & Occupational Therapy at the University of Canberra. She is an experienced occupational therapist with more than thirty years of clinical, managerial, policy, and academic experience across Australia and the United Kingdom. Her career spans acute and rehabilitation services, multidisciplinary team leadership, and health service evaluation roles that have shaped her interest in how systems, professions, and communities interact to influence care. Claire is a qualitative researcher and her research in areas including mental health, obesity and aged care, has focused on understanding the experience of consumers and staff interacting within complex health systems. Following her completion of the UBC International Program for the Scholarship of Educational Leadership (SoEL) in 2025, she is looking to expand her SoTL research with a focus on the design of inclusive, contemporary occupational therapy curricula that prepare graduates for emerging and evolving practice contexts.