Anita Hamilton has over 30 years of experience as an occupational therapy practitioner and educator. As a clinician, she worked in acute and community mental health, work rehabilitation and in an acute surgical hospital specialising in orthopaedic and neurological conditions.
Anita obtained her Master’s in occupational therapy at the University of Queensland, and her PhD from Deakin University. She also completed an Executive Master of Business Administration at University of the Sunshine Coast in 2022.
Prior to her appointment at UniSC, Anita was an Assistant Professor Occupational Therapy at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta (Canada) and prior to that, she was a lecturer in occupational therapy at Deakin University.
At UniSC Anita has served as the Deputy Head of School (2016-20), the chair of the Student Academic Appeals Committee (2019-2021), as an elected member of the University’s Academic Board (2019-2021), and as the Program Coordinator for the occupational therapy discipline (2013-15; 2023).
In her role as a Senior Lecturer, Anita has experience as a course coordinator at all levels of occupational therapy teaching programs, at both Bachelor’s and Master’s levels. Over her career, Anita has been consistently recognised and awarded for being an innovative educator and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Anita Hamilton's specialist areas of knowledge include animal-assisted approaches to improving mental health and well-being, assistance and therapy dogs in the classroom, workplace and community.
Research areas
- animal-assisted approaches to enhance mental health and well-being
- sensory-based approaches to enhance mental health and well-being
- scholarship of Learning and Teaching (ePortfolio, near-peer mentoring, knowledge translation
- business and marketing for health professionals
Honours and HDR Research Projects
- Parental playfulness in autistic parents
- Animal-assisted education in university classrooms
- Impact of being partnered with an Assistance Dog
- Sensory-based approaches to improving workplaces
- Essential skills necessary for contemporary occupational therapy practice in Australia
Teaching areas
- OCC 321 Occupational Therapy in Mental Health
- OCC402 Professional Issues in Occupational Therapy
Program coordinator
Anita Hamilton's specialist areas of knowledge include animal-assisted approaches to improving mental health and well-being, assistance and therapy dogs in the classroom, workplace and community.