Dr Laine Chilman | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Dr Laine Chilman is a full-time Lecturer in Occupational Therapy. She is committed to research that enhances children's lives by supporting parents. She investigates occupational therapy and parenting interventions that promote child development and wellbeing, particularly in terms of child behaviour, play, picky eating, and the vital support systems necessary for optimal development. Specifically, her interest in understanding and mitigating the impact of picky eating on families fuelled her to uncover innovative solutions for healthcare practices, including supporting parents through occupational performance coaching. Laine's work emphasises her dedication to co-design with First Nation communities and a lived experience perspective, which enriches the research process.

Laine is versatile, with experience in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. She recognises that each methodology brings unique insights depending on the research context. Over her career, Laine has been invited to speak at national conferences and local research forums, receiving the Occupational Therapy Australia Postgraduate student award whilst completing her PhD.

As a researcher, Laine embodies her values of objectivity, honesty, and openness, fostering a compassionate approach to her work. Furthermore, Laine's commitment to teaching and mentoring the next generation of practitioners and researchers shines through in her emerging publication record and honours student supervision. Laine has worked as an occupational therapist and registered nurse both in Australia and England. She is passionate about student learning and understands the importance of linking theoretical knowledge with clinical practice.