Mrs Miranda Cunningham
Profiles

Mrs Miranda Cunningham

Associate Head of School (Marketing and Recruitment)

School of Health Professions (Faculty of Health)

Biography

Biography

I am a lecturer in Occupational Therapy and Associate Head of School for Marketing and Admissions. My career spans clinical practice, academia, leadership, and cutting-edge research. I am committed to pioneering advancements in occupational therapy practice and I am pathway lead for the PgCert First Contact Practitioner in Primary Care (Occupational Therapy).  I have a deep-rooted passion for occupational science and endeavor to understand the intricate ways in which occupation contributes to the health and wellbeing of communities. I am a doctoral student, nearing completion of my Ph.D., with a research focus on social transformation through occupation, exploring the transformative power of occupation in shaping societies.
As an advocate for experiential learning, I embody a teaching philosophy that values not just theoretical knowledge but also the practical application of skills. This commitment to fostering student development is evident in my dedication to engaging and supporting learners on their educational journey.
I was an elected member and Chair of the Board of Occupational Science Europe from 2017 to 2021. 
https://os-europe.org/. With the OSE team I was responsible for the highly successful 6th Occupational Science Europe Conference: Everyday Life, Living and Doing in a Changing Society

Qualifications

MSc Advanced Professional Practice in Occupational Therapy
PgCert Marketing - Chartered Institute of Marketing
PgCert Academic Practice
PgDip Business Management
BSc Hons Occupational Therapy
BA Hons Business Studies

Professional membership

HCPC registered
British Association of Occupational Therapists
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) 

Roles on external bodies

Member of the International Society of Occupational Scientists
Teaching

Teaching

Teaching interests

I have a broad range of teaching interests and experience across pre and post graduate levels. My current focus is on occupation for health and wellbeing of communities, occupational science and occupational therapy, population and public health, occupational therapy in primary care and arts and health. 
Research

Research

Research interests

My research interests are linked to my previous clinical experience and teaching interests. 
Arts-based occupations and social change
Creativity and arts for health and wellbeing
Occupational science
Homelessness and marginalised populations
Visual and creative methods, including photovoice
Community development through occupation
Supporting students with disabilities on placement
Research projects and Grants

Member of the steering group for the Food as a Lifestyle Motivator (FLM) pilot research project. Funded by ISSR. Staff investigator for FLM phase two: Dec 2015 – Dec 2016. Funded by British Academy/Leverhulme

Grants & contracts

'Get Involved' funded research project 2022
Publications

Publications

Key publications

Key publications are highlighted

Journals
Articles
Cunningham M, Warren A, Pollard N & Abey S (2020) 'Enacting social transformation through occupation: A narrative literature review' Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy 1-20 , DOI Open access
Pettinger C, Parsons J, Letherby G, Cunningham M, Withers L & Whiteford A (2019) 'Participatory food events as collaborative public engagement opportunities' Methodological Innovations , DOI Open access
Boland LM & Cunningham M (2018) 'Homelessness: Critical reflections and observations from an occupational perspective' Journal of Occupational Science , DOI Open access
Pettinger C, Letherby G, Parsons JM, Withers L, Cunningham M, Whiteford A, D'Aprano G, Ayres R & Sutton C (2018) 'Employing Participatory Methods to Engage an Under-Researched Group: opportunities and challenges' Methodological Innovations 11, (1) , DOI Open access
Pettinger C, Parsons JM, Cunningham M, Withers L, D'Aprano G, Letherby G, Sutton C, Whiteford A & Ayres R (2017) 'Engaging homeless individuals in discussion about their food experiences to optimise wellbeing: A pilot study' Health Education Journal , DOI Open access
Cunningham MJ & Slade A (2017) 'Exploring the lived experience of homelessness from an occupational perspective' Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy 1-14 , DOI Open access
Chapters
Cunningham M & Pace J (2020) 'The value of exploring the dark side of occupation in pre-registration occupational therapy education, using homelessness as a case study' in Twinley R Illuminating The Dark Side of Occupation International Perspectives from Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science Routledge
Cunningham MJ (2016) 'Broadening understandings of occupational identity: illustrations from a research study of homeless adults' in Sakellariou D; Pollard N Occupational therapies without borders: integrating justice with practice. Elsevier Open access
Conference Papers
Pettinger C, Cunningham M, Parsons JM, Ayres R, D'Aprano G, Whiteford A & Letherby G (2016) 'USING CREATIVE METHODS TO ENGAGE ‘MARGINALIZED’ GROUPS IN FOOD/NUTRITION ACTIVITIES: A PLYMOUTH PILOT STUDY' International Congress of Dietetics Granada, Spain 9-/-0/20169-/-0/2016Open access
Cunningham MJ, Warren A, Krizaj T, Twinley R & Mitchell S (2016) 'DEVELOPING PROBLEM BASED LEARNING IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY' 2016 - COTEC-ENOTHE Congress 6-/-0/20166-/-0/2016Open access
Cunningham MJ & slade A (2016) 'EXPANDING CONCEPTUALISATIONS OF OCCUPATIONAL IDENTITY: DRAWING FROM THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF HOMELESSNESS' 2016 - COTEC-ENOTHE Congress Galway 6-/-0/20166-/-0/2016Open access
Cunningham MJ, Pettinger C, Parsons J, Sutton C, Whiteford A, Ayres R, D'Aprano G, Withers L & Letherby G (2016) 'EXPLORING RESIDING IN A HOMELESS HOSTEL IN THE UK THE USE OF ‘FOOD AS A LIFE-STYLE MOTIVATOR’ AMONGST HOMELESS PEOPLE: A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT' 2016 - COTEC-ENOTHE Congress 6-/-0/20166-/-0/2016Open access
Cunningham MJ (2015) 'An occupational perspective on the lived experience of homelessness' The College of Occupational Therapists Annual 39th Conference Brighton 6-/-0/20157-/-0/2015Open access
Cunningham M (2015) 'Exploring the lived experience of homelessness from an occupational perspective' 30-30
Presentations and posters
Cunningham M, Warren A, pollard N, Abey S & Hardwick R Cunningham M, Warren A, pollard N, Abey S & Hardwick R 'A new way of seeing; how can occupational therapists harness arts-based occupations for social transformation? The case of participatory photography' Open access
Cunningham M, Warren A, Pollard N & Abey S Cunningham M, Warren A, Pollard N & Abey S 'Exploring social transformation through arts-based projects: A realist approach' Open access
Personal

Personal

Reports & invited lectures

International Social Transformation Through Occupation Network Bi-annual Network Meeting May 2021

Conferences organised

Occupational Science Europe 2021

Additional information

I have been an Occupational Therapist since 2001, prior to that I worked in higher education for the Enterprise in Higher Education project at Sheffield Hallam University.