Rate My Professor Claire Morrisby

Dr Claire Morrisby is a Senior Lecturer in the Curtin School of Allied Health within the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University. An experienced occupational therapist specializing in aged and community care, particularly dementia care, she commenced her academic career at Curtin in 2012. Morrisby holds a PhD in Occupational Therapy, with her doctoral research investigating the needs of people with dementia and their carers from community perspectives. Her research focuses on dementia caregiving, communication training for support workers and carers, service provision gaps for community-dwelling individuals with dementia, and innovative educational approaches in occupational therapy, including digital storytelling to foster empathy towards older adults and virtual reality for skill development. She has contributed to interprofessional education initiatives and work-integrated learning to enhance students' attitudes and competencies in gerontology.

Morrisby's scholarship has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications, including 'Do services meet the needs of people with dementia and carers living in the community? A scoping review of the international literature' (2018, International Psychogeriatrics), 'Changing attitudes towards older adults: Eliciting empathy through digital storytelling' (2022, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education), 'Needs of people with dementia and their spousal carers: A study of those living in the community' (2019, Australasian Journal on Ageing), 'The ‘tipping point’: exploring the factors associated with entry into residential care for people with dementia in Western Australia' (2021, Dementia), and 'Peer-led virtual learning: Impact of dementia-specific communication training for occupational therapy students' (2023, Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics). Her work has been cited over 160 times, reflecting impact in occupational therapy and geriatrics. Recognized for teaching excellence, she received the 2016 Faculty of Health Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award for Early Career and contributed to team awards such as the 2024 Faculty of Health Sciences Program Award. Morrisby supervises research students and engages in curriculum development using innovative technologies like VR for occupational therapy education.