Rate My Professor Stephen Isbel

Professor Stephen Isbel is a Professor in Occupational Therapy in the Faculty of Health at the University of Canberra, where he also serves as Clinical Professor of Occupational Therapy in the Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy discipline. He holds a Doctor of Health Sciences from the University of Sydney awarded in 2008, a Master of Occupational Therapy, a Master of Health Administration, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy. Prior to his academic career, Isbel held senior clinical positions in ACT Health, primarily in aged care and adult neurological rehabilitation. Currently, he teaches in the Master of Occupational Therapy and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy courses. He is Deputy Director of the Centre for Ageing Research and Translation (CARAT) and leads the theme on innovative care models, supervising multiple PhD students on projects related to dementia care, nutrition, and rehabilitation.

Isbel's research specializations include allied health care, post-stroke rehabilitation, dementia care, aged care, occupational therapy education, and older drivers. As Chief Investigator, he has secured grants exceeding $3,000,000 from the Medical Research Future Fund and the National Health and Medical Research Council. He received the Dementia Advocates Award in 2022 and the Research Impact Team Award in 2020. Isbel serves as an Associate Editor of the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. Key publications encompass “It’s Not like It’s Going to Get Better - I Might Need More Assistance”: A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring the Evolving Needs of Care Partners of People with Dementia (2026, Dementia: the international journal of social research and practice); A Digital Alert Feedback System (Aged Care Electronic Dashboard Information Tool, ACED-IT) to Enhance Quality Nursing Care: Participatory Action Research (2025, Journal of Clinical Nursing); A Protocol for Enhancing Allied Health Care for Older People in Residential Care: The EAHOP Intervention (2025, Healthcare); A Scoping Review of the Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Small-Scale Residential Dementia Care (2025, Alzheimer's and Dementia); and Occupation-Based Interventions to Improve Occupational Performance and Quality of Life After Stroke: A Systematic Review (2024, Disability and Rehabilitation).