The Division of Occupational Therapy is a part of the Department of Health Sciences at Lund University. The division offers programmes for both Bachelor and Master degrees in Occupational Therapy and opportunities for research studies.
The courses are planned and transferred to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
The occupational therapy training programme is divided into three levels, A, B and C, each consisting of courses arranged in themes. Studies in the main subjects are based on the following assumptions of occupational therapy:
- Man is by nature an active being
- There is a link between the individual's experience of occupational dysfunction and that individual's health and wellbeing
- Activity can be used as a therapeutic tool
Activity, age and gender play an important role in the programme. The three levels also emphasise multicultural aspects and have a future-oriented approach involving considerable emphasis on preventive care and public health. Research and development are integrated into the whole study programme. The division offers the master course: Arbete ur ett hälsoperspektiv (Work from a health perspective) and plans to give it for the 3rd time in the fall semester of 2007.
There are 10 doctoral students at the department, some concentrating in their thesis on aspects of working life such as return to work after stroke or women at work and the balance of everyday life. Focus has so far been more on the quality of life factors and stresses at work than on ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders. However there is an ambition to enlarge the present focus and develop cooperation with other divisions such as physical therapy.
There are two research programs with approximately 15 PhD:s and doctoral students in each. The programs are:
- Occupation, health and wellbeing in different populations
Research leader: Professor Mona Eklund
- Environmental Factors in Health Promotion and Rehabilitation Targeting Elderly People in the Community: Perspectives of Activity, Accessibility, and Participation
Forskningsledare: Professor Susanne Iwarsson
In the research program 1, there are six different research areas including the above mentioned about return to work after stroke and women´s work situation and stresses, but also studies about long term sick leave, work and rehabilitation which may also include musculoskeletal pain and ergonomic factors. Some studies particularly focus on problems in everyday life activities (including work) for different patient groups. Research focusing musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomics has so far in particular been carried out by the staff members Eva Ramel, PhD, RPT and Ragnhild Cederlund, PhD, ROT. For a more detailed description of other researchers and doctoral students see www.arb.lu.se .
Eva Ramel has since many years worked with the theatres´ working environment and especially that of professional dancers. Her latest research was a qualitative study called Better working environment for dancers (the BeWED-project, or Bättre arbetsmiljö för dansare, BAD-projektet in Swedish). This project was initiated by the Swedish Performing Arts and the Swedish Union for Theatre, Artists and Media and financed by AFA. Ragnhild Cederlund has a background in research in hand surgery and rehabilitation and is still clinically part time engaged at the University hospital in Malmö. Her present research involves among other things vibration problems and the diabetic hand. Ragnhild´s work is partly financed by The Vardal Foundation.
Contact
Contact person: Eva Ramel, lecturer, PhD, RPT, Department of Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Therapy, P.O. Box 157, SE-221 00 Lund, Phone: +46 46 2221955, eva.ramel@med.lu.se
Ragnhild Cederlund, PhD, ROT, Department of Health Sciences, Division of Occupational Therapy, P.O. Box 157, SE-221 00 Lund, Phone: +46 46 2221955, ragnhild.cederlund@med.lu.se