Associate Professor Jennifer Fleming
Name: Jennifer Fleming  Research Group/Institute: Occupational Therapy Department and Centre for Functioning and Health Research Research Interest/Field: Brain Injury Rehabilitation
What made you decide to work in this field?
It's hard to remember now because it's been more than 20 years since I started, but I think I was just fascinated by the human brain. There is so much about it we don't understand, and when you see the impact of traumatic brain injury on a person's life , it is apparent how important rehabilitation is for these people. What is the goal and significance of your research that you would like people to know? This project is about prospective memory which is required for everyday functions such as remembering appointments, paying bills, taking medication, and remembering to turn off the iron. After brain injury, impairments of prospective memory can be an obstacle to independent living, safety, and return to work. The rehabilitation of prospective memory is a fairly new area and we are only beginning to develop interventions for and systematically evaluate their effectiveness. If you were at a dinner party and someone asked you what you are researching, what would you say? Interventions for people with brain injury who forget to carry out the actions they intend to do. How does or how has or how will funding from a Foundation help your research project? The funding from the Foundation will allow us to employ a research assistant to collect the data from patients in the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit. Without the funding it would be impossible to test enough patients for the project to be worthwhile.
What is on your research wish list? For many years I have wanted to be part of a research centre focussing on health services research. Now we have the Centre for Functioning and Health Research at PAH this wish is fulfilled, so I guess now I am wishing for the Centre's funding and positions to continue beyond the initial 5 year period.
What do you like to do when you're not at work? Things with my family like going to the beach, BBQs and movies. What would you be doing if you weren't a researcher? Probably a clinical occupational therapist, or if I was to change careers completely, an architect. What are you most proud of? The way the Occupational Therapists at the PAH have embraced research, and the great research outcomes we have achieved over the past 10 years.
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