About
Research
Email: sefali.patel@stmarys.ac.uk
Biography
Sefali Patel is an Occupational Therapy Lecturer and Practice Placement Lead for the MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration) programme at St Mary’s University.
She leads the modules on Practice Placements and Specialist Practice and Preparation for the Workplace and contributes to teaching across other core modules.
She manages student placements, fostering effective learning experiences while providing guidance and support to both students and practice educators. She also collaborates with international universities to facilitate interprofessional learning and enhance student engagement across diverse cultural contexts.
Prior to her current role, Sefali Patel gained over eight years of international academic teaching and clinical experience across India, Southeast Asia (Vietnam), and the UK. She worked in the NHS, providing vocational rehabilitation for people with musculoskeletal conditions, focusing on sustainable return-to-work.
Additionally, she taught and offered clinical supervision for undergraduate occupational therapy students at Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India and at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Vietnam.
Furthermore, she served as a consultant for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) rehabilitation projects in Vietnam, where she contributed to strengthening occupational therapy services and building workforce capacity.
Her teaching and research interests focus on occupational therapy practices and education systems across diverse cultural contexts. She is particularly interested in exploring culturally informed approaches to Occupational Therapy practice.
Qualifications and accreditations
- Currently undertaking the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) and Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
- MSc (Post-reg) Occupational Therapy in Neuro rehabilitation
- BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy.
Membership of professional bodies
- Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT)
- The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- Academic Council of Occupational Therapy, India
- All India Occupational Therapy Association.
Research
Research profile
Publications
- Sefali Patel & Sebestina Anita Dsouza (2019) Indian elderly women’s experiences of food procurement and preparation, Journal of Women & Aging, 31:3, 213-230, DOI: 10.1080/08952841.2018.1434963.
- Neha Malgaonkar, Meena Ramachandran, Sefali Dushyant Patel & Sebestina Anita Dsouza (2021) Occupational Therapists’ Perceptions of Home Program Provision for Stroke Survivors in a Lower- and Middle-Income Country: An Exploratory Study, Occupational Therapy in Health Care, DOI: 10.1080/07380577.2021.1930326