Mr Alexander Smith

Mr Alexander Smith

Senior Lecturer Occupational Therapy
Therapies

Telephone number

+44 (0) 1792 602235

Email address

Welsh language proficiency

Fluent Welsh Speaker
Marketing Office - 305
Third Floor
Vivian Building
Singleton Campus

About

Alexander Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy and Course Lead for Swansea University’s part-time Occupational Therapy programme. He is an occupational therapist, educator and researcher specialising in stroke, neurological rehabilitation and patient-reported outcomes. His work combines clinical experience, applied health research and professional leadership to improve how the effects of stroke and rehabilitation are understood from the perspectives of stroke survivors.

His research focuses particularly on patient-reported outcomes and outcome measures, commonly known as PROs & PROMs, and on the factors that can make these measures difficult or inaccessible for some stroke survivors. His work also encompasses outcome measurement, psychometrics, clinometrics, evidence-based practice and equitable participation in health research. 

Alexander was the first clinician in Wales to receive a Stroke Association Postgraduate Fellowship to support doctoral research. He has contributed to occupational therapy research leadership through roles and projects involving the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, including the joint RCOT and James Lind Alliance Research Priority Setting Partnership. He was also a contributor to the 2023 National Clinical Guideline for Stroke for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Alongside his role at Swansea University, he is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Applied Health Sciences at the University of Birmingham and an Honorary Research Fellow at Wye Valley NHS Trust.

 

 

Areas Of Expertise

  • Occupational therapy
  • Stroke rehabilitation
  • Neurological rehabilitation
  • Patient-reported outcome measures
  • Outcome measurement
  • Psychometrics and clinometrics
  • Evidence-based practice
  • Research methods
  • Neuropsychology and cognition
  • Inclusive and equitable health research

Languages Spoken

  • Welsh

Career Highlights

Teaching Interests

Alexander Smith teaches across occupational therapy, rehabilitation and applied research. His teaching interests include:

  • occupational therapy theory and practice;
  • stroke and neurological rehabilitation;
  • cognition and neuropsychology;
  • rehabilitation of adults;
  • research methods and critical appraisal;
  • evidence-based practice;
  • outcome measurement and the use of patient-reported outcome measures;
  • applying research evidence to occupational therapy practice.

He is Course Lead for the part-time Occupational Therapy programme and is particularly interested in helping students connect research, professional reasoning and evidence-based practice with the realities of clinical care

 

Research Collaborations