Dr Nathalie Buhagiar

Dr Nathalie Buhagiar

Dr Nathalie Buhagiar

  M.Sc.(Paediatric Occupational Therapy)(E.Lond.),SROT( Malta,UK),SI Certificate & SIPT certified

Lecturer

Room 57
Block A, Level 1
Mater Dei Hospital
Msida
  +356 2340 1150
Nathalie Buhagiar qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1989 ,obtained a masters degree in 1996 and was responsible for setting up the main Paediatric OT service in Malta .
In 2001, she was awarded a scholarship by the University of Southern California to attend OT610 , a specialised intensive training course in Sensory Integration and was the first OT to practice and promote Sensory Integration Therapy in Malta. In 2008 Nathalie was awarded the Allied Health Professions Award for excellence in healthcare.
In 2009 , after working in the health sector for 20 years, Nathalie took up a post in Education embedding her OT skills in her job as an Inclusion Coordinator .She providing supervision to local and foreign Occupational Therapy students on practice placements in the school.
In April 2013 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The title of her project was “Occupational Therapy, special needs and inclusion: serving children in home, school and community”.
Nathalie became a full time resident academic member of staff within the Faculty of Health Sciences,UM in September 2015 and is currently reading for a doctoral degree in Occupational Science at University College Cork, Ireland .
She also continues to refine, develop and teach the Paediatric component of the BSc (hons) in Occupational Therapy and in other fields namely childhood and inclusive education , psychology as well as supervise dissertations in areas of occupational therapy, disability and inclusive education. She also continues to support educators in the school system though professional development.
  • Childhood Occupations in Schools
  • School based Occupational Therapy
  • Evaluating functional hand skills in children with Cerebral Palsy through a smart user Centred Product Service System
__Publications
  • OCT1000 - Communicating through the Creative Arts: Skills for Self-Development in Occupational Therapy Practice
  • OCT2022 - Introductory Concepts to Physical and Paediatric Practice
  • OCT2024 - Occupational Therapy Skills and Media
  • OCT3026 - Advanced Application of Theory in Paediatric Practice
  • OCT4026 - Framing Practice through an Occupation-based Perspective
  • PSY5629 - Barriers to Learning Development
2008 Allied Health Care Professionals Award: nominated for and received the 1st edition of the award in recognition for the sterling
work carried out in the field of occupational therapy.

2013 Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship ay University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill USA

Member of the Heath Professions Council UK

Project member : A Smart User- Centred Product Service Delivery System for evaluating and developing functional hand skills in children with Cerebral Palsy (SMARTCLAP)"

Appointed member by senate on Access Disability Support Committee and working Group (ADSC), UM

https://www.um.edu.mt/_templates/staffprofiles/