2023 Elspeth Pearson Award

The Elspeth Pearson Award enables recipients to advance their clinical skills and expertise through professional development opportunities. This award has been made possible through the generosity of Elspeth Pearson’s family and the Elspeth Pearson Estate. It is awarded to recently qualified occupational therapists (qualified for up to three years) and final year occupational therapy students to broaden their education and experience within the profession.

Congratulations to 2023 winners Emiliana Guerra, Betty Lin and Ferris Wong.

Emiliana has been working in the public mental health sector, primarily in a community-based residential psychosocial rehabilitation setting. Emiliana plans to use the award funds to advance her clinical skills and expertise in mental health through a Graduate Certificate in Mental Health at La Trobe University.

Betty Lin

Betty has been working mostly in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation during her first two years of practice. Betty plans to use the award funds to attend a threeday Upper Limb Retraining workshop in New Zealand later this year.

Ferris Wong

Ferris has been working in paediatrics, addressing the unique needs of children with disabilities and developmental challenges. Ferris plans to use the award funds for courses related to Ayres Sensory Integration, which he believes will be beneficial to the population he is working with.