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About Professor Nicola Spalding

Portrait of Professor Nicola Spalding, smiling, with short blonde hair and wearing a light blue top.

Career overview 

Professor Nicola Spalding's career began in the NHS, where she later specialised in orthopaedics and palliative care. In 1995, she joined the University of East Anglia (UEA) as a lecturer in Occupational Therapy, teaching on the BSc and MSc preregistration programmes and the Masters in Clinical Education.

Her education and research during this time enabled her to complete a masters and a Doctorate in Education. Her primary research focus was patient education, an area in which she has published extensively and presented at numerous conferences. She was appointed Professor of Occupational Therapy in 2013.  

Professional contributions

Beyond UEA, Nicola has served as an external examiner at many universities, worked as a visitor for the Health and Care Professions Council, and an accreditor for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. From 2016-2021, she was a non-executive director at the James Paget University Hospital. 

Recent work

In 2023, Nicola left UEA and was honoured with the title Professor Emeritus. She now undertakes consultancy work, specialising in occupational therapy curriculum development and supervision.

In 2024, Nicola was awarded a fellowship from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.