ACU Researcher

Dr. Hannah Forbes

Lecturer
School of Allied Health

Areas of expertise: Intergenerational Programs; Creative Activities; Healthy Ageing; Qualitative Research Approaches

Email: Hannah.Forbes@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Brisbane Campus

HDR Supervisor accreditation status: HDR Supervisor (Full)

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6308-6110

Hannah graduated with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy with Honours from the Australian Catholic University (Brisbane) in 2017. Hannah has key interests in child and youth mental health, creative arts, healthy ageing, animal assisted therapies, paediatrics, gerontology, health promotion and prevention, research and academics. Hannah's undergraduate honours thesis investigated occupational therapists' perceptions and utilisation of creative activities in child and youth mental health services across Australia. Hannah has previously worked at the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) in Brisbane and as an occupational therapist at Psychology and Animal Assisted Wellbeing (PAAW). Hannah is a researcher, honours supervisor and lecturer at the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane. Hannah completed her PhD at the Australian Catholic University as a member of the GrandSchools project, investigating co-operative spaces for living and learning to promote intergenerational health and well-being. Hannah is a Research Project Manager for the iGEN program under Chief Investigator Associate Professor Rosamund Harrington.

Website

Website

Select publications

2026 - Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice
Conference Poster Presenter (Sydney, Australia)

2026 – Australasian Housing Researchers Conference Oral Presenter (Brisbane, Australia)

2025 - Occupational Therapy Australia 31st National
Conference and Exhibition Oral Presenter (Adelaide, Australia)

2025 - Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice
Conference Oral Presenter (Sydney, Australia)

2024 - Australian Association of Gerontology Conference
Oral Presenter (Hobart, Australia)

2024 - EACH24 - ASPIRE's International Social Prescribing
Conference Oral Presenter (Sydney, Australia)

2023 - Asia Pacific’s First Green and Blue Social Prescribing
Conference Oral Presenter (Gold Coast, Australia)

2019 - Indigenous Allied Health Australia Conference Oral
Presenter (Darwin, Australia)

2018 - World Federation of Occupational Therapy Congress
Poster Presentation (Cape Town, South Africa)

2017 - International Mental Health Conference Oral
Presenter (Gold Coast, Australia)

2017 - Occupational Therapy Australia Mental Health Forum
Conference Oral Presenter (Sydney, Australia)

Projects

GrandSchools - An Inter-generational Learning and Living Campus: A New Model for Healthy Senior Living and Integrated School Communities across Urban and Regional Australia (NHMRC Grant: APP187656)

iGEN - Intergenerational Program (iGEN) Engaging Adolescents and Older People in the Residential Aged Care Setting

NaCWA – National Care Workforce Alliance

Appointments and Affiliations

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)

Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMH)

Indigenous Allied Health Association (IAHA) – Associate Membership

Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG)

Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice (AIIP) – Advisory Council Member

Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA)

Public engagement

Introducing PhD Student Investigators: Mizan Ahmed, ACU, & Hannah Forbes, ACU.