Our people

Dr Susan Darzins

Senior Lecturer (Occupational Therapy)
National Course Coordinator
Interprofessional Education Lead
School of Allied Health

Areas of expertise: occupational therapy; outcome measurement; health services research; participation; interprofessional education

Phone: 03 9953 3149

Email: Susan.Darzins@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Melbourne Campus

ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1852-3566

Susan Darzins has been an occupational therapist for more than 35 years. She has clinical experience working with adult populations and extensive academic experience in both teaching and research roles. Her doctoral research focused on validation of the Personal Care-Participation Assessment and Resource Tool (PC-PART), which informed development of a revised version, the Home Support Needs Assessment (HSNA) (https://www.homesupportneeds.com)

Susan offers practical strategies and evidence-based approaches to measuring and communicating the impact of occupational therapy. She is dedicated to improving occupational therapy services through education and research. She collaborates on national and international projects focused on integrating relevant and valid outcome measures into routine practice. With her strong background in tertiary education and clinically based research, she has mentored and supervised many emerging and experienced occupational therapist researchers. Her key research interests include participation-related outcome measures, demonstrating the benefits of occupational therapy and implementation of routine outcome measurement into practice.

Select publications

• Roche, N., Darzins, S., Oakman, J., Stuckey, R (2025). Occupational health and safety system factors influencing the experiences of emergency management volunteers exposed to dying and death. Applied Ergonomics, 129 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2025.104563 (Featured in The Conversation)
• D'Souza, A. N., Peiris, C. L., Darzins, S., Tse, T., Seymour, J., Hunt, E., Hodgson, R., & Marston, C. (2025). Fidelity, acceptability, and feasibility of the revised functional autonomy measurement system for hospitalised people: An implementation study. Australian occupational therapy journal, 72(2), e13006. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.13006
• Tse, T., Mak-Yuen Yvonne Y. K., Young, W., Darzins, S (2024) Feasibility of accelerometry in a self-directed upper limb activity program of a subacute setting with stroke survivors. Brain Impairment 25, IB24008. https://doi.org/10.1071/IB24008
• Mynard, L., Joosten, A., D'Souza, A., Ashley,& Darzins, S. (2024). Occupational therapy with patients in forensic solitary confinement: A qualitative study. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 71(4), pp. 447–460. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12930
• Tse, T., Skorik, S., Fraser, R., Munro, A., &  Darzins, S. (2024).  Testing feasibility of relevant outcome measures in an inpatient setting to demonstrate the value of occupational therapy. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 71(2), pp. 226–239. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12920
• Roche, N., Darzins, S., Oakman, J., & Stuckey, R. (2024). Worker experiences of the work health and safety impacts of exposure to dying and death in non-clinical settings: a qualitative scoping review. Mortality, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2024.2315988
• Roche, N., Darzins, S., Oakman, J., & Stuckey, R. (2022). Worker Experiences of the work health and safety impacts of exposure to dying and death in clinical settings: A qualitative scoping review. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, 90(3), pp. 1193–1228. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228221117902
• Roche, N., Darzins, S., & Stuckey, R. (2022). Funeral industry workers' work health and safety in Australia and Ireland. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, 0 (0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228221075289
• Joosten, A., Darzins, S., Pépin, G., Roche, N., Cahill, L., Harrington, R. (2021). Occupational therapy practice contexts. In T. Brown, H. Bourke-Taylor, S. Isbel & R. Cordier (2nd ed), Occupational therapy in Australia: professional and practice issues. pp. 305–323. Allen & Unwin.
• Maritz, R., Baptiste, S., Darzins, S.W., Magasi, S., Weleschuk, C., Prodinger, B. (2018). Linking occuptional therapy models and assessments to the ICF to enable standardized documentation of functioning. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, pp. 330-341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008417418797146
• Imms, C., Froude, E., Chu, EMY., Sheppard, L., Darzins, S., Guinea, S., Gospodarevskaya, E., Carter, R., Symmons, MA., Penman, M., Nicola-Richmond, K., Gilbert-Hunt, S., Gribble, N., Ashby, S., Mathieu, E. (2018). Simulated versus traditional occupational therapy placements: A randomised controlled trial. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. 65: 556-564. http://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12513
• Imms, C., Chu, E.M.Y., Guinea, S., Sheppard, L., Froude, E., Carter, R., Darzins, S., Ashby, S., Gilbert-Hunt, S., Gribble, N., Nicola-Richmond, K., Penman, M., Gospodarevskaya, E., Mathieu, E., Symmons, M (2017). Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of embedded simulation in occupational therapy clinical practice education: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 18, 345. http://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-017-2087-0
• Joosten, A., Bray, P., Pépin, G., Darzins, S., Hewitt, A. (2017). Occupational therapy practice contexts. In T. Brown, H. Bourke-Taylor, S. Isbel & R. Cordier (Eds.), Occupational therapy in Australia: professional and practice issues. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
• Darzins, S., Imms, C., Di Stefano, M. (2016). Measurement of activity limitations and participation restrictions: examination of ICF-linked content and scale properties of the PC-PART and FIM instruments, Disability and Rehabilitation, http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2016.1172670 .
• Darzins, S., Imms, C., Di Stefano, M., Radia-George, C. (2016). Personal Care Participation Assessment and Resource Tool: Clinical utility for inpatient rehabilitation, Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0008417416648446
• Fortune, T., Ennals, P., Bhopti, A., Neilson, C., Darzins, S., Bruce, C. (2016). Bridging identity 'chasms': occupational therapy academics' reflections on the journey toward scholarship, Teaching in Higher Education, 1470-1294 (online) http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.1141289
• Prodinger, B., Darzins, S., Magasi, S., Baptiste, S. (2015). The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF): Revisiting its relevancy for Occupational Therapy, World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin, 71:2, 108-114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/2056607715Y.0000000003
• Darzins, S., Imms, C., Shields, N., Taylor, N.F. (2015). Responsiveness, construct and criterion validity of the Personal Care Participation Assessment and Resource Tool (PC-PART), Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 13:125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12955-015-0322-5
• Darzins, S., Imms, C., Di Stefano, M., Taylor, N., Pallant, J. (2014). Evaluation of the internal construct validity of the Personal Care Participation Assessment and Resource Tool (PC-PART) using Rasch analysis. BMC Health Services Research,14:543. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12913-014-0543-z
• Darzins, S., Imms, C., Di Stefano, M. (2013). Measurement properties of the Personal Care Participation Assessment and Resource Tool (PC-PART): a systematic review. Disability & Rehabilitation, 35 (4) 265-281. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2012.690819
• Kunelius, A., Darzins, S., Cromie, J. (2007). Development of normative data for hand strength and anthropometric dimensions in a population of automotive workers, Work: a Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, 28(3), 267-278
• Darzins, P., Fone, S. Darzins, S. (2006). Viewpoint: The international classification of functioning, disability and health can help to structure and evaluate therapy. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 53, 127-131. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2006.00580.x

Projects

• Project: Interprofessional Immersive Extended Ward-based Simulation Project.
  Year: 2022
  Funded by: Australian Catholic University, Office of the Provost - 2022 Innovation Fund
  Funds: $46,066
  Investigators: Prof. Beth Jacob, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine; Dr Mel Barlow, FHS Academic Lead for specialized learning environments and simulation; Robyn Dickie, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine; Susan Darzins, School of Allied Health; Rett Quinney, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine.

• Project: Aligning inter-professional learning in the School of Allied Health (SoAH) to the ACU Inter-Professional Education Framework and discipline-specific professional competency standards and corresponding university IPE accreditation requirements.
  Year: 2021-2022
  Funded by: Australian Catholic University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Teaching Development Grant
  Funds: $8,000
  Investigators: Dr Susan Darzins, Prof. Suzanne Kuys, Assoc. Prof. Elspeth Froude, Ms Shari Maver, Dr Aniqa Farwa, Dr Michelle Smith-Tamaray, Mr Nick Flynn, School of Allied Health

• Project: Health and wellbeing benefits of intergenerational farming – a systematic review of the quantitative and qualitative literature
  Year: 2021-2022
  Funded by: Australian Catholic University, Faculty of Health Sciences Research Project Grant Scheme.
  Funds: $AUS 9,906.54
  Investigators: Dr Rosamund Harrington, Prof. Suzanne Kuys, Dr Susan Darzins (School of Allied Health), Prof. Gert-Jan Pepping (School of Behavioural and Health Sciences), Dr Marissa Lindquist (Queensland University of Technology), Mr Mark Trotter, (Queensland University of Technology).

• Project: Aligning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content embedded in the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy curriculum to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework and Australian Occupational Therapy Competency Standards 2018.
  Year: 2019
  Funded by: Australian Catholic University, Faculty of Health Sciences Teaching and Learning grant
  Funds: $4,943
  Investigators: Dr Susan Darzins and Ms Kerrie Thomsen, Assoc. Prof. Loretta Sheppard, Dr Margaret Wallen, Mr Hugh Stewart, Assoc. Prof Elspeth Froude.

• Project: Embedding simulation in clinical training in occupational therapy. RCT title "A multicentre randomised controlled trial with nested economic appraisal to investigate embedded simulation in occupational therapy clinical practice education".
  Year: 2015-2017
  Funded by: Australian Government, Department of Health
  Funds: $1,200,000
  Investigators: Professor Christine Imms, Dr Eli Mang Yee Chu, Mr Stephen Guinea, Dr. Loretta Sheppard, Dr. Elspeth Froude, Prof. Rob Carter , Dr. Susan Darzins, Dr Michael Otim, School of Allied Health

Awards

• 2023: Awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award in the category “Student Experience”.
• 2020: Awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award in the category “Spirit of Reconciliation”.

Appointments and affiliations

• AHPRA Registered Occupational Therapist
• Member of Australia New Zealand Association of Allied health Educators (ANZAHPE)
• Member of Australasian Interprofessional Practice & Education network (AIPPEN)
• Member (non-indigenous) Indigenous Allied Health Australia
• Member of Occupational Therapy Australia Limited.
• Member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

International journal review panels

Reviewer

• Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
• Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy
• Disability and Rehabilitation
• Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation