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female, she/her/hers, white, first-generation.
Occupations: music, baking, walking, singing, crafting, laughing with family and friends
Occupational roles: wife, mother, dual citizen, rugby mom, and Munster/Ireland fan
Dr. MaryBeth Gallagher is an occupational therapist and occupational scientist with over 25 years of experience teaching and practicing in a range of settings. She completed her PhD in Occupational Therapy in 2017 and has been board-certified in mental health since 2019.
She joined Duke OTD after working at UNC Hospitals where she was a clinical specialist in mental health and a mentor on the AOTA Fellowship in Mental Health.
Dr. Gallagher’s current research focuses on evidence-based practice through practice-based enquiry with a community of practice scholars. Before returning to the U.S. from Ireland where she lived for 20 years, Dr. Gallagher had been a lecturer at the University of Limerick in Ireland for 13 years. There she established the practice education program for the first graduate-entry Master’s in Occupational Therapy in Ireland. She held the post of Practice Education (Fieldwork) Coordinator for 4 years before focusing on research and teaching.
Dr. Gallagher’s research explored the occupational choices of disadvantaged young people from an occupational justice perspective. She continues to have an interest in occupational rights and justice approaches to participation in occupations that impact health and well-being.