Liz Moran, Co-chair of the Association of Occupational Therapists Conference Committee is Manager of Occupational Therapy services and Health & Social Care Professional rep to the Management Team and the Executive Management Board at University Hospital Waterford.

She has worked 18 of her 23 years in Occupational Therapy in the acute services and has been involved in the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland throughout her career. She is currently studying a Masters in Healthcare Management at RCSI.

Liz uses her pragmatism and energy in a professional and personal capacity and is involved actively in her local community.

Valerie Cribbin trained as an occupational therapist in Dublin and has been working in paediatrics for many years. She first worked in Enable Ireland who provide treatment and training for children and adults with physical challenges. 

Valerie has worked in both their Sandymount and Bray clinics, as part of the school based team and with children and families on an Out-Patient team. When Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin first considered employing an occupational therapist, Valerie provided initial consultation and direct interventions to children on the wards, including the neonatal ward, post surgery, and at out-patient clinics.

Valerie was the first occupational therapist in Beechpark Services for Autism which was established to provide an expert service to children on the autistic spectrum in the Dublin area. She provided direct therapy to the children and provided support to the staff and parents.  Her knowledge of sensory integration and sensory processing proved essential in this service.

She has worked as a sole therapist and as part of multi-disciplinary teams. Her most recent experience is in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health service where she was the joint manager of the Occupational Therapy department. During this time she was part of a team that developed trainings for parents and teachers in attention deficits, organisational skills and development of handwriting skills.

As a founding member of the Sensory Integration Network, UK and Ireland, Valerie attended many courses on the theory and practice of sensory integration. Through her participation in co-authoring A Parents’ Guide to Sensory Integration [S.I. Network UK and Ireland] and for many years editing the regular newsletter of the SI Network, Valerie has gained much insight into and knowledge on this topic.

She became a lecturer with the SI Network as a recognised lecturer with both Liverpool and Cardiff Universities, and she taught with others on their Module on Clinical Reasoning and Analysis over several years. While acting as the regional coordinator of the courses held in Ireland and hosting many overseas lecturers, she established professional networks in the UK , USA and Australia. She has been invited to and attended many international conferences on paediatrics and research into sensory processing difficulties.

Her experience includes working with children and their families who presented with physical challenges e.g. Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida, coordination difficulties e.g. Developmental Coordination Disorder, learning difficulties as well as Autism Spectrum Disorders, including Pervasive Developmental Disorders and Asperger’s Syndrome.

Valerie is a member of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland which is the professional body for Occupational Therapists in the Republic of Ireland. The AOTI provides national leadership to its members and works on behalf of its members with the best interest of the profession and service users in mind. Through her involvement as a former Chairperson  and currently as one of the Directors of the Association, Valerie has taken an active role in the development of occupational therapy in Ireland. She also coordinated and chaired their Annual Conference for many years.

Denise Fine

Denise Fine trained as an occupational therapist in America.  She is currently a Senior Occupational Therapist working in Psychiatry of Later Life in the Galway Roscommon area.  During the past 8 years in Ireland, she has served on the board of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI) and is currently serving on the Governance Committee and the Conference Committee. 

While living in the States, she was active within the governing bodies of the O.T. profession.  Additionally, when licensure came into effect, she was responsible for interpreting the law and educating fellow O.T.s, as well as developing the Continuing Education (CPD credit) system within Kansas.

Her clinical experience includes working with the following psychiatric programs:  Child and Adolescent, Adult, Older Adult and a specialized program for patients with Dissociative/Multiple Personality Disorders.  In several instances she was responsible for developing the programs, and the role of O.T. 

In addition to working in psychiatry, she worked in physical disability settings.  Her last position in the States was serving as Manager of a Rehab department that was comprised of 60 therapists (physio, occupational and speech and language pathologists) that served a 12 county area.  She was voted “Occupational Therapist of the Year”, in the state of Kansas, for two consecutive years.