Educational History

PhD OT, University of Essex; MScOT, Brunel University -London; BScOT, University of Jordan

Professional Highlights

Dr. Darawsheh is a qualified occupational therapist, an educator and a researcher with extensive international experience. She earned her PhD degree from the University of Essex (UK) and completed her master’s degree at Brunel University (UK). Dr. Darawsheh has taught occupational therapy at multiple institutions and observed the practice of occupational therapy at different clinical and educational institutions across the globe. She is certified by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and licensed as an occupational therapist in several states in the United States.

Research

PROMINENT RESEARCH PROJECTS IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS:
Darawsheh, W., Bewernitz, M., & Justiss, M. (2025). Examining what healthcare professionals know about occupational therapy: reflections on interprofessional practice and education. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 32(7), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.12968/ijtr.2022.0013

Saleem, M., Darawsheh, W., & Natour, Y. (2025). Paediatricians’ Knowledge of Paediatric Feeding Disorders in Jordan. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (IASL), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2025.2494652

Darawsheh, W., Bewernitz, M., Tabbaa, S., & Justiss, M. (2022). Factors Shaping Occupational Injustice Among Resettled Syrian Refugees in The United States. Occupational Therapy International, 22, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2846896

Darawsheh, W., Tabbaa, S., Bewernitz, M., & Justiss, M. (2021). Resettlement Experiences of Syrian Refugees in the United States: Policy Challenges and Directions. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 23, 591–612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00855-9

Darawsheh, W. (2020). An investigation of public perception and attitudes towards disability in Jordan. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 69(2), 687-706. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2020.1727418

Darawsheh, W., Shdaifat, A., & Natour, Y. (2019). Validation of the Arabic version of Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS). Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, 45(2), 82-90. https://doi.org/10.1080/14015439.2019.1630481

Darawsheh, W. (2019). Exploration of Occupational Deprivation Among Syrian Refugees Displaced in Jordan. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(4), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.030460

PROMINENT CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES AND PROCEEDINGS:
Technical Session 02: Inclusive Healthcare Systems and The UN SDG Agenda [Chair and Evaluation Panel Member]. In the 10th World Disability & Rehabilitation Conference 2025. Ambassador Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand (Hybrid Platform). 28-29 August 2025.

Technical Session 03: Assistive Technology and Innovation, Future Directions in Disability and Rehabilitation [Chair and Evaluation Panel Member]. In the 10th World Disability & Rehabilitation Conference 2025. Ambassador Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand (Hybrid Platform). 28-29 August 2025.

Darawsheh, W. (2024). [Panelist]. Awareness, Inclusiveness, Accessibility in a Changing World: Actively supporting Persons with Disabilities amidst a Dynamic World, Virtual Platform. In The 9th World Disability & Rehabilitation Conference 2024. Bali, Indonesia (Hybrid Platform). 2-3 September 2024.

Darawsheh, W. (2023). [Keynote Speaker]. Community Based Rehabilitation: The Keyword and The Key Action in The Current Era, Virtual Platform. In the 8th World Disability & Rehabilitation Conference. Colombo, Sri Lanka (Hybrid Platform). 9-10 November 2023. https://disabilityconference.co/the-success-story-of-wdrc-2023/

Darawsheh, W. (2022). [Workshop]. Special Issues and the Role of a Guest Editor: Giving Your Research a Voice. In the World Conference on Scholarly Publishing (WCSP) 2022: North-South Divide in Scholarly publishing. Virtual Platform. 30 August 2022. https://wcsp.tiikm.com/world-conference-on-scholarly-publishing/ Chairing and Evaluation of Conference Sessions

Personal Highlights

Dr. Darawsheh graduated with honors during her undergraduate studies, and she was granted a scholarship to pursue her postgraduate education. She received several awards for academic excellence and for writing in English. She was also awarded the 2020 Cordelia Myers best article award by the AOTA. In 2018-2019, she received a Postdoctoral Research grant from the Fulbright commission and was a visiting Scholar to Jacksonville University. So far, she has more than 60 scholarly publications and she is passionate about conducting ongoing research projects.

Fields of Expertise

Dr. Darawsheh has a particular interest in contemporary topics such as technology, displacement, occupational injustice and cultural competence and the effect of such topics on human performance, community development, and occupational therapy practice and education. She has also an interest in researching topics related to professional and interprofessional identities, interprofessional education (IPE), disability, Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR), dysphagia management, and occupational voice disorders. She conducted several qualitative and quantitative research studies, and she is interested in promoting rigor in qualitative research.

Recommended Link

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wesam-Darawsheh?ev=hdr_xprf

Quote

If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.”

Benjamin Franklin