Dr Liz Cade awarded prestigious Elizabeth Casson Trust research grant

We’re delighted to share that Dr Liz Cade has been awarded a Pump Primer Research Grant from the Elizabeth Casson Trust. The funding will support a qualitative study titled Volunteering with Marginalised Communities: The Impact on Students and Professional Development.

Liz, a Principal Lecturer in Allied Health and researcher at Wrexham University, is thrilled to receive the award and looks forward to undertaking this work, which will explore the role of volunteering in shaping the professional identity of occupational therapy students — particularly when working with people at the margins of society.

The project builds on Liz’s doctoral research, which explored the idea of “propensity to thrive” in role-emerging placements — a model where students step into non-traditional settings to establish their own occupational therapy role, applying theory to practice in innovative ways. Liz’s earlier work suggested that while these experiences can be transformational, they’re also demanding, and not every student has access to them.

As a result, Wrexham University introduced a new, inclusive approach through the Complexity in Practice module. Validated in 2022, the module embeds a three-week volunteering experience with community groups and services supporting those affected by occupational injustice — including asylum seekers, veterans, survivors of domestic abuse, and people living with mental illness or disability. Students choose where to volunteer, guided by personal interest and motivation, which helps foster engagement, reflection, and deeper learning.

Anecdotal evidence and student feedback suggest the experience is not only empowering but can shift students' career aspirations and deepen their understanding of social justice, risk-taking, and entrepreneurship — key values in occupational therapy, and values that were at the heart of Dr Elizabeth Casson’s own pioneering career.

Continuing a legacy of innovation and inclusion

Born in Denbigh in 1881, Dr Elizabeth Casson was a remarkable figure: the first woman to receive a medical degree from the University of Bristol, and the founder of occupational therapy in England. Her career was shaped by early work with the social reformer Octavia Hill, and she remained committed throughout her life to the belief that meaningful activity could transform lives. She was awarded an OBE in 1951 to recognise her work and was made an honorary fellow of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

In 1929, she founded the Dorset House School of Occupational Therapy, the first school of its kind in the UK. Later, she established the Casson Trust to support the profession she helped to create. The Trust in its current form continues to honour her legacy by funding research, development, and leadership in occupational therapy across the UK.

As stated in her 1955 obituary in Occupational Therapy, “It was her faith in our healing work that enlivened and enlightened medical opinion regarding occupational therapy … and her determination and perseverance that carried it forward in the face of opposition and indifference.”

A natural fit for Wrexham

Wrexham University shares Dr Casson’s values of inclusivity, diversity, and fairness. Ranked first in England and Wales for social inclusion, Wrexham supports many students with lived experience of disadvantage — students who bring a unique and valuable perspective to the occupational therapy profession.

Dr Cade’s project reflects the university’s commitment to values-based education, underpinned by strong ethics, safeguarding, and inclusive practices. The volunteering element is part of a fully accredited module approved by the HCPC, RCOT, and Wrexham University, with rigorous preparation and governance to ensure student and community safety. Students are supported by a handbook, supervision framework, and host agreements, and the research will follow robust ethical protocols — including the option to participate in Welsh.

By capturing students’ reflections in focus groups, the project will explore how volunteering in marginalised settings contributes to professional growth and identity. It’s hoped that the findings will offer insights into how alternative placement models can be used to support a more inclusive, values-driven approach to training future occupational therapists.

Taking the ‘ordinary’ and making it ‘extra-ordinary’

Professor Jenny Butler, in a past Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture, described Dr Casson as a pioneer who believed that “the ‘ordinary’ can become the ‘extra-ordinary’ by taking opportunities that present themselves.” That same spirit runs through Liz’s work, offering students the chance to step into communities, make a difference, and reimagine the possibilities of their profession.

Congratulations to Dr Liz Cade on this exciting next step in her research journey. We look forward to sharing more as the project unfolds.