Dr Tawanda Machingura
Professor
Level 4, Bond Institute of Health and Sport, 2 Promethean Way, Robina QLD 4226
Accepting PhD StudentsContact details
Professional biography
Tawanda is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy. He has over 25 years’ of clinical practice experience as an occupational therapist working in a diverse range of settings and practice areas. He however has expertise in mental health and is also a Driver Remediation and Rehabilitation trained Occupational Therapist.
Tawanda joined Bond University as a fulltime academic in 2016. Prior to this he was an occupational therapist with Queensland Health where he held several positions including senior occupational therapist, Assistant Director Occupational Therapy, and Director of Allied Health/ Program Manager.
Research interests
My research sits at the intersection of occupational therapy, mental health, and applied health services research, with a strong focus on generating evidence that improves real‑world practice and outcomes. I am particularly interested in understanding how people experience and engage in everyday occupations across the lifespan, especially in the context of serious mental illness, suicide prevention and recovery.
A central theme of my work is sensory processing and sensory modulation, including how sensory patterns influence mental health, participation, and wellbeing, and how sensory‑informed interventions can be effectively implemented in clinical and community settings. I also conduct research into, caregiver and family experiences of mental health services, and the role of physical activity and occupation‑based interventions in recovery‑oriented care.
Alongside clinical research, I have a strong interest in co‑design, implementation science, and mental health workforce development, including innovative educational approaches and digital mental health interventions for students and health professionals.
I welcome collaboration with researchers, clinicians, services, and policy partners, and I am keen to supervise HDR students interested in occupational therapy, mental health, sensory health, eating disorders, or applied mixed‑methods and implementation research with real‑world impact.
Teaching awards
- 2019 Certificate of Excellence (eTEVAL) award – Engage in Occupation
- 2019 Certificate of Excellence (eTEVAL) award – Foundations in OT
- 2018 Certificate of Excellence (eTEVAL) award – Foundations in OT
Professional admissions
- Occupational Therapy Board of Australia registration through Allied Health Professionals Registration Board (AHPRA)-Full Registration with Nil conditions
- Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA) member -Member Number: 934579
- Steering Committee Member Australia and New Zealand Occupational Therapy Mental Health Academics (ANZOTMHA)
- Australia & New Zealand Mental Health Association-member
- Driver Trained Occupational Therapist
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (2021) Griffith University - Australia
- Master of Health Practice with Honours in Rehabilitation (2006) Auckland University of Technology (AUT) - New Zealand
- Post Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Rehabilitation (2005) AUT - New Zealand
- Post Graduate Certificate in Forensic Psych Care (2004) Whitireia Polytech - New Zealand
- Graduate Certificate in Supervision (2007) Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) - New Zealand
- Bachelor of Science, Honours in Occupational Therapy (1994) University of Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe
- Diploma in Management (2014) TAFE Australia
Fields of Research
- Health services and systems
- Allied health and rehabilitation science