DrAnna Urbanowicz

Dr Anna Urbanowicz is a Senior Research Fellow holding a joint appointment with Deakin University and Kids+, an allied health provider for children and young people with disability located on Deakin University's Waurn Ponds campus. At Kids+, she established and now leads a translational, interdisciplinary research program grounded in the priorities and experiences of children and young people with disability, their families, and allied health professionals. Through this role, she is building research capacity and fostering a strong research culture within the organisation by supporting young people with disability, families, clinicians, and research students to actively engage in and undertake impactful research.

As an occupational therapist, Anna brings a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges within clinical practice, including the barriers faced by people with disability, their families, and the professionals who support them. This perspective shapes her research, ensuring it addresses real-world problems and generates evidence that can be translated into meaningful improvements in policy, practice, education, and service delivery. Her research is driven by a commitment to improving the lives of people with disability through rigorous, collaborative, and impactful research. She has particular expertise in participatory research approaches and a strong interest in improving health, healthcare, and disability service experiences and outcomes for people with disability.

Prior to joining Deakin University and Kids+, Anna completed a PhD focused on Rett syndrome in 2016. She subsequently undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at The University of Queensland, funded by the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), where she investigated the healthcare experiences of autistic adults. In 2018, she was awarded both an RMIT Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholarship, supporting research examining the hospital experiences of autistic adults and opportunities to improve healthcare accessibility and quality.