Kieran Lewis - Senior Occupational Therapist

Biography

Kieran has worked as an Occupational Therapist in Trinity’s Disability Service since 2003. He is a CORU-registered Occupational Therapist and an active member of both the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. Within Trinity, he leads the Occupational Therapy supports approach and provides day-to-day supervision of the Occupational Therapy team in the Disability Service. He also plays a central role in coordinating mental health supports, working in collaboration with the College Health Service and Student Counselling Service. Beyond Trinity, Kieran represents the Association of Occupational Therapists in Higher Education on the Higher Education Authority’s Student and Staff Health and Wellbeing Advisory Group and was one of the leads in establishing the Occupational Therapists in Higher Education working group within the association.

His work has been closely tied to a range of key projects and initiatives. He spearheaded the TCD Sense project, which aims to create a more sensory-inclusive environment for students, and collaborated with the College Health Service on the development of an ADHD Clinic to provide

tailored supports within the university setting. Kieran also led the Disability Service’s contribution to the Thematic Review of Mental Health Services in Trinity College Dublin. Other initiatives include creating low-distraction examination venues for students with sensory sensitivities and contributing to the Career Pathways Project, which supports students as they transition from education into employment.

Kieran’s research has focused on student wellbeing and self-management. His Ph.D. centred on developing and evaluating an occupation-focused self-management programme, the Unlink Self-Management Programme, designed to help students manage their mental health within the context of the student role and academic demands. He has also contributed to several collaborative publications, including Innovative occupational therapy service provision on college campuses: Supporting student wellbeing and success (July 2025), What does an ADHD-friendly university look like? A case study from Ireland (March 2024), and Disabled students’ perception of the sensory aspects of the learning and social environments within one Higher Education Institution (October 2022).

Before transitioning to full-time work at Trinity in 2009, Kieran balanced his early occupational therapy role with a career in professional rugby, playing with both Leinster and Munster.