Celebrating our 2025 Fellowship and Merit Award winners

By: RCOT 04 August, 2025 News 7+ minute read

We’re proud to introduce you to this year's RCOT Fellowship and Merit Award winners.

These awards recognise the remarkable achievements our dedicated members have made throughout their careers. They celebrate dedication, leadership and the lasting impact on on the occupational therapy profession.

Meet our 2025 Fellows

An RCOT Fellowship is the highest honour we can award to a professional member.

We're thrilled to welcome Professor Carolyn McDonald, Margaret Spencer and Martina Tierney to our prestigious community of Fellows.

Fellowships are awarded for exceptional service and an outstanding contribution to occupational therapy. They also recognise the support recipients have given to RCOT over the years. To be eligible, nominees must have been a member for at least ten years and have either championed the profession or provided distinguished service to the organisation.

Professor Carolyn McDonald is the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (Scotland)

Being awarded a Fellowship by RCOT is an immense honour and deeply meaningful to me. It recognises not only my journey as an occupational therapist but also the role I currently hold as Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for Scotland, on the collective impact of all of our allied health professions (AHPs) inclusive of occupational therapy. My commitment to ensuring our professions’ voices are heard, valued and central to delivering person-centred care remains steadfast. This Fellowship is both a personal milestone and a shared celebration with my colleagues and family.’

Margaret Spencer (MA DipCOT Cert Ed) is a Consultant Occupational Therapy Practitioner

‘I am honoured to receive the Fellowship award in recognition of 40-years dedicated to advancing inclusive, justice driven, person-centred occupational therapy. This award champions my shared commitment with clients, students and colleagues to breaking barriers, empowering marginalised communities, and ensuring occupational therapy is meaningful and transformative. It strengthens my platform to advocate for marginalised communities, provide supervision across the profession and enhance person-centred practice - ensuring occupational therapy continues to evolve as a proactive, justice-driven, and influential profession.’

Martina Tierney (DipCOT) is an occupational therapist, author and clinical director.

Being awarded a Fellowship from RCOT is a profound honour for me. I have long admired other colleagues who received this recognition but never thought one day I would be joining this elite group of outstanding and dedicated Occupational Therapists. I feel that being recognised for my work in seating and postural care and my commitment to improve the lives of clients and their caregivers validates the decades of passion, innovation, and hard work that I, my family and my whole team have put into this very important area of occupational therapy. It strengthens my resolve to continue educating, inspiring, and supporting therapists worldwide through knowledge-sharing and evidence-based practice.’

Meet our 2025 Merit Award winners

The Merit Awards shine a light on the achievements of members at any stage of their career. Open to all membership categories (excluding students and apprentices), these awards recognise outstanding contributions - whether that's through local or regional impact, or through work in a specialist or diverse area of practice.

Anne Coan

Anne Coan (DipCOT) is a recently retired Senior Occupational Therapist for Neurological Rehabilitation Outreach Services in Doncaster.

‘Throughout my career I have worked with compassion and believe in the power of meaningful activity and rehabilitation. I feel humbled to be receiving the RCOT Merit Award. This award does not just mean personal recognition; it reflects the working relationships, and the growth of the profession which I have been involved in over the years. I am proud to have been an occupational therapist and have immense love and gratitude for who I have met in my career.’

Dr Anuraj Varshney

Dr Anuraj Varshney is a Consultant Practitioner at South East DriveAbility and Strategic Director for Driving Mobility.

‘I’m deeply honoured to receive this award. It’s a humbling recognition of the work I’ve been fortunate to do alongside inspiring colleagues and mentors. It strengthens my commitment to advancing inclusive mobility and supporting others through education, collaboration, and compassionate practice in our incredible profession.’ 

Catherine Sutherland

Catherine Sutherland (MSc DipCOT) is a Brain Injury Case Manager and registered Occupational Therapist.

‘It is an honour and privilege to accept this Merit Award from RCOT, with huge thanks to my nominator and colleagues in reflecting back over my career. I have always championed our profession and with my impending early retirement it is amazing to receive such an accolade.'

Elaine Rickett

Elaine Rickett (DipCOT) is a Community Paediatric Occupational Therapist, working for Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

‘I am thrilled to receive this award. This clinical setting is varied, and I am continually learning. My greatest joys are the ‘light-bulb’ moments, when children, families, occupational therapy students or colleagues suddenly realise that they have a new means of understanding and addressing their difficulty. That is magic.’

Heather McNaught

Heather McNaught is a Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist for Physical Services BCUHB East.  

‘This award means so much to me, to be recognised in this way is overwhelming and humbling. I truly am passionate about our profession, I believe that OT can support any person across every aspect of life, we are so diverse and creative in our approaches that it really does mean that this is the best job in the world. I really could not have achieved this award without the support and hard work of my team, their dedication, drive and willingness to support innovation is what I love about my job.’

Janet Taylor

Janet Taylor works for Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust with the Children and Young Adults Therapy Team.

‘I am delighted to have been awarded an RCOT Merit Award. Firstly, a thank you to Nicola, and Anna who supported the nomination.  I am so proud to be an occupational therapist. It has enabled me to be disruptively curious and to develop different ways of working, explore new ideas. Alongside working for the NHS in service developments I have enjoyed working oversees in Africa on a voluntary basis and getting back to grass roots in adapting therapy goals to local needs and relevant outcomes.  It has been amazing to see the profession develop over the years with an ever-widening scope of practice.  After 41 years in the NHS this award makes me so proud of the work that I have accomplished, and I hope that I have supported and inspired other therapists to take up the challenge for the years to come. Thank you!’ 

Liana Pretorius

Liana Pretorius is the Head of Profession Occupational Therapy, Lead Occupational Therapist Neuro Rehab Team.

‘Winning the RCOT Merit Award is recognition to my dedication to improving lives through compassionate, person-centred care. It will support raising the profile of occupational therapy, enhances understanding of the profession’s impact, and reaffirms a commitment to advancing the caring agenda and promoting excellence across health and social care.’

Mary Ogunlayi

Mary Ogunlayi is the Interim Assistant Director at Living and Ageing Well Surrey (East).

‘Receiving this award is an incredible honour. It recognises not only my work but the collective efforts of so many dedicated occupational therapy colleagues. I’m proud to be part of a profession that brings such impact and meaning to people’s lives, and I remain committed to championing its role within social care and beyond.’

Matthew Brockwell

Matthew Brockwell is the Assistive Technology Occupational Therapy Team Lead at South Gloucestershire Council, Adult Social Care.

‘Winning this award is a real honour and recognition of the vital role assistive technology and occupational therapy can play in social care. It inspires me to push innovation further and help create a future where assistive technology is fully integrated and embraced across services and professions.’

Natasha Powell

Natasha Powell is an Advanced Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist who works at Hillingdon Community Mental Health Hub.

‘I am truly humbled by the nominations from my colleagues, Lilly, Tallis and Emma. With deep gratitude, I dedicate this award to my late father, Willbert David Kenley Powell who always encouraged me to believe in myself when no one else saw my potential. Being an occupational therapist is part of my life’s purpose and receiving this honour has been a reinforcement of my true calling to enable others to find their authentic self. This honour celebrates the power of neurodiversity and reminds us that our differences are strengths.  I stand not alone, but alongside those who dare to dream, grow, and uplift others.  To every future occupational therapist - especially those who feel unseen - know this: your voice matters, your gifts are real, and your path is valid. Believe in yourself and lead with purpose. With passion, nothing is impossible.’ 

Dr Rachel Dadswell

Dr Rachel Dadswell is a Occupational Therapy Programme Lead at the University of Southampton.

‘It is an absolute delight and privilege to be nominated for and awarded an RCOT Merit Award. I express gratitude to those who nominated me, and to all the people I have worked alongside throughout my career. I remain as passionate about occupational therapy now as I did at the age of 19 when I started my training. I hope the students I help to educate today - will feel the same in years to come - to help this wonderful profession grow and develop.’

Dr Rob Brooks

Dr Rob Brooks is a Head of School for Allied Health Professions, Midwifery and Social Work.

‘Receiving the RCOT Merit Award is a great honour that reflects my commitment to the profession. Over the past 25 years, I have strived to advance occupational therapy through education, research, and leadership. This award recognises not just my work, but the collective progress we’ve made as a profession and those I’ve had the privilege to work with and learn from. I am especially grateful for the acknowledgement of my efforts to inspire others, and I hope this recognition encourages other occupational therapists to lead with passion, innovate with purpose, and continue transforming lives through their practice.’

Congratulations to all our Fellowship and Merit Award winners. Each of you has made an incredible contribution to our profession in your own unique way. Your innovation, commitment, best practice and perseverance - across careers, specialisms and settings - showcases the breadth and depth of our diverse and impactful workforce.
Odeth Richardson, Chair

Thank you to all our nominators

It takes time and thought to put together a great nomination, so a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to celebrate their peers and colleagues.

Your support helps us shine a light on the power of occupational therapy. If you’ve been inspired, keep an eye out for when nominations open again and think about who you could ‘lift up’ through your own nomination.

List of RCOT Fellows 1972-2025

List of Merit Awards 2008-2025

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