Mansha Mirza
Associate Professor
Occupational Therapy
Disability and Human Development
Contact
Building & Room:
346 AHSB
Address:
1919 W. Taylor St.
Office Phone:
Email:
CV Download:
About
Dr. Mirza’s scholarly interests address health and social service disparities among low-income, underserved communities, with a special focus on immigrant and refugee newcomers. She is currently leading/co-leading research projects that seek to enhance services for these communities through community-engaged and culturally-informed adaptations of existing evidence-based interventions. Dr. Mirza teaches a graduate elective course on Disability and Global Health and is also involved in teaching courses in the Research Foundations for Evidence-Based Practice series in the Entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate curriculum. Dr. Mirza is a member of the Health Disparities and Social Justice for Underserved Populations and Communities Scholarship of Practice Community within the Department of Occupational Therapy.
Selected Grants
Social Science Research Council, Refugees, Rights, Resettlement, Principal Investigator
Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, Promoting Obesity Prevention among Latino Children with Developmental Disabilities and their Families through Engaged Research, Site Co Principal Investigator
National Institute on Aging, UIC Midwest Roybal Center for Health Promotion and Translation, Piloting the IPROACTIF intervention to preserve independence and functioning, Principal Investigator
Selected Publications
Service to Community
Dr. Mirza's scholarship builds on her collaborations with community organizations in the Chicago area, such as the Grupo SALTO, the Arc of Illinois, and the Marjorie Kovler Center for torture survivors. Dr. Mirza has previously served on the Illinois Refugee Health Task Force, a coalition of refugee resettlement agencies, health centers, and other community-based agencies in Chicago.
Professional Leadership
Member, American Occupational Therapy Association
Member at Large, American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine - International Special Interest Group Executive Committee
Co-Chair, American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine - International Special Interest Group Refugee Empowerment Task Force
Member, Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Asian Americans
Notable Honors
2015-16, Faculty Fellow, Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago
Education
BS, Occupational Therapy, University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India, 2002
M., Occupational Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2004
PhD, Disability Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2010
Postdoctoral MS, Health Services and Outcomes Research, Northwestern University, Chicago, 2012