Overview
Background
Rebecca Olson is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Queensland, cutting-edge translational qualitative researcher, mentor and award-winning educator with expertise in the sociologies of health and emotions. As Director of SocioHealthLab, she leads an interdisciplinary collective of researchers, health professional educators and practitioners interested in doing health and healthcare differently: more socially aware, more relational, more inclusive and more just. As Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Social Science, she prioritises collaborative, reflexive, creative and emotions-centred practices in higher education. With over 75 scholarly publications – as well as news media and creative video productions – Rebecca is a prolific contributor to public debate. With research interests spanning medicinal cannabis and health professions education to climate anxiety, Olson is internationally renowned for bringing sociological insight to complex challenges related to emotions, wellbeing, healthcare and caregiving.
Availability
- Associate Professor Rebecca Olson is:
- Not available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Australian National University
Research interests
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Emotions, Methodology, Healthcare and Education
Emotions play a key role in how we experience and interact with the everyday world. Olson’s research intersects the sociology of emotions and the sociology of health & illness. Her work seeks to understand emotions and their importance to health and healthcare, with topics ranging from parents management of climate anxiety, to medicinal cannabis and wellbeing in advanced cancer contexts, Interprofessional practice, and higher education teaching and learning, including health professional education. Olson has a specific interest in innovative, participatory qualitative methodologies, such as video-reflexive ethnography and critical reflexive ethnography. This allows her to work collaboratively with health specialists and educators in ways that encourage greater insight into the minutiae of everyday healthcare and education practices. Recently, she has used these approaches to investigate: • Emotionally reflexive labour in palliative care and interprofessional practice • Socio-emotional aspects of cigarette smoking and lung cancer screening • Patient perspectives toward medicinal cannabis policy and it’s efficacy • Discourses of emotion and feedback in health professional education • Biopsychosocial approaches to physiotherapy and the work-readiness of graduate physiotherapists
Research impacts
With over a decade of experience as a teaching and research academic, Olson has a strong track record of higher degree research supervision, innovative teaching and learning scholarship and high impact research published in a range of top academic outlets such as Social Science & Medicine, Medical Education and Qualitative Health Research.
With competitive funding from NHMRC, ARC, Arthritis Australia, and Cancer Australia, Olson uses innovative sociological theory in the study of interprofessional and informal palliative care, biopsychosocial approaches in physiotherapy, medicinal cannabis treatment and policy, and emotions and reflexivity in higher education teaching and learning. Her research innovatively applies participatory methods such as video reflexive methodology, to enable collaborative, theory-informed research that invites health professionals – established and pre-licensure – to reflect upon and refine their practice.
Across all domains of her research, Olson advocates for the democratisation of research practices through participatory and reflexive approaches to knowledge production that promote social justice in healthcare.
Works
Search Professor Rebecca Olson’s works on UQ eSpace
2022
Conference Publication
Beyond pathology: Towards a new (re)conceptualisation of distress in chronic pain care
Dillon, M., Olson, R., Miciak, M., Window, P. and Setchell, J. (2022). Beyond pathology: Towards a new (re)conceptualisation of distress in chronic pain care. The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 28 November - 2 December 2022.
2022
Book Chapter
Mass emotional events: rethinking emotional contagions after COVID-19
McKenzie, Jordan, Patulny, Roger, Olson, Rebecca E. and Bower, Marlee (2022). Mass emotional events: rethinking emotional contagions after COVID-19. Dystopian emotions: emotional landscapes and dark futures. (pp. 71-88) edited by Jordan McKenzie and Roger Patulny. Bristol, United Kingdom: Bristol University Press. doi: 10.1332/policypress/9781529214543.003.0005
2022
Conference Publication
Towards ethical multiplicity in low back pain care: practicing beyond the biopsychosocial model
Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca and Setchell, Jenny (2022). Towards ethical multiplicity in low back pain care: practicing beyond the biopsychosocial model. The Australian Sociological Association, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 28 November - 2 December 2022.
2022
Conference Publication
(Un)certainty and emotions in low back pain care - insights from an ethnographic study
Costa, Nathalia, Olson, Rebecca, Mescouto, Karime, Hodges, Paul, Dillon, Miriam, Evans, Kerrie, Walsh, Kelly, Jensen, Niahm and Setchell, Jenny (2022). (Un)certainty and emotions in low back pain care - insights from an ethnographic study. The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 28 November - 2 December 2022.
2022
Conference Publication
"What price do you put on your health?": Medical cannabis, financial toxicity, and patient perspectives on medication access in advanced cancer
Olson, Rebecca, Smith, Alexandra, Good, Phillip, Dudley, Morgan and Hardy, Janet (2022). "What price do you put on your health?": Medical cannabis, financial toxicity, and patient perspectives on medication access in advanced cancer. The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 28 November - 2 December 2022.
2021
Journal Article
Emotion as reflexive practice: a new discourse for feedback practice and research
Ajjawi, Rola, Olson, Rebecca E. and McNaughton, Nancy (2021). Emotion as reflexive practice: a new discourse for feedback practice and research. Medical Education, 56 (5), 480-488. doi: 10.1111/medu.14700
2021
Conference Publication
Does the biopsychosocial model speak to social justice? Results from a critical review
Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca E., Hodges, Paul W. and Setchell, Jenny (2021). Does the biopsychosocial model speak to social justice? Results from a critical review. Back and Neck Pain Forum, Online, 11 - 13 November 2021.
2021
Journal Article
Surprise reveals the affective-moral economies in cancer illness narratives
Plage, Stefanie and Olson, Rebecca E. (2021). Surprise reveals the affective-moral economies in cancer illness narratives. Qualitative Health Research, 31 (14) 10497323211044468, 10497323211044468-2742. doi: 10.1177/10497323211044468
2021
Journal Article
Afflexivity in post-qualitative inquiry: prioritising affect and reflexivity in the evaluation of a health information website
Setchell, Jenny, Olson, Rebecca, Turpin, Merrill, Costa, Nathalia, Barlott, Tim, O’Halloran, Kate, Wigginton, Britta and Hodges, Paul (2021). Afflexivity in post-qualitative inquiry: prioritising affect and reflexivity in the evaluation of a health information website. Health Sociology Review, (3), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/14461242.2021.1976068
2021
Journal Article
Emotions in human research ethics guidelines: beyond risk, harm and pathology
Olson, Rebecca E (2021). Emotions in human research ethics guidelines: beyond risk, harm and pathology. Qualitative Research, 23 (3), 526-544. doi: 10.1177/14687941211039965
2021
Conference Publication
Disentangling adultness in childhood research: death talk as an example
Zheng, Z., Olson, R., Setchell, J. and Staton, S. (2021). Disentangling adultness in childhood research: death talk as an example. International Society of Critical Health Psychology Biennial Conference 2021, Online; Pōneke (Wellington), New Zealand, 22-25 August 2021.
2021
Book Chapter
Health services and care: political and affective economies
Olson, Rebecca E. (2021). Health services and care: political and affective economies. Routledge international handbook of critical issues in health and illness. (pp. 59-70) New York, NY., United States of America: Taylor and Francis. doi: 10.4324/9781003185215
2021
Journal Article
Work readiness of new graduate physical therapists for private practice in Australia: academic faculty, employer, and graduate perspectives
Wells, Cherie, Olson, Rebecca, Bialocerkowski, Andrea, Carroll, Sara, Chipchase, Lucy, Reubenson, Alan, Scarvell, Jennie Mary and Kent, Fiona (2021). Work readiness of new graduate physical therapists for private practice in Australia: academic faculty, employer, and graduate perspectives. Physical Therapy, 101 (6) pzab078. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzab078
2021
Journal Article
Victors, victims, and vectors
Olson, Rebecca E., Khan, Adil M., Flaws, Dylan, Harris, Deborah L., Shohag, Hasan, Villanueva, May and Ziegenfuss, Marc (2021). Victors, victims, and vectors. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 64 (3), 408-419. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2021.0032
2021
Book Chapter
The social and cultural determinants of health
Olson, Rebecca E., Mutch, Allyson, Fitzgerald, Lisa and Hickey, Sophie (2021). The social and cultural determinants of health. Culture, Diversity and Health in Australia: Towards Culturally Safe Health Care. (pp. 15-35) edited by Tinashe Dune, Kim McLeod and Robyn Williams. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Taylor and Francis.
2021
Conference Publication
A critical review of the biopsychosocial model of low back pain care
Mescouto, Karime , Olson, Rebecca , Hodges, Paul W. and Setchell, Jenny (2021). A critical review of the biopsychosocial model of low back pain care. World Physiotherapy Congress, Online, April 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Physiotherapists both reproduce and resist biomedical dominance when working with people with back pain: a participatory study towards new praxis.
Mescouto, Karime , Olson, Rebecca , Costa, Nathalia , Evans, Kerrie , Dillon, Miriam , Jensen, Niamh , Walsh, Kelly , Weier, Megan , Lonergan, Kathryn , Hodges, Paul W. and Setchell, Jenny (2021). Physiotherapists both reproduce and resist biomedical dominance when working with people with back pain: a participatory study towards new praxis.. International Society for Critical Health Psychology, Online, August 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
On patient wellbeing: medicinal cannabis & ‘wellness’ in advanced cancer contexts.
Cuerton, Maddison and Olson, Rebecca E. (2021). On patient wellbeing: medicinal cannabis & ‘wellness’ in advanced cancer contexts.. Brisbane Cancer Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 25-26 November 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
(Un)certainty in low back pain (LBP) care – insights from a qualitative investigation
Costa, Nathalia, Olson, Rebecca, Mescouto, Karime, Hodges, Paul, Dillon, Miriam, Evans, Kerrie, Walsh, Kelly, Jensen, Niamh and Setchell, Jenny (2021). (Un)certainty in low back pain (LBP) care – insights from a qualitative investigation. Back and Neck Pain Forum, Online, November 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Navigating the emotional contours of Human Research Ethics Guidelines: a discourse analysis
Olson, Rebecca E. (2021). Navigating the emotional contours of Human Research Ethics Guidelines: a discourse analysis. HREC Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 1-3 December 2021.
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Rebecca Olson is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Discursive Renderings of Medicinal Cannabis Patients: Policy, Practice, Priorities
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jenny Munro
-
Doctor Philosophy
Beyond pathology: (re)conceptualising distress in physiotherapy and chronic low back pain care
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Stefanie Plage
-
Doctor Philosophy
Examination of constructions of health information exchange, as a specific action of person-centred care, occurring for and between professionals and patients.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Christy Noble
-
Doctor Philosophy
Online Dating Experiences of Cancer Survivors
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mair Underwood, Dr Stefanie Plage
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding obstetric violence in Australia: prevalence, experiences and maternity carers perspectives
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Nigel Lee
-
Doctor Philosophy
Online Dating Experiences of Cancer Survivors
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mair Underwood, Dr Stefanie Plage
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Doctor Philosophy
Online Dating Experiences of Cancer Survivors
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mair Underwood, Dr Stefanie Plage
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding children's constructions and experiences of death, dying and loss
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sally Staton
-
Doctor Philosophy
Towards a Critical Post-humanist Symphony of Children-Deaths
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sally Staton
-
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring how physiotherapists navigate distress in low back pain care
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Stefanie Plage
-
Doctor Philosophy
Towards a Critical Post-humanist Symphony of Children-Deaths
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sally Staton
-
Doctor Philosophy
Online Dating Experiences of Cancer Survivors
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mair Underwood, Dr Stefanie Plage
-
Doctor Philosophy
Acceptance of digital mental health interventions: Sociodemographic aspects of user engagement with digital psychological interventions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Henman
-
Doctor Philosophy
Evidence based use of oral medicinal cannabinoids in the palliative management of patients with advanced cancer
Associate Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Acceptance of digital mental health interventions: Sociodemographic aspects of user engagement with digital psychological interventions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Henman
-
Doctor Philosophy
Collaborative clinical practice in healthcare
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nadine Foster, Dr Lisa Anemaat
Completed supervision
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Melanotanning: A Sociological investigation of user experiences of the injectable tanning peptide (melanotan) in the context of identity, health and risk.
Principal Advisor
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Navigating a diagnosis, navigating an identity: Adults diagnosed Asperger's Disorder/Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1
Principal Advisor
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
A study of the meanings of spirituality in the context of depression
Principal Advisor
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Enhancing low back pain care: Thinking and practising critically beyond the biopsychosocial model
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Hodges
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Gendered views on parole: Exploring how emotion and emotion management help to explain gender differences in the Australian public's views on parole
Associate Advisor
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Psychosis and Self-Transformation: Addressing Relationship Negotiation with the Unruly Self
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Rebecca Olson directly for media enquiries about:
- allied health training
- cancer
- carers
- interprofessional education
- social support
- sociology
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