Janet Njelesani, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy. Dr. Njelesani is an occupational therapist with a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science and Global Health from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Njelesani's scholarship advances the philosophical and methodological foundations of occupational science and occupational therapy through the development of the critical occupational approach—a novel approach she created to guide occupation-based inquiry. Using this approach, her research addresses critical health and societal issues by examining the factors that influence the occupational participation of historically underrepresented populations. Currently, she is exploring issues of equitable inclusion and participation across various occupations, including in school settings and caregiving roles.
She has carried out her work in North America, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, West Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa, collaborating with researchers from each of these regions. To her research, Dr. Njelesani brings a breadth of both clinical and consulting expertise, having worked as a clinician for over 15 years and, through her role, providing disability and rehabilitation technical advice to Governments, United Nations agencies, and international non-governmental organizations.
Dr. Njelesani has published and presented widely in her areas of research. She has also contributed to seminal international publications, including the WHO World Report on Disability and UNICEF's A rights-based approach to inclusive education for children with disabilities.
For her contributions to global occupational therapy research, she received AOTA's Roster of Fellows and International Service Awards, as well as AOTF's Mid-Career Research Excellence Award. She serves as the Associate Editor of OTJR: Occupational Science Section.
Selected Publications
- Njelesani, J., Kaufman, L., Ruiz, S., Brown, V. L., & Hunleth, J. (2025). Support needs of young people caring for their parents with cancer. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 1-11. doi: 10.1007/s11764-025-01820-6
- Njelesani, J., Watson, S., Gahlot, A., Ahmed, A., & Kim, G. (2025). Culturally sensitive mentorship in occupational therapy education. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 9(3), 1-20. https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol9/iss3/2
- Njelesani, J., Cruz Castillo, H., & Merino-Lopez, J. (2025). Anti-bullying interventions for school-based occupational therapy practice: A systematic review. Adolescents, 5(2), 23. doi.org/10.3390/adolescents5020023
- Njelesani, J., Njelesani, D., Cameron, C., Munthali, A., & Jumali, M. (2025). Recognizing the rights of children with disabilities in Malawi. Disability & Society, 1-19. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2024.2379338
- Sterman, J., Wagland, Z., Scott-Cole, L., Spassiani, N., & Njelesani, J. (2025). Promoting neurodiversity-affirming care for Autistic children: A scoping review. Neurodiversity. doi: 10.1177/27546330251357479
- Cezar Da Cruz, D., Njelesani, J., Galvaan, R., & Maitra, K. (2025). Beyond the algorithm: A critical occupational perspective on artificial intelligence and human occupation. Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1-10. doi: 10.1108/IJOT-05-2025-0020
- Akrofi, N., Howe, T., & Njelesani, J. (2025). Embracing multiple philosophical orientations in occupational therapy to enhance cultural sensitivity. AJOT, 79(2), 7902347030. doi:10.5014/ajot.2025.050960
- Njelesani, J. (2024). Co-creating inclusive and non-ableist public health policies. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 1-8. doi: 10.34172/ijhpm.8694
- Hunleth, J., Burack, S., Kaufman, L., Mohrmann, C., Shato, T., Wiedenman, E., & Njelesani, J. (2024). Inequities in childhood cancer research: A scoping review. EJC Paediatric Oncology, 4, 100171. doi:10.1016/j.ejcped.2024.100171
- Aldrich, R. M., & Njelesani, J. (2023). Convergence of occupational science and occupational therapy: Updates on OTJR’s Occupational Science Section. OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 15394492231164946. doi:10.1177/15394492231164946
- Njelesani, J., Si, J., & Swarm, D. (2022). Unreported and unaddressed: Students with disabilities experience of school violence in Zambia. African Journal of Disability, 1-7. doi:10.4102/ajod.v11i0.811
- Njelesani, J., Faulkner, A., Schultz, B., & Jeon, H. (2022). A call to the front: Occupational therapy practice in addressing school bullying. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 1-6. doi:10.1177/15394492211058723
- Njelesani, J., Mlambo, V., Denekew, T., & Hunleth, J. (2022). Inclusion of children with disabilities in qualitative health research: A scoping review. PloS ONE, 17(9), e0273784. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0273784
- Njelesani, J., Teachman, G. & Bangura, I. (2021). “The strength to leave”: Women with disabilities navigating violent relationships and occupational identities. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2021.045542
- Cappa, C., Njelesani, J., Maladwala, A. & Neil, N. (2021). Measuring environmental factors and school participation for children with disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 1-16. https://dopi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2021.1959021
- Sterman, J., & Njelesani, J. (2021). Becoming anti-racist occupational therapy practitioners: A scoping study. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 41(4), 232–242. https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492211019931
- Njelesani, J., Attard, K., Duimstra, A., & Zenderman, N. (2020). Addressing school bullying with a multi-tiered system of support approach. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 1-16. doi:10.1080/19411243.2020.1852466