Associate professor
College of Rehabilitation Sciences
Department of Occupational Therapy
R114-771 McDermot Avenue
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6
Phone: 204-789-3367
Fax: 204-789-3927
Email: sana.abudahab@umanitoba.ca
Sana Abu Dahab, PhD, OT Reg. (MB)
Research achievements
Research summary
Dr. Abu Dahab’s research focuses on promoting the participation and inclusion of neurodiverse children across everyday contexts, including home, school and community environments. Her work is grounded in pediatric occupational therapy, family-centred practice, and culturally responsive approaches to assessment and intervention. She is particularly interested in how sensory processing, co-regulation, family routines, and environmental supports influence participation and inclusion, and how occupational therapy can support meaningful engagement in daily life.
Her research also extends to school-based occupational therapy and interprofessional approaches that foster the inclusion of neurodiverse children and support participation for children with diverse developmental and motor needs. A complementary area of her scholarship focuses on the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of occupational therapy and rehabilitation outcome measures, with the goal of advancing contextually relevant, culturally responsive and meaningful assessment practices.
Research themes
- Co-regulation and sensory processing in neurodiverse children
- Cross-cultural validation of occupational therapy and rehabilitation outcome measures
- Participation and inclusion across everyday environments
- School-based occupational therapy and interprofessional practice
Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder
- co-regulation
- cross-cultural validation
- inclusion
- neurodiversity
- participation
- school-based occupational therapy
- sensory processing
- outcome measures
Biography
Dr. Sana Abu Dahab is an occupational therapist and associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Manitoba's College of Rehabilitation Sciences.
Dr. Abu Dahab brings extensive international experience in academic leadership, research, teaching and program development in occupational therapy. Before joining the University of Manitoba, Dr. Abu Dahab served as a professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Jordan and held several academic leadership roles, including vice-dean for quality assurance, accreditation, scientific research and ranking affairs and head of the occupational therapy department.
Dr. Abu Dahab's work is shaped by her commitment to meaningful participation, inclusion and the everyday experiences of children and their families. A major area of her scholarship is the translation, cultural adaptation and validation of occupational therapy and rehabilitation outcome measures. Her work is grounded in culturally responsive assessment and the use of participation-based outcomes to inform occupational therapy services and intervention planning.
As she develops her research program in Manitoba, Dr. Abu Dahab is especially interested in working with neurodiverse children and their families to better understand and support participation across everyday contexts. Her work is grounded in child- and family-centred, culturally safer, developmentally responsive and strengths-based approaches that recognize the importance of relationships, everyday routines, sensory experiences, co-regulation and naturalistic environments in supporting meaningful participation. Building on this focus, she is also interested in collaborative and interprofessional approaches that enhance children's participation in school and community settings. Through connections across different disciplines, her work aims to support responsive, contextually relevant strategies that promote inclusion, engagement and everyday functioning.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 2008
Master of Science (MSc) in Rehabilitation Sciences with focus on Occupational Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 2005
Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BSc), The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan, 2003
Contact us
College of Rehabilitation Sciences
P304 - 770 Bannatyne Avenue
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W2 Canada
204-789-3897
204-789-3927