Laura O’Callaghan

Dr Laura O’Callaghan is a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University within the School of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health. She serves as module leader for CMNR7019 Project Management Skills, supervises CMNR7004 Dissertation Students, and acts as Liaison Manager for the GBS Partnership on the BSc Health, Wellbeing and Social Care programme. She also teaches on the Master of Global Public Health Leadership Distance Learning Programme.

Her research centers on public health, physical activity, and child development, with specific focus on how movement qualities and physical activity doses associate with executive functions in socioeconomically disadvantaged children aged 5-6 years. She investigates motor learning theory applications in physical education settings through interventions like SAMPLE-PE, examining how environmental constraints and pedagogical approaches influence cognitive development and physical literacy in early childhood.

Analysis of her 2019-2023 publications reveals consistent themes: validation of measurement tools (SOFIT+), comparative studies of linear versus nonlinear pedagogy, and cluster randomized trials assessing physical activity interventions. Her work demonstrates how physical education practices directly impact children's cognitive outcomes, particularly executive functions and self-regulation, with emphasis on deprived communities and motor competence development.

No scientific awards are mentioned in the provided text.

Dr O’Callaghan supervises Master's dissertation students for the CMNR7004 module. While no specific grants are documented, her work with the Health Behaviour and Wellbeing Research in Public Health group indicates active involvement in community-focused public health research. She contributes to interdisciplinary efforts examining physical activity's role in cognitive development through the SAMPLE-PE research framework.