Adriana Queiroz, Ph.D.

Professional Background

Adriana Queiroz, Ph.D., OTR/L, is a clinical assistant professor in the KU Department of Occupational Therapy Education. She joined the faculty at KU Medical Center in October 2022 and teaches courses related to mental health, social determinants of health, culture, population health, community engagement, and policy and advocacy.

As an occupational therapist and researcher, a primary focus for Queiroz has been leisure as an occupation, and she has been deeply interested in culture and social determinants of health. She earned her bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and a master's and doctorate degrees in leisure studies from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil. Her post-doctoral fellowship at Universidad de Chile focused on understanding leisure in occupational therapy practice in community mental health.

In Brazil, Queiroz has served as an occupational therapist in mental health and social occupational therapy areas for 15 years. She has worked at all levels – from primary care to acute care in the community, as well as with chronic clients in hospitals. In Kansas, she has partnered with the Center for African American Health at KU Medical Center. She helps lead the Faculty of Color Affinity Group and works alongside the Office of International Studies toward expanding fieldwork opportunities for KU occupational therapy students in Brazil. Queiroz also leads the Culture, Social Determinants of Health and Occupation Study, a collaborative interdisciplinary group open to every student who wants to acknowledge and dive deeper into the transactional influences of culture, social determinants of health, and occupation in their practices.