Associate Professor Rebecca Olson
Director of Teaching & Learning
Associate Professor
School of Social Science
+61 7 336 53493
Researcher biography
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.
Publications
Book
Olson, Rebecca E. (2015). Towards a sociology of cancer caregiving: time to feel. Surrey, United Kingdom: Ashgate.
Book Chapters
Setchell, Jenny, Olson, Rebecca, Turpin, Merrill, Costa, Nathalia, Barlott, Tim, O'Halloran, Kate, Wigginton, Britta and Hodges, Paul (2024). Afflexivity in post-qualitative inquiry: prioritising affect and reflexivity in the evaluation of a health information website. Progressing Critical Posthuman Perspectives in Health Sociology. (pp. 105-120) edited by Kim McLeod and Simone Fullagar. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003498896-8
Smith, Alexandra, Olson, Rebecca, Cuerton, Maddison, Khalil, Keesha Abdul, Good, Phillip and Hardy, Janet (2024). Measuring wellbeing: a critical rapid review of scales used in advanced cancer contexts. Researching Contemporary Wellness Cultures. (pp. 63-79) edited by Naomi Smith, Clare Southerton and Marianne Clark. Leeds, United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing. doi: 10.1108/978-1-80455-584-220241005
Plage, Stefanie and Olson, Rebecca E. (2024). Cancer Survivorship Heroism. Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies. (pp. 174-179) Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-48129-1_185
Olson, Rebecca E. and Zheng, Zhaoxi (2023). Death and dying. Encyclopedia of health research in the social sciences. (pp. 77-81) edited by Kevin Dew and Sarah Donovan. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781800885691.ch14
Zheng, Zhaoxi and Olson, Rebecca E. (2023). How are normative deaths celebrated, reinforced, or disrupted in children’s media? A critical discourse analysis of Coco and Soul. Difficult death, dying and the dead in media and culture. (pp. 115-131) edited by Sharon Coleclough, Bethan Michael-Fox and Renske Visser. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-40732-1_8
Olson, Rebecca, Bellocchi, Alberto and Dadich, Ann (2023). Emotions. The sociology of health and illness: critical perspectives for 21st century. (pp. 95-126) edited by Alphia L. Possamai-Inesedy and Peta Cook. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Pearson.
Plage, Stefanie and Olson, Rebecca E. (2023). Cancer survivorship heroism. Encyclopedia of heroism studies. (pp. 1-7) edited by Scott T. Allison, James K. Beggan and George R. Goethals. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-17125-3_185-1
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
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
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.
Patulny, Roger, Olson, Rebecca E., Khorana, Sukhmani, McKenzie, Jordan, Bellocchi, Alberto and Peterie, Michelle (2019). Introduction. Emotions in late modernity. (pp. 1-7) edited by Roger Patulny, Alberto Bellocchi, Rebecca E. Olson, Sukhmani Khorana, Jordan McKenzie and Michelle Peterie. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.
Patulny, Roger, Olson, Rebecca E., Khorana, Sukhmani, McKenzie, Jordan, Bellocchi, Alberto and Peterie, Michelle (2019). Conclusion: emotions in late modernity. Emotions in late modernity. (pp. 327-328) edited by Roger Patulny, Alberto Bellocchi, Rebecca E. Olson, Sukhmani Khorana, Jordan McKenzie and Michelle Peterie. Abingdon, Oxon & New York: Routledge.
Olson, Rebecca E. and Dadich, Ann (2019). Power, (com)passion and trust in interprofessional healthcare. Emotions in late modernity. (pp. 267-281) edited by Roger Patulny, Alberto Bellocchi, Rebecca E. Olson, Sukhmani Khorana, Jordan McKenzie and Michelle Peterie. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.
Patulny, Roger and Olson, Rebecca E. (2019). Emotions in late modernity. Emotions in late modernity. (pp. 8-24) edited by Roger Patulny, Alberto Bellocchi, Rebecca E. Olson, Sukhmani Khorana, Jordan McKenzie and Michelle Peterie. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.
Bellocchi, Alberto, Mills, Kathy, Olson, Rebecca, Patulny, Roger and Mckenzie, Jordan (2019). Emotion work at the frontline of STEM teaching. Critical issues and bold visions for science education: The Road Ahead. (pp. 247-264) edited by Lynn A. Bryan and Kenneth Tobin. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. doi: 10.1163/9789004389663_014
Olson, Rebecca E. (2019). Public health: historical and contemporary principles and practices. Public health: local and global perspectives. (pp. 25-42) edited by Pranee Liamputtong. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Olson, Rebecca E. (2016). Public health: Historical and contemporary principles and practices. Public Health: Local and Global Perspectives. (pp. 25-44) edited by Pranee Liamputtong. Port Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Cambridge University Press.
Olson, Rebecca E. and Abeysinghe, Sudeepa (2014). None of the above: Uncertainty and diagnosis. Social Issues in Diagnosis: An Introduction for Students and Clinicians. (pp. 47-60) edited by Annemarie Goldstein Jutel and Kevin Dew. Baltimore, MD United States: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Journal Articles
Dudley, Morgan, Olson, Rebecca E., Mescouto, Karime and Setchell, Jenny (2024). The good pain patient: a critical evaluation of patients' self-presentations in specialist pain clinics. Health Sociology Review, 33 (3), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/14461242.2024.2350501
Olson, Rebecca E., Smith, Alexandra, McKenzie, Jordan, Patulny, Roger and Bellocchi, Alberto (2024). Affecting the future: a multi-method qualitative text and discourse analysis of emotions in Australian news reporting on climate change and climate anxiety. Journal of Sociology. doi: 10.1177/14407833241248774
Luong, Victoria, Ajjawi, Rola, Burm, Sarah, Olson, Rebecca and MacLeod, Anna (2024). Unravelling epistemic injustice in medical education: the case of the underperforming learner. Medical Education, 58 (11), 1286-1295. doi: 10.1111/medu.15410
Cottingham, Marci, Olson, Rebecca E. and Bendelow, Gillian (2024). Editorial: Sociologies of health and emotions. Frontiers in Sociology, 9 1388509. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1388509
Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca E., Plage, Stefanie, Zulfiqar, Asma, Setchell, Jenny, Dune, Tinashe, Suleman, Sameera, Cummins, Drew, Prasad-Ildes, Rita and Costa, Nathalia (2024). Navigating whiteness: affective relational intensities of non-clinical psychosocial support by and for culturally and linguistically diverse people. Frontiers in Sociology, 9 1282938. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1282938
Shepherd, Nicole, Wilson Gray, Romy, Hu, Wendy, Hyde, Sarah, Partanen, Riitta, Pena, Alexia, Walters, Lucie and Olson, Rebecca (2024). I'm not ‘fake rural’: rural student negotiation of identity and place in medical school. Sociologia Ruralis. doi: 10.1111/soru.12473
Olson, Rebecca E., Raymond, Stephanie and Smith, Alexandra (2024). Valuing emotions and reflecting on group work: A ‘metalogic’ approach to teaching research methods in a university course. Social Sciences and Humanities Open, 10 100991, 100991. doi: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.100991
Gravett, Karen, Ajjawi, Rola, Bearman, Margaret, Holloway, Jessica, Olson, Rebecca and Winstone, Naomi (2024). Belonging as flickering and in flux in academic work: a collective biography. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 37 (7), 1971-1985. doi: 10.1080/09518398.2023.2258095
Lee, Jia Ying Sarah, Whittingham, Koa, Olson, Rebecca and Mitchell, Amy E. (2023). “Their happiness, not neurotypical success”: autistic adults reflect on the parenting of autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi: 10.1007/s10803-023-06188-z
Dillon, Miriam, Olson, Rebecca E., Plage, Stefanie, Miciak, Maxi, Window, Peter, Stewart, Matthew, Christoffersen, Anja, Kilner, Simon, Barthel, Natalie and Setchell, Jenny (2023). Distress in the care of people with chronic low back pain: insights from an ethnographic study. Frontiers in Sociology, 8 1281912, 1-13. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2023.1281912
Smith, Alexandra, Olson, Rebecca E., da Costa, Nathalia Cordeiro, Cuerton, Maddison, Hardy, Janet and Good, Philip (2023). Quality of life beyond measure: Advanced cancer patients, wellbeing and medicinal cannabis. Sociology of Health and Illness, 45 (8), 1709-1729. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13684
Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca E., Costa, Nathalia, Evans, Kerrie, Dillon, Miriam, Walsh, Kelly, Jensen, Niamh, Hodges, Paul W., Lonergan, Kathryn, Weier, Megan and Setchell, Jenny (2023). Fostering equitable change in health services: Using critical reflexivity to challenge dominant discourses in low back pain care in Australia. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 29 (1), 1-10. doi: 10.1177/13558196231193862
Costa, Nathalia, Butler, Prudenc, Dillon, Miriam, Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca, Forbes, Roma and Setchell, Jenny (2023). "I felt uncertain about my whole future"-a qualitative investigation of people's experiences of navigating uncertainty when seeking care for their low back pain. Pain, 164 (12), 2749-2758. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002975
Dillon, M., Olson, R., Mescouto, K., Costa, N. and Setchell, J. (2023). How physiotherapists attend to the human aspects of care when working with people with low back pain: a thematic analysis. Health Sociology Review, 32 (3), 277-293. doi: 10.1080/14461242.2022.2161927
Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca Eileen and Setchell, Jenny (2022). Towards an ethical multiplicity in low back pain care: practising beyond the biopsychosocial model. Sociology of Health and Illness, 45 (3), 522-541. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13598
Creese, Jennifer, Byrne, John-Paul, Olson, Rebecca and Humphries, Niamh (2022). A catalyst for change: developing a collaborative reflexive ethnographic approach to research with hospital doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodological Innovations, 16 (1), 3-14. doi: 10.1177/20597991221137813
Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca E, Costa, Nathalia, Evans, Kerrie, Dillon, Miriam, Jensen, Niamh, Walsh, Kelly, Weier, Megan, Lonergan, Kathryn, Hodges, Paul W. and Setchell, Jenny (2022). ‘Engaging on a slightly more human level’: A qualitative study exploring the care of individuals with back pain in a multidisciplinary pain clinic. Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine, 28 (1), 1-22. doi: 10.1177/13634593221127817
Gurgenci, Taylan, Hardy, Janet, Olson, Rebecca, Huggett, Georgie, Foster, Karyn and Good, Phillip (2022). Medicinal cannabis in palliative medicine: lessons learnt from randomised controlled trials. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 13 (2) spcare-2022-004035, 1-3. doi: 10.1136/spcare-2022-004035
Olson, Rebecca E., Smith, Alexandra, Good, Phillip, Dudley, Morgan, Gurgenci, Taylan 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. Health Expectations, 26 (1), 160-171. doi: 10.1111/hex.13642
Costa, Nathalia, Mescouto, Karime, Dillon, Miriam, Olson, Rebecca, Butler, Prudence, Forbes, Roma and Setchell, Jenny (2022). The ubiquity of uncertainty in low back pain care. Social Science and Medicine, 313 115422, 115422. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115422
Olson, Rebecca E., Smith, Alexandra, Huggett, Georgie, Good, Phillip, Dudley, Morgan and Hardy, Janet (2022). Using a qualitative sub-study to inform the design and delivery of randomised controlled trials on medicinal cannabis for symptom relief in patients with advanced cancer. Trials, 23 (1) 752, 1-16. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06691-1
Olson, Rebecca E., Goldsmith, Lisa, Winter, Sara, Spaulding, Elizabeth, Dunn, Nicola, Mander, Sarah, Ryan, Alyssa, Smith, Alexandra and Marshall, Henry M. (2022). Emotions and lung cancer screening: prioritising a humanistic approach to care. Health and Social Care in the Community, 30 (6), e5259-e5269. doi: 10.1111/hsc.13945
Olson, Rebecca E., Ek, Xuan Wen, Staines, Zoe, Goh, Felicia and Marshall, Henry (2022). Imperatives of health or happiness: narrative constructions of long-term smoking after undergoing lung screening. Health, 27 (6), 136345932210991-1134. doi: 10.1177/13634593221099108
Hill, Anne E., Bartle, Emma, Copley, Jodie A., Olson, Rebecca, Dunwoodie, Ruth, Barnett, Tessa and Zuber, Alice (2022). The VOTIS, part 1: development and pilot trial of a tool to assess students’ interprofessional skill development using video-reflexive ethnography. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 37 (2), 1-9. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2022.2052270
Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca E., Hodges, Paul W., Costa, Nathalia, Patton, Mary Anne, Evans, Kerrie, Walsh, Kelly, Lonergan, Kathryn and Setchell, Jenny (2022). Physiotherapists both reproduce and resist biomedical dominance when working with people with low back pain: a qualitative study towards new praxis. Qualitative Health Research, 32 (6) ARTN 10497323221084358, 104973232210843-915. doi: 10.1177/10497323221084358
Olson, Rebecca E. and Dadich, Ann (2022). How can video-reflexive ethnographers anticipate positive impact on healthcare practice?. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21. doi: 10.1177/16094069221083370
Olson, Rebecca E., Copley, Jodie A., Bartle, Emma, Hill, Anne E., Barnett, Tessa, Dunwoodie, Ruth and Zuber, Alice (2022). The VOTIS, part 2: Using a video-reflexive assessment activity to foster dispositional learning in interprofessional education. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 37 (2), 1-8. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2022.2037531
Costa, N., Olson, R., Mescouto, K., Hodges, P. W., Dillon, M., Evans, K., Walsh, K., Jensen, N. and Setchell, J. (2022). Uncertainty in low back pain care – insights from an ethnographic study. Disability and Rehabilitation, 45 (5), 1-12. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2022.2040615
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
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
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
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
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
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
Hoffmann, Heidi, Olson, Rebecca, Perales, Francisco and Baxter, Janeen (2020). New mothers and social support: a mixed method study of young mothers in Australia. Journal of Sociology, 57 (4), 144078332097870-968. doi: 10.1177/1440783320978706
Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca E., Hodges, Paul W. and Setchell, Jenny (2020). A critical review of the biopsychosocial model of low back pain care: time for a new approach?. Disability and Rehabilitation, 44 (13), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2020.1851783
Olson, Rebecca E., Smith, Alexandra, Good, Phillip, Neate, Emily, Hughes, Cody and Hardy, Janet (2020). Emotionally reflexive labour in end-of-life communication. Social Science and Medicine, 291 112928, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112928
Olson, Rebecca E., Bellocchi, Alberto and Dadich, Ann (2020). A post-paradigmatic approach to analysing emotions in social life. Emotions and Society, 2 (2), 157-178. doi: 10.1332/263169020x15893854268688
Patulny, Roger, Mills, Kathy A, Olson, Rebecca E, Bellocchi, Alberto and McKenzie, Jordan (2020). The emotional trade-off between meaningful and precarious work in new economies. Journal of Sociology, 56 (3), 144078332093415-355. doi: 10.1177/1440783320934156
Bullivant, Bianca, Denham, Aaron R., Stephens, Clare, Olson, Rebecca E., Mitchison, Deborah, Gill, Timothy, Maguire, Sarah, Latner, Janet D., Hay, Phillipa, Rodgers, Bryan, Stevenson, Richard J., Touyz, Stephen and Mond, Jonathan M. (2019). Elucidating knowledge and beliefs about obesity and eating disorders among key stakeholders: paving the way for an integrated approach to health promotion. BMC Public Health, 19 (1) 1681, 1681. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7971-y
McKenzie, Jordan, Olson, Rebecca, Patulny, Roger and Peterie, Michelle (2019). Social emotions: a multidisciplinary approach. Emotions: History, Culture, Society, 3 (2), 187-201. doi: 10.1163/2208522x-02010056
Patulny, Roger, Bellocchi, Alberto, Mills, Kathy A., McKenzie, Jordan and Olson, Rebecca E. (2019). Happy, Stressed, and Angry: A National Study of Teachers’ Emotions and Their Management. Emotions: History, Culture, Society, 3 (2), 223-244. doi: 10.1163/2208522x-02010058
Bellocchi, Alberto, Davis, James P., Olson, Rebecca E. and Appanna, Subhashni D. (2019). Understanding social bonds during science inquiry using V-Note software. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 14 (3), 769-796. doi: 10.1007/s11422-019-09940-z
Olson, Rebecca E., McKenzie, Jordan, Mills, Kathy A., Patulny, Roger, Bellocchi, Alberto and Caristo, Fiona (2019). Gendered emotion management and teacher outcomes in secondary school teaching: A review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 80, 128-144. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2019.01.010
Olson, Rebecca E. (2019). Book Review: Amy Chandler, Self-injury, medicine and society: authentic bodies. Journal of Sociology, 55 (2), 413-415. doi: 10.1177/1440783319829317
McKenzie, Jordan, Olson, Rebecca E., Patulny, Roger, Bellocchi, Alberto and Mills, Kathy A. (2019). Emotion management and solidarity in the workplace: a call for a new research agenda. Sociological Review, 67 (3), 672-688. doi: 10.1177/0038026118822982
White, Rhiannon Lee, Parker, Philip D., Lubans, David R., MacMillan, Freya, Olson, Rebecca, Astell-Burt, Thomas and Lonsdale, Chris (2018). Domain-specific physical activity and affective wellbeing among adolescents: an observational study of the moderating roles of autonomous and controlled motivation. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 15 (1) 87, 87. doi: 10.1186/s12966-018-0722-0
Olson, Rebecca E. and Cook, Peta S. (2018). Genomics: the clinical encounter and parallels across complementary and personalized medicine. Sociology Compass, 12 (9) e12621, e12621. doi: 10.1111/soc4.12621
Underwood, Mair and Olson, Rebecca (2018). ‘Manly tears exploded from my eyes, lets feel together brahs’: Emotion and masculinity within an online body building community. Journal of Sociology, 55 (1), 144078331876661-107. doi: 10.1177/1440783318766610
White, Rhiannon Lee, Olson, Rebecca, Parker, Philip D., Astell-Burt, Thomas and Lonsdale, Chris (2018). A qualitative investigation of the perceived influence of adolescents' motivation on relationships between domain-specific physical activity and positive and negative affect. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 14, 113-120. doi: 10.1016/j.mhpa.2018.03.002
Olson, Rebecca E., McKenzie, Jordan J. and Patulny, Roger (2017). The sociology of emotions: A meta-reflexive review of a theoretical tradition in flux. Journal of Sociology, 53 (4), 800-818. doi: 10.1177/1440783317744112
Olson, Rebecca, Laidlaw, Penelope and Steel, Kylie (2017). ‘No one wants to be taught from a textbook!’: pre-service health and physical education teachers’ reflections on skill acquisition and a new curriculum. European Physical Education Review, 23 (4), 1-18. doi: 10.1177/1356336X16658222
Olson, Rebecca E. and Brosnan, Caragh (2017). Examining interprofessional education through the lens of interdisciplinarity: power, knowledge and new ontological subjects. Minerva, 55 (3), 1-21. doi: 10.1007/s11024-017-9316-2
Olson, Rebecca, Bidewell, John, Dune, Tinashe and Lessey, Nkosi (2016). Developing cultural competence through self-reflection in interprofessional education: findings from an Australian university. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 30 (3), 347-354. doi: 10.3109/13561820.2016.1144583
Yaser, Anisa, Slewa-Younan, Shameran, Smith, Caroline A., Olson, Rebecca E., Uribe Guajardo, Maria Gabriela and Mond, Jonathan (2016). Beliefs and knowledge about post-traumatic stress disorder amongst resettled Afghan refugees in Australia. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 10 (1) 31, 31.1-31.9. doi: 10.1186/s13033-016-0065-7
Olson, Rebecca and Burns, Edgar (2016). Teaching sociology to public health students: consumption as a reflective learning tool. Focus on Health Professional Education: A Multi-Disciplinary Journal, 17 (1), 71-83. doi: 10.11157/fohpe.v17i1.123
Kraft, Katarina P., Steel, Kylie A., Macmillan, Freya, Olson, Rebecca and Merom, Dafna (2015). Why few older adults participate in complex motor skills: a qualitative study of older adults’ perceptions of difficult and challenge. BMC Public Health, 15 (1) 2501, 1186-1197. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-2501-z
Olson, Rebecca E., Godbold, Natalya and Patulny, Roger (2015). Introduction: Methodological innovations in the sociology of emotions part two - methods. Emotion Review, 7 (2), 143-144. doi: 10.1177/1754073914555276
Olson, Rebecca E. (2015). How would an egalitarian health care system operate? Power and conflict in interprofessional education. Medical Education, 49 (4), 353-354. doi: 10.1111/medu.12686
Olson, Rebecca E. (2015). Exploring identity in the 'figured worlds' of cancer caregiving and marriage in Australia. Health and Social Care in the Community, 23 (2), 171-179. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12132
Olson, Rebecca E., Klupp, Nerida and Astell-Burt, Thomas (2015). Reimagining health professional socialisation: an interactionist study of interprofessional education. Health Sociology Review, 25 (1), 92-107. doi: 10.1080/14461242.2015.1101702
Fitzpatrick, Petya and Olson, Rebecca E. (2015). A rough road map to reflexivity in qualitative research into emotions. Emotion Review, 7 (1), 49-54. doi: 10.1177/1754073914544710
Patulny, Roger, Godbold, Natalya and Olson, Rebecca E. (2015). Introduction: Embracing emotional research - methodological challenges in the sociology of emotions. Emotion Review, 7 (1), 47-48. doi: 10.1177/1754073914546073
Olson, Rebecca E. (2014). Indefinite loss: The experiences of carers of a spouse with cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care, 23 (4), 553-561. doi: 10.1111/ecc.12175
Olson, Rebecca E. and Bialocerkowski, Andrea (2014). Interprofessional education in allied health: A systematic review. Medical Education, 48 (3), 236-246. doi: 10.1111/medu.12290
Olson, Rebecca E. (2014). A time-sovereignty approach to understanding carers of cancer patients' experiences and support preferences. European Journal of Cancer Care, 23 (2), 239-248. doi: 10.1111/ecc.12121
Olson, Rebecca E. and Connor, James (2014). When they don't die: Prognosis ambiguity, role conflict and emotion work in cancer caregiving. Journal of Sociology, 51 (4), 857-871. doi: 10.1177/1440783314544996
Prosser, Brenton and Olson, Rebecca E. (2013). Changes in professional human care work: The case of nurse practitioners in Australia. Health Sociology Review, 22 (4), 422-432. doi: 10.5172/hesr.2013.22.4.422
Olson, Rebecca E. (2012). Is cancer care dependant on informal carers?. Australian Health Review, 36 (3), 254-257. doi: 10.1071/AH11086
Olson, Rebecca E. (2011). Managing hope, denial or temporal anomie? Informal cancer carers' accounts of spouses' cancer diagnoses. Social Science and Medicine, 73 (6), 904-911. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.12.026
Conference Papers
Dillon, Miriam, Setchell, Jenny, Miciak, Maxi, Window, Peter and Olson, Rebecca (2023). Distress in physiotherapy low back PAIN care: a socio-relational exploration. International Sociology Association World Congress, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 25 June-1 July 2023.
Olson, Rebecca, Bellocchi, Alberto and McKenzie, Jordan (2023). Holding and harnessing distress: a critical discourse analysis of emotions in Australian news reporting on climate change and climate anxiety. International Sociological Association World Congress, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 25 June -1 July 2023.
Zheng, Zhaoxi and Olson, Rebecca (2022). Are normative deaths celebrated, reinforced, or disrupted in children's media? A critical discourse analysis of Coco and Soul. The Australian Sociological Association Conference, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 28 November - 2 December 2022.
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 (TASA) conference, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 29 November-2 December 2022.
Dillon, Miriam, Setchell, Jenny, Olson, Rebecca, Miciak, Maxi and Window, Peter (2022). Beyond pathology: towards a new (re)conceptualisation of distress in chronic pain care. The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) conference, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 29 November-2 December 2022.
Mescouto, Karime, Olson, Rebecca and Setchell, Jenny (2022). Towards an ethical multiplicity of low back pain care: practicing beyond the biopsychosocial model. The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) conference, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 29 November-2 December 2022.
Olson, Rebecca, Smith, Alexandra, Good, Phillip, Dudley, Morgan and Hardy, Janet (2022). 'What price do you put on your health?' Medicinal Cannabis, financial toxicity, and patient perspectives on medication access in advanced cancer. The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) conference, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 29 November-2 December 2022.
Smith, Alexandra , Olson, Rebecca E. , Cuerton, Maddison , Dudley, Morgan , Good, Phillip and Hardy, Janet (2022). “I felt more like myself”: Wellness, wellbeing, and the use of medicinal cannabis in the advanced cancer context. . A Better Body: Towards a Sociology of Wellness Symposium, Sydney, Australia, 17 February 2022.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mescouto, K., Olson, R., Hodges, P.W., Costa, N., Patton, M., Evans, K., Walsh, K. and Setchell, J. (2021). Swimming upstream against biomedical assumptions: a participatory qualitative study to change low back pain practice. World Physiotherapy Congress, Online, 9-11 April 2021.
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.
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.
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, Online, November 2021.
Olson, Rebecca E. (2020). Uncharted waters: Telling the stories of Antipodean frontline responders navigating the great COVID-19 voyage.. SocioHealthLab's (Un)conference: Doing health and healthcare differently, Online, 2 December 2020.
Olson, Rebecca E. (2020). COVID-19 as a mass emotional event: Implications for medicine. The Australian Sociological Association, Online, 23-26 November 2020.
Olson, Rebecca E., Goldsmith, Lisa, Winter, Sara, Spaulding, Elizabeth, Dunn, Nicola, Mander, Sarah, Ryan, Alyssa and Marshall, Henry (2020). Feel like quitting? Lung screening and smokers’ emotions. The Australian Sociological Association Annual Conference, Online, 23-26 November 2020.
Olson, Rebecca E. (2020). Feeling our way through the field: reflexively navigating the emotional dimensions of research ethics guidelines. British Sociological Association Annual Conference, Birmingham, United Kingdom and Virtual, 21-23 April 2020.
Zhaoxi Zheng, Rebecca Olson and Kylie Morphett (2019). Medicinal Cannabis Use among Queensland-based Terminal Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Investigation into Identity and Self-presentation. The Australian Sociological Association, Sydney, Australia, 25-28 November 2019.
Copley, Jodie, Hill, Anne, Olson, Rebecca, Bartle, Emma, Dunwoodie, Ruth, Zuber, Alice and Barnett, Tessa (2018). The VOTIS – developing a video observation tool for assessment of inter-professional skills. Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Education (ANZAHPE) Conference, Hobart, TAS, Tasmania, 1-4 July 2018.
Olson, Rebecca E. (2018). Undisciplining: post-paradigmatic analysis of emotions in social life. The Australian Sociological Association Conference: Precarity, Rights and Resistance, Melbourne, Australia, 19-22 November 2018.
Dadich, Ann and Olson, Rebecca E. (2017). How and why emotions matter in interprofessional healthcare. Olney, United Kingdom: Inderscience Publishers. doi: 10.1504/IJWOE.2017.083799
Bartle, Emma, Hill, Anne, Olson, Rebecca, Copley, Jodie, Dunwoodie, Ruth, Zuber, Alice and Barnett, Tessa (2017). Building capacity for the development of interprofessional skills in undergraduate dental curricula. International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Australia and New Zealand Conference, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 25-27 September 2017.
Raymond, Stephanie and Olson, Rebecca E. (2017). Reflexivity2: fostering research reflexivity in university students studying group work as a group. The Australian Sociological Association Conference: Belonging in a Mobile World, Perth, WA, Australia, 27-30 November 2017.
Olson, Rebecca and Tannous, Caterina (2015). Students’ perceptions of eMarking: Grademark vs. iAnnotate.. Student Transitions Achievement Retention Success (STARS) conference, Melbourne, Australia, 1-4 July, 2015.
Olson, Rebecca E. (2015). Interprofessional education: status, emotions and power. The Australian Sociological Association Conference: Neoliberalism and Contemporary Challenges for the Asia-Pacific, Cairns, QLD, Australia, 23-26 November 2015.
Dadich, Ann and Olson, Rebecca E. (2014). Interprofessional practice in healthcare: A POSH approach. ACSPRI Social Science Methodology Conference ACSPRI Social Science Methodology Conference 2014, University of Sydney, Australia, 7-10 December 2014.
Olson, Rebecca E., Burton, Anthony, Byron, Paul and Turnbull, Margo (2014). Exploratory comparison of providing formative assessment feedback in three different modes: Hardcopy, desktop and tablet. 17th International First Year in Higher Education Conference, Darwin, NT Australia, 6-9 July 2014.
Olson, Rebecca E. and Prosser, Brenton (2012). Human care work and emotion: A call to re-examine theory. The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Conference, University of Queensland St Lucia Campus, 26-29 November 2012. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland School of Social Science and Institute for Social Science Research.
Olson, Rebecca E. (2010). Relying on carers at home and in the hospital. The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Conference, Macquarie University, NSW, December 2010. Hawthorn, VIC Australia: The Australian Sociological Association.
Seminar Paper
Olson, Rebecca E. (2021). Navigating the emotional and ethical contours in social science research. 'By the Fireside' Management Webinar Series. Brunel Business School, Brunel University London.
Working Papers
Plage, Stefanie, Olson, Rebecca, Costa, Nathalia, Mescouto, Karime, Suleman, Sameera, Zulfiqar, Asma, Setchell, Jen and Prasad-ildes, Rita (2024). Justice in Health? Studying the role of legal support in a culturally responsive mental health service in Australia. LCC Working Paper Series. 2024-24. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland Australia. doi: 10.14264/6fb8ac3
Hoffmann, Heidi, Olson, Rebecca E., Perales, Francisco and Baxter, Janeen (2019). “Everyone My Age Doesn’t Know What It’s Like”: A Mixed-Method Study of Young Mothers and Social Support in Australia. LCC Working Paper Series. 2019-14. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland.
Research Reports
Plage, Stefanie, Olson, Rebecca, Suleman, Sameera, Setchell, Jenny, Costa, Nathalia, Mescouto, Karime and Dune, Tinashe (2024). Submission to the Mental Health Community Support Services - Psychosocial Supports Consultation. Brisbane, QLD Australia: Queensland Government.
Olson, Rebecca, Cordeiro da Costa, Nathalia, Plage, Stefanie, Dune, Tinashe and Setchell, Jenny (2023). Program evaluation on the characteristics of specialist psychosocial mental health support programs for people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds in Queensland Final Report. Brisbane, QLD Australia: SocioHealthLab and Queensland Health.
Olson, Rebecca, Kent, Michelle and Klupp, Nerida (2013). Research Report to Health Education & Training Institute (HETI) on UWS’s NSW ICTN local project fund. Sydney, Australia:
Video Documents
Setchell, Jenny , Olson, Rebecca E. , Mescouto, Karime , Costa, Nathalia , Cook, Nadia , Woods, Sofia and Bock, Sarah (2022). Power and the Clinic.
Newspaper Articles
Patulny, Roger, McKenzie, Jordan, Bower, Marlee and Olson, Rebecca E. (2020, 04 27). Reconnecting after coronavirus - 4 key ways cities can counter anxiety and loneliness The Conversation
Sophie Lewis, Karen Willis and Rebecca E. Olson (2019, 03 15). If you’ve got private health insurance, the choice to use it in a public hospital is your own The Conversation
Raymond, Stephanie and Olson, Rebecca E. (2016, 06 16). Is this injectable tanning drug safe to use? The Conversation