Biography

Dr Gina Rencken is an occupational therapist and lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where she teaches paediatric occupational therapy and supervises clinical practice and postgraduate research.

Her clinical and research interests include neonatal care, early intervention, sensory integration, neurology, and infant and maternal mental health.

Clinical & Research Expertise

Dr Rencken’s professional and research work focuses on paediatric occupational therapy, neonatal care, early intervention, and sensory integration, with particular interests in neurology and infant and maternal mental health.

Her PhD in Occupational Therapy examined the neurobehavioural functioning of HIV-exposed infants and the development of an early intervention programme for the mother-infant dyad.

Academic Qualifications & Specialist Training

Dr Rencken holds a PhD in Occupational Therapy and specialist qualifications in Ayres Sensory Integration and neurodevelopmental therapy.

She also holds both basic and advanced certification in Prechtl’s General Movement Assessment, supporting her expertise in early neurological and developmental assessment.

Professional Leadership & Publications

Gina has served on the board of the South African Institute for Sensory Integration (SAISI) since 2013 and lectures on its professional training programmes.

She is the Director of Research for the International Council for Education in Ayres Sensory Integration®.

Her academic contributions include 17 publications, comprising 13 peer-reviewed research articles, two professional position statements, and two textbook chapters in Crouch and Alers Occupational Therapy in Psychiatry and Mental Health.