Professor Jan Fook

Jan Fook was born and raised in Australia, but in the later part of her career has worked in the UK, Norway and Canada. She is Professor of Education (Critical Reflection) in the School of Education and Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education at Kingston University, London. She was most recently Professor and Director of the School of Social Work at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Immediately prior to this she was Professor of Professional Practice Research and Director of the Interprofessional Institute at the South West London Academic Network (Royal Holloway, St Georges (University of London) and Kingston University). She has also held professorial positions at the University of Southampton, Diakonjhemmet College (Oslo) and La Trobe and Deakin Universities in Australia. She is also an Academician with the Academy of Social Sciences (UK). Originally trained as a social worker, she has been an academic for over 30 years.

Her earlier work was mainly in the arena of critical social work. However in the second part of her career she has broadened her interests, working particularly now in critical reflection, which has wide applicability to many professions. Her research and professional work currently focuses on critical reflection and its development, both theoretically and as a research methodology. She travels extensively providing training in critical reflection. Her books include: Radical Casework; Professional Expertise (with Martin Ryan & Linette Hawkins, Whiting & Birch); Social Work: A Critical Approach to Practice (Sage), Practising Critical Reflection (with Fiona Gardner, Open University Press) and (with Fiona Gardner) Critical Reflection in Context: Specific Applications in Health and Social Care (Routledge). She edits a series with Palgrave (Practice Theory in Context).


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