Danielle Pretty
Danielle Pretty
Senior Research Assistant and PhD candidate
Danielle Pretty is a researcher whose work focuses on promoting positive environments for individuals with neurological injury to enhance wellbeing, foster engagement, and expand opportunities for participation. She is currently in the third year of her PhD. As part of her doctoral research, Danielle developed a co-designed movement and mindfulness program in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of researchers, medical professionals, allied health practitioners, and dance educators. This program was trialled within an inpatient neurological rehabilitation setting, aiming to support wellbeing through creative and embodied practices.
In addition to her PhD research, Danielle contributes to a project exploring if, how, and why inpatients in neurorehabilitation personalise and modify their room environments. Beyond academia, she is also the content creator and facilitator of NeuroRhythm – a djembe drumming and rhythm program designed specifically for individuals with neurological disorders.
Research Expertise
Danielle’s research expertise lies in co-design and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a strong focus on developing inclusive and responsive interventions in neurological rehabilitation.
Publications
Pretty, D., Norwood, M., Ownsworth, T., Dungey, K., Jones, S., Gomes, Z., Clanchy, K., & Kendall, E. (2025). Dance as an Adjunct therapy for Neurological rehabilitation – Creative Enrichment for Recovery (DAN-CER): program design and a mixed methods pilot protocol to assess feasibility and acceptability. In press JMIR Research Protocols.
Norwood, M. F., Marsh, C. H., Pretty, D., Hollins, I., Shirota, C., Chen, B., Gustafsson, L., Kendall, E., Jones, S., & Zeeman, H. (2025). The environment as an important component of neurorehabilitation: introducing the BEEhive - brain and enriched environment (BEE) lab (hive). Disability and rehabilitation, 1-11. DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2461266
Norwood, M., Pretty, D., Marsh, C., Shirota, C., Gillet, C., Zeeman, H., & Kendall, E. (2024). Environmental Neurorehabilitation: Harnessing the Power of the Environment in Rehabilitation Following Neurological Conditions. In Environmental Neuroscience. Springer, Cham. DOI:10.1007/978-3-031-64699-7_15
