Fiona graduated in occupational therapy (Edinburgh) in 1991 and worked for several years in assessment and rehabilitation of older adults, and day hospital assessment in Grampian and Fife. 

In 1993 Fiona was employed by the Chief Scientist Organisation (CSO) as a research Training Fellow investigating the inter-rater reliability of the Revised Elderly Assessment Scale (R.E.P.D.S.).  Following on from this, she was a research lead on a CSO funded project between 1994 and 1996, investigating the effect of cataract extraction in the older adult in terms of occupational function.  This led to the completion of her M.Phil. in 1999.

Fiona worked as a senior occupational therapist in Falkirk & Districk Royal Infirmary working in Day Hospital assessment and rehabilitation for older adults and in-patient rheumatology. 

In 1997 she took up her current post as a lecturer at Queen Margaret University where she has gained considerable experience in a variety of roles such as undergraduate and post-graduate course leadership, curriculum re-design and supervision of both under-graduate and post-graduate projects.  She is an active member of the alcohol and evidence base research group and is currently the Level 4 BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy course co-cordinator.