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Celebrating Pat Fisher’s Legacy

Seventy-seven years after graduating as an occupational therapist from the University of Toronto, Pat Fisher passed away on October 25, 2022. During those years she remained committed to occupational therapy and its development, leaving a legacy that resonates today as the profession continues to grow.


Pat Fisher (March 18, 1925 – October 25, 2022)

Leaders come in many forms. Some are bold luminaries, visionaries, or fierce disruptors of the status quo. Others, like Pat Fisher, lead by thoughtfully posing questions and taking action with colleagues to apply ideas into everyday practice. Pat’s life offers lessons for our profession today.

Engaged in life

If we were to use one word to describe how Pat Fisher lived her long life, we would say “engaged.” Pat was enthusiastically and persistently engaged with life – in all its aspects: social, environmental, cultural, emotional, interpersonal, and political. Her engagement can be seen in the many friendships she made and kept, in the gardens that she tended, in her volunteer work with her church, and her role with U of T’s Alumnae Theatre. She never fell behind in current affairs. Her engagement was particularly evident in her professional life and her approach to patients.

Living in the nexus of practice and academia

Image of Pat FisherThroughout her long career, Pat consistently found ways to improve occupational therapy practice and contribute to occupational therapy education.  From the day of her graduation in 1945, Pat staunchly supported the OT program at U of T and its Alumni Association. She believed that developing an evidence base would be beneficial to strengthen the understanding of how occupational therapists facilitate change, and she also hoped that the creativity and innovation that had been hallmarks of clinical practice would not be lost.

In addition to her regular work as the Clinical Supervisor at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Toronto, Pat and two OT colleagues, Marion Boys and Clare Holzberg, developed the OSOT Perceptual Evaluation Tool Kit and Manual. With the help of research consultant David Reid, they validated the assessment and published their work in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy in 1988. In addition to her work as a Clinical Associate at U of T, Pat led the Department’s  Continuing Education Program.

Although she officially retired in 1990, Pat continued to support the profession for another 30 years. Most recently she recruited seniors, who would share their stories in courses on aging, continuing her commitment to supporting excellent learning experiences for students. Believing that we all need to play our part to make sure that everyone feels included, and applying that philosophy throughout her life, she advocated for accessibility in various settings well into her 90’s.

On not fitting In

Pat Fisher was steadfast in her commitment to the ideals and the practice of occupational therapy and championed efforts to ensure its necessary place in the health system. While being frustrated and discouraged at times with the public’s (and other providers’) limited awareness of  our offerings, she viewed the problem as a function of the profession’s lack of fit within medical institutions whose focus was on fixing broken bodies and were less concerned about quality of life. As she recounted to us many years ago:

Encouraging our patients to be active and creative . . .  doesn’t always fit with the rules and order that a hospital wants to maintain. Besides, we generally don’t deal with life and death situations; we deal with quality of life – that too, is a different perspective than what is held by many other health professionals.”

Pat Fisher did not apologize for this different perspective, but embraced it.

Persist until you (we) find our place

Pat’s gentle smile belied her fierce determination and ability to persist, to find ways to continue, even when there were many obstacles.  Her legacy reminds us to be engaged in our personal and professional lives. It cautions us not to lose sight of our values and beliefs as we continue to build the future of our profession and to celebrate our different perspectives.

Prepared by Lynn Cockburn, Judith Friedland, Barry Trentham

OT Clinicians Needed for Student Presentation Evaluation

The Year 2 MScOT students are doing advocacy presentations using a Pecha Kucha approach. We are looking for OT clinicians to watch a group of presentations, provide feedback and give each student a score out of 20. image of student giving presentation

Pecha Kucha means ‘chit chat’ in Japanese. This method of presentation uses 20 slides, for 20 seconds a slide, with visuals only.  It is a fun and engaging way to do a presentation, which, we believe, will help develop students’ communication competencies. The students are required to advocate for an issue using this presentation style.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Andrea Duncan by December 15, 2022 (a.duncan@utoronto.ca) indicating your preferred date/campus as noted below.

Student presentation dates:

  1. Friday, February 3, 2023, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm at St. George Campus (UTSG)
  2. Friday, February 10, 2023, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm at Mississauga Campus (UTM)

We are looking for 11 markers at UTSG on February 3 and 5 markers at UTM on February 10. There will be approximately ten students in each group.

Many thanks for your consideration of this opportunity and support of our students. Please let us know if you have any questions.

MScOT Graduating Students Featured by Temerty Medicine

on What Makes Them Passionate About Science & Health Care

Two MScOT students graduating this week are featured in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s news feature, “Class of 2T2 Graduates Share What Makes Them Passionate About Science & Health Care.”  Some excerpts:

Image of Paige Barkowsky, MScOT Grad Class of 2022“My passion for entering the healthcare field was largely fueled by numerous sport-related injuries while growing up. After high school, I received my Bachelor of Kinesiology from UBC, and practiced as a Registered Kinesiologist for a year. I decided to pursue occupational therapy because I felt my job and training at the time didn’t allow me to fully support my clients. Pursuing occupational therapy would offer so many diverse learning opportunities, and better prepare me to help individuals and communities. Throughout my degree I’ve learned there is a place for OS&OT everywhere you look in life. Some areas I am most passionate about include community engagement, hand therapy, and paediatric practice.” – Paige Barkowsky

Image of Elizabeth (Ellie) Pezzutto, MScOT Grad class of 2022“I was drawn to Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy because I was attracted to how occupational therapists recognize the importance of considering all domains of health in the promotion of health and wellbeing. I previously worked in clinical settings as an assistant and my favourite part of the position was watching patients improve and eventually attain their goals to participate in activities that were meaningful to them. I knew that this was the essence of occupational therapy, and this inspired my pursuit to work in a profession that directly and meaningfully impacts people.

I am most passionate about helping older adults achieve their goals and get back to doing what they need and love to do. I want to work with this population because I see major gaps in the care that many are receiving, and I feel that as an occupational therapist, I have the skills and tools to help address this.”  – Ellie Pezzutto

Read the full story by Temerty Communications writer Julia Soudat.

Congratulations to the MScOT Class of 2022!

Professor Emeritus Helene Polatajko Receives Honorary Law Degree

Photo of Helene Polatajko

On Thursday, October 20, Professor Emeritus Helene Polatajko received a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LLD) from Western University. From Western: “Helene Polatajko is an internationally acclaimed occupational therapy researcher, educator, and practitioner. Her clinical experience is primarily in paediatrics, working with children with learning-based performance problems. Polatajko has received many national and international honours and awards during her career, including being elected to the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s Academy of Research and being named as a Fellow to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. In 2021, she was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada.”

Dr. Polatajko’s occupational therapy journey began at McGill University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy, soon followed by an MEd and PhD in educational theory from OISE at the University of Toronto. She was one of the first Canadian occupational therapists to receive a PhD in 1982 and that same year became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Western University. After 18 years in that department, including nine as Chair, Dr. Polatajko was recruited to Chair the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto in 2000.

Dr. Polatajko has made substantive contributions to curricular development, nationally and internationally. At Western in 1989, she launched the first Canadian MSc focused specifically on developing occupational therapy researchers, a program that produced many current academics and program chairs. In 1998 at Western and in 2001 at the University of Toronto, Dr. Polatajko initiated the first two master’s professional entry-level occupational therapy programs in Canada, initiating the shift to professional master’s, nationally.

As Emeritus Professor, Dr. Polatajko remains involved in teaching and research, globally, prioritizing the building of a new generation of leaders through mentorship of students and academic and clinical occupational therapy colleagues. Her mentees, within and beyond occupational therapy, have gone on to hold prestigious positions, nationally and internationally, with many becoming faculty members, chairing university programs, and leading national research and health centres. Her legacy of occupation-based scholarship and the impact of her CO-OP approach on practice continue to be seen worldwide.

Congratulations, Dr. Polatajko!

Prof. Alex Mihailidis Recognized as Healthy Ageing 50 Leader

Professor Alex Mihailidis has been selected as one of the Healthy Ageing 50 – 50 leaders working to transform the world to be a better place to grow older. The Healthy Ageing 50 is an initiative under the banner of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing that seeks to honour 50 leaders who are working to foster healthy aging.

Photo of Professor Alex MihailidisDr. Mihailidis has dedicated his career to enhancing the lives of older people and caregivers. A  professor in the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy currently serving as Associate Vice-President, International Partnerships at the University of Toronto, and a biomedical engineer at U of T and The KITE Research Institute-University Health Network, Dr. Mihailidis is a world leader in research on technology to support older adults to stay healthy, active and independent.

His accomplishments span the creation of cutting-edge technologies – such as prompting systems and smart-home sensors that can flag health issues early on – to new policies related to regulation and service delivery of innovative solutions. His work, specifically in the use of artificial intelligence, sensors and robotics to support people living with dementia, has paved the way for new approaches in caring for our aging population.

Read the full media release by AGE-WELL here.  Congratulations, Prof. Mihailidis!

Tenure Stream Position in OS&OT Now Open for Applications

The Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto invites applications for one full-time tenure stream appointment in the field of community and global mental health. The appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor and will commence July 1, 2023, or shortly thereafter.

The successful candidate will have a program of research and teaching experiences focused on community and global health with a particular focus on mental health and health promotion across the lifespan. The successful candidate’s scholarship will situate occupation as a key determinant of health and well-being across their program of research and creative professional activities.

Visit the University of Toronto Careers website for full job descriptions and instructions to apply for the  Assistant Professor (Req. ID 26179) and Associate Professor (Req. ID 26180) postings.

 

How to Apply

All qualified candidates are invited to apply online by clicking the appropriate link above. Applications must include a cover letter; a current curriculum vitae; a research statement outlining current and future research interests related to the description above; one recent article-length publication; and a teaching dossier, including a statement of philosophy, sample course syllabi or other teaching materials, and teaching evaluations. All application materials must be submitted online.

All application materials, including reference letters, must be received by 11:59pm EST on November 30, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Submission guidelines can be found at: http://uoft.me/how-to-apply. If you have any questions about this position, please contact ot.chair@utoronto.ca.

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Photo of Prof. Bonnie Kirsh

Professor Bonnie Kirsh Receives 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award

 

Congratulations to Professor Bonnie Kirsh on receiving the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s 2022 Dean’s Alumni Lifetime Achievement – National Impact Award.  As noted in the announcement,

Professor Bonnie Kirsh’s contributions throughout her career have had a major impact on our knowledge and understanding of mental health from an occupational perspective. Her research on workplace mental health, student mental health and the elimination of stigma has had an important impact on policy and practice. Through her work, she has demonstrated new employment possibilities for people with mental health disorders and promoted the creation of working and learning environments that address stigma and support mental health.

Bonnie is an alumna (BSc OT ’77, MEd OISE ’83, PhD OISE ’99) who has demonstrated a lifetime of exceptional professionalism through her leadership, research, teaching and administration. Bonnie joined the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy as a full-time Tutor in 1992, was appointed to a tenure stream appointment in 1999, received tenure in 2006 and achieved the rank of Full Professor in 2017.  Bonnie’s research in the areas of workplace mental health and stigma are noted above; her work examining postsecondary students’ mental health offers much needed insight into the crisis on today’s post-secondary campuses across the country.  Not only has Bonnie’s leadership in mental health and wellness had tremendous impact within the MScOT program, the Department and the University, and as an invited member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Workforce Advisory Committee and Opening Minds Team, Bonnie has contributed substantially to Canada’s mental health policy and programming.

Congratulations, Bonnie, on this incredible accomplishment!
Photo of Yolanda Cheung, OT1 student

OT1 student successful in Tech Hackathon

 

Congratulations to Yolanda Cheung, a first-year MScOT student who successfully competed in the FIBRE Wearable Tech Hackathon to create a solution for pressure injuries. Yolanda’s team with members hailing from Sona College of Technology (India) was awarded with third place and a sponsored prize courtesy of KITE-UHN.

Professor Emily S. Ho described this as a wonderful initiative where students applied their foundational learning to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. Big thanks to Erica Dove (OS&OT Teaching Assistant, RSI PhD Student) for strongly encouraging student participation in this initiative. Congratulations Yolanda and special thanks to Erica!