The Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, invites applications for a full-time continuing teaching stream appointment in the field of occupational science and occupational therapy.  The successful candidate will be appointed as Graduate Coordinator. This position will be at the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream and will start on July 1, 2023, or shortly thereafter.

The successful candidate must have a PhD in occupational science, occupational therapy, rehabilitation science, or a related field at the time of the appointment; will have a degree in occupational therapy from a World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT)-approved educational program; at least three years of experience as an occupational therapy educator, and at least five years of experience as a practicing occupational therapist. Additionally, candidates must possess proven leadership abilities and a demonstrated commitment to excellent pedagogical practices and teaching-related scholarly activities. Teaching will include clinical skills and theories as part of the MScOT program. Candidates must also convey a demonstrated commitment to, and appreciation of, equity, diversity and inclusion issues impacting student mental health, learning experiences and access to the program.

Visit the University of Toronto Careers website for the full job description and instructions to apply for Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream – Clinical Skills and Theory in Occupational Science & Therapy (Req. ID: 28813).

MScOT student shares her perspective

 

As we discuss anti-Black racism in our own institutions, the question arises: Outside Black History Month, how does one value Black life, histories and futures?

Grace Videla-Nash, MScOT Candidate, shares her thoughts.

She says, “I celebrate Black life by engaging in educational activities such as reading articles that address systematic racism. A recent article that I came across suggested approaches to building a community for racialized therapists and students, and the benefits of representation in leadership roles.

Another way I am involved with advancing Black life throughout the year is my affiliation with associations such as the Black Occupational Therapists of Ontario Association (BOTOA), which aims to eliminate racial discrimination within occupational therapy. The association advocates for justice issues that affect Black individuals to advance health equity within Black communities.

Lastly, a great way to commemorate Black culture is by sharing newfound information with others, whether through social media or in conversations with friends and family. By spreading knowledge, I can promote the understanding and appreciation for the contributions and experiences of Black people in academic and health settings.”

Read the full story, Valuing Black Life, Histories and Futures: Perspectives from Temerty Medicine

Second-year MScOT student Riya Shah has been selected to receive a 2023 University of Toronto Student Leadership Award (UTSLA).

During her time in the program, Riya has taken on various leadership positions and been involved with several activities to help contribute to the department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. As co-president of the OS&OT Student Association, she collaborates with other students to organize events to improve student life for her peers. She is also the OS&OT Graduate Ambassador where she helps prospective students make a decision about their MSc program and guide them into the right profession. She says, “I hope that I can continue to contribute to student engagement and give back to the OT community and my peers in a meaningful way.”

Congratulations, Riya, on this wonderful achievement and thank you for your contributions to the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and Temerty Faculty of Medicine!

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.

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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

Throughout 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

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.

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.

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:

“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

“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!

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!

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.

Dr. 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!