Author Archives: comm

Profs. Nowrouzi-Kia and Reed in the News

A spotlight on faculty research in the media this past week:

Photo of Prof. Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia Professor Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia and colleagues were featured in CTV Toronto News on March 19 to discuss their recently published article, “Factors associated with burnout among medical laboratory professionals in Ontario, Canada: An exploratory study during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic” (International Journal of Health Planning and Management, https://10.1002/hpm.3460). Read the story by reporter Siobhan Morris: Researchers urge Ontario government to offer more support for medical lab workers.

Photo of Prof. Nick Reed Aired on CBC’s “Day 6” on March 19, Professor Nick Reed discusses with host Peter Armstrong a new resource developed for educators to support for kids returning to school after a concussion, called SCHOOLFirst. This discussion follows publication of Provvidenza et al., “Exploring the value of SCHOOLFirst return-school resource: Evaluating usability and satisfaction” in the journal Canadian Family Physician (https://www.cfp.ca/content/68/3/e92).

Listen to Nick’s interview.

Read also Day 6’s follow up story, published March 31:

After a concussion, students need flexibility and understanding at school, new guidebook says

Two Tenure Track Opportunities in OS&OT

The Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto invites applications for two full-time tenure stream appointments.

Community and Global Mental Health

Applications are being accepted for one tenure stream position 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, 2022, 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 22375) and Associate Professor (Req. ID 22376) postings.

Health Equity and Occupational Justice

Applications are being accepted for one tenure stream position in the field of health equity and occupational justice. The appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor and will commence July 1, 2022, or shortly thereafter.

The successful candidate will have a program of research and teaching experiences that focus on addressing challenges with respect to the relationship between occupation and well-being. The successful candidate will conduct research and contribute to education that addresses the social determinants of occupational participation and their relationships with social integration, health and well-being from a health equity and critical occupational perspective including approaches to address organizational, policy or societal structures that perpetuate occupational injustices.

Visit the University of Toronto Careers website for full job descriptions and instructions to apply for the Assistant Professor (Req. ID 22377) and Associate Professor (Req. ID 22378) 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.

For both positions, all application materials, including reference letters, must be received by 11:59pm EDT on April 7, 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.

Prof. Angela Colantonio: Brain Injury, Intimate Partner Violence and COVID

photo of prof. angela colantonio

Temerty Faculty of Medicine writer Jim Oldfield interviewed Prof. Angela Colantonio about brain injury and the ‘shadow pandemic’ of intimate partner violence.

People who live with brain injury from intimate partner violence (IPV) face massive chasms in health care and support systems…[and m]ost of these injuries go unreported. Service providers may not have the training to recognize brain injuries, and survivors themselves are often unaware they have a brain injury – instead attributing symptoms to mental health conditions or personal failure. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened their suffering. Physical abuse has increased, and access to support services has withered.

Read the full story and interview.

Last month, we shared that Prof. Angela Colantonio and colleague Eve M. Valera are topical editors of the current issue of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation addressing Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence (JHTR, January/February 2022 – Volume 37, Issue 1).

States Editor in Chief John D. Corrigan, PhD, ABPP:

Brain injury due to intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs via both traumatic brain injury (TBI) and hypoxic/anoxic brain injury from strangulation. Both are common and their co-occurrence introduces complexity to identification and evaluation of effects. Complexity increases with injury and recovery typically occurring in the context of stressful life events, not unlike combat acquired brain injury. Brain injury due to IPV is an important topic in brain injury rehabilitation.

This issue includes 11 manuscripts, including two by Prof. Colantonio’s students and members of the Acquired Brain Injury Research Lab, and a letter to the editor from Katherine P. Snedaker, Executive Director and Founder of Pink Concussions.

Prof. Emeritus Helene Polatajko appointed Officer of the Order of Canada

Photo of Helene Polatajko

Congratulations to Professor Emeritus Helene Polatajko on being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Announced by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada on December 29, Prof. Polatajko was recognized for “significantly advancing the understanding of developmental coordination disorder in children.” Prof. Polatajko is one of 135 appointments to the Order of Canada in 2021.

Dr. Helene J. Polatajko is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto. She is a world leader in the field of developmental coordination disorder and in the profession of occupational therapy. Dr. Polatajko’s seminal research on the nature and management of developmental coordination disorder revealed that the dominant sensory-motor hypotheses were not supportable and that the interventions based on these hypotheses were ineffective in improving children’s performance. This body of work spurred a paradigm shift in assessing and treating developmental coordination disorder.

Her work over the past four decades has significantly shaped the education and practice of occupational therapists, the field of rehabilitation, and healthcare more broadly, through her excellence in teaching and curricular development, dedicated mentorship, methodical and rigorous rehabilitation intervention development and research, and acclaimed scholarship in advancing client-centred, occupation-based practice.

In the fields of occupational science and occupational therapy, Dr. Polatajko is a distinguished teacher and scholar in Canada and around the world. Her preeminent and innovative research on cognitive strategies and tireless work teaching and mentoring academics, educators, students, and practitioners established her as a model of exemplary scholarship.

Read the Full Story

Congratulations to Professor Emeritus Helene Polatajko on being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

“Created in 1967, the Order of Canada recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation…Those who bear the Order’s iconic snowflake insignia have changed our nation’s measure of success and, through the sum of their accomplishments, have helped us build a better Canada.”

Dr. Polatajko developed and advanced the implementation and evaluation of the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance intervention, first with children with developmental coordination disorder, then along with her colleagues and graduate students, across significant diagnostic groups. Under Dr. Polatajko’s leadership, there are now 52 Certified CO-OP instructors located in 16 countries, who can present in 10 different languages. These instructors train local occupational therapists and other rehabilitation health professionals on an ongoing basis to build capacity. She is Co-President of the International Cognitive Approaches Network (ICAN) and remains involved in research with colleagues and students, internationally.

Dr. Polatajko has received numerous awards in recognition of the international impact of her work. In 1992, she was awarded the Muriel Driver Lectureship, the highest honour in Canada for an occupational therapist, given for sustained service and significant contributions to Canadian occupational therapy. Subsequently, she was inducted into the American Occupational Therapy Foundation Academy of Research (1996), as a Fellow of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (2002), a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (2009), a lifetime member of the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists (2007), and a lifetime member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (2020). In April 2018, she received a Leadership Service Commendation Award from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation and is the only Canadian and one of only two non-Americans to receive this award.

As Professor and Chair of occupational therapy programs at two prominent Canadian universities, Dr. Polatajko has been a model of exemplary scholarship to students and faculty. Upon her recruitment to the University of Toronto in 2000, Dr. Polatajko led the transition from the baccalaureate to the master’s professional entry-level occupational therapy curriculum. This MScOT program was implemented in 2001, incorporating significantly augmented theoretical and research components and becoming the second Canadian program to offer master’s professional entry-level programming for occupational therapy, well in advance of most of the other Canadian occupational therapy programs. She held leadership positions in the Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science (GDRS) between 2004 and 2015, was instrumental in initiating the doctoral-level research stream in 2006, and in establishing GDRS as an Extra-Departmental Unit, now the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute.

The appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada recognizes Dr. Polatajko’s incredible contributions to scholarship and education in Canada and globally in the research and practice of occupational science and occupational therapy, and in significantly advancing the understanding of developmental coordination disorder.

By Jane Davis & Sandra Sokoloff
January 11, 2022

Fall Convocation 2021: Celebrating our Newest Grads

We invited two graduates from the Class of 2021 to share their thoughts about their time spent in the MScOT program these past two years, future plans, and advice for incoming students.

Gobika Sithamparanathan

Photo of Gobika Sithamparanathan

Growing up in a war-torn country, my passion for creatively supporting folks with finite resources started from an early age and has remained close to my heart. The holistic approach occupational therapists take resonated with me and the professional I wanted to be. Occupational therapists play a crucial role in ensuring well-being in many aspects of someone’s life, including physical and psychological well-being.

Since my first year of MScOT, I have been involved in various research projects, with the hope of highlighting the often-underrepresented occupational lens in research. My research projects include evaluating leadership skill development of occupational therapists, work disability prevention, return to work, disability management and pathways to belonging in young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I hope to continue to contribute to research and apply the findings in clinical settings and academia.

The best part of my experience at U of T have been the relationships I’ve built; with peers, mentors, educators, clinicians, patients/clients, family members and caregivers. COVID-19 also provided many novel opportunities to explore virtual social connectivity that I am very thankful to have utilized (i.e., national and international opportunities to represent and advocate for occupational therapy).

I currently work in the private auto insurance sector and public home healthcare sector. I am looking forward to being open to learning, making connections and continued personal and professional development in this unique profession.

To incoming OS&OT students: I would strongly suggest using the various professional and personal development opportunities that are available to you at the departmental, faculty and university level. What makes a great occupational therapist is not only the occupational therapy-specific training, but also the transferable skills you learn from getting involved in meaningful activities, i.e., creative expression through arts. I would also suggest exploring career options through different types of placement opportunities and networking with professionals, as these are valuable ways to gather insights into a practice setting and assess if your values and goals align. Most importantly, enjoy your 2 years because they go by very fast!

Marcus Yu

Photo of Marcus Yu

I always knew that I wanted to work with people and pursue a career on the frontline. Five years ago, occupational therapy did not mean much to me; if you asked me what it was, I probably would have said something along the lines of return to work. I had no idea that occupational therapists could be useful in so many different settings. I took an Introduction to Occupational Therapy course during my third year of my undergraduate degree, and I realized the broad scope that the profession has. That course solidified my desire to pursue a profession in occupational therapy.

Before completing the MScOT program at the University of Toronto, conducting research was never a priority that I wanted to pursue. However, after experiencing an ethical dilemma during an introductory fieldwork experience, I was encouraged by professors and faculty advisors to pursue a student-initiated research project. My research project focused on why adults choose to pursue major career transitions and how adults facilitate meaningful career transitions. For example, we wanted to know why a journalist would leave their profession to become a carpenter or why a nurse would leave their profession to become a knitter. I had the pleasure of working with an amazing partner and two phenomenal research supervisors who supported my learning and participation in research.

The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest challenge during my time in the MScOT program at the University of Toronto. However, my classmates and I were able to support each other and stay resilient. Aside from this challenge, I had the opportunity to spend three months during the middle of winter in North Bay, Ontario, to complete a clinical fieldwork placement with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Additionally, I played a lead role in acquiring a Graduate Student Wellness Grant which supported a pilot project titled, The Art of Keeping Well: A Creative-Arts Hub for Graduate Students. This project will continue beyond my graduation and aims to support graduate student mental health and wellness through creative arts.

Professionally, I want to build a solid clinical foundation by exposing myself to as many different clinical experiences as possible. I really enjoy taking on leadership roles and eventually, I intend to pursue supervisory and management roles.

New and incoming students: take advantage of connections and opportunities that you will have while in school. The faculty, preceptors, guests, and peers that you will meet will help you succeed within and beyond the program. Simple introductions go a long way! Have an open mind and embrace new experiences. While you will probably feel vulnerable at times, these experiences will help you grow personally and professionally. For example, I never thought that I would be pursuing student-initiated research, completing fieldwork in Northern Ontario, or taking the lead on large student-led initiatives. Also, set your boundaries and establish a healthy work-life balance that works for you. I consistently had a full load of academic, extracurricular, and personal commitments and it was extremely important for me to find ways to recharge and stay resilient.

MScOT research project featured in The Varsity

Adaptation and resilience: What Syrian refugees experienced when they arrived in Canada

New U of T study says occupational roles shaped refugee experiences

The Syrian Civil War has been one of the major world events of the past decade, resulting in millions of deaths and mass destruction, in addition to creating one of the biggest refugee crises in recent history. Canada in particular has received tens of thousands of Syrian refugees. The website for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) states that “Canada resettled more than 25,000 Syrian refugees between November 4, 2015 and February 29, 2016.” As of October 31, 2020, that number currently sits at 44,620 resettled refugees in total.

As big as that number seems, it is only a tiny fraction of the total number of refugees. About 13 million people have been displaced to places within and outside of Syria — more than half of Syria’s population.

In a recent U of T study titled Exploring occupational transitions of Syrian refugee youth to Canada, occupational therapists Sumaira Khan and Zahra Kanji — alongside their co-writers Katherine Stewart (a former instructor in the MScOT program) and Prof. Jane Davis — explored the experiences of Syrian refugee youth throughout their migration journey to Canada and assess their occupational transitions — that is, changes in their daily activities and social roles — as a result of their resettlement to Canada.

Read the full article by The Varsity’s Science Editor Khatchig Anteblian, published October 24, 2021.

Join the OS&OT Alumni Network

Following the dissolution of the PT/OT Alumni Association last fall, we are reaching out to invite you to join our new U of T OS&OT Alumni Network. The goal is to develop a new partnership with our alumni and to provide a hub for connection.

Please complete this brief welcome survey to help us build a strong network that contributes to your professional development and priorities. The OS&OT Alumni Network plans to host various professional events, social events and learning activities. To reach as many OS&OT alumni as possible, we ask that you share this survey widely amongst your fellow alum by sending them to this web page or sharing the QR code. QR code for OT Alumni Association Survey

The survey will take no longer than five minutes to complete, and responses will be kept confidential.

If you would like to join us in developing the OS&OT Alumni Network or have any questions, please contact us at occupational.therapy@utoronto.ca.

Thank you in advance for your response. We look forward to connecting with you soon.

Yassi Salehi Memorial Award

This award was established by her family in memory of Yassi (Yassaman) Salehi, who was a Class of 2020 MScOT graduate and successfully completed the national exam. Yassi sadly passed away from a car accident in January 2021. This award is presented to a graduating MScOT student who exemplifies the qualities of Yassi: high academic standing, involvement in committees or student affairs, and demonstrated kindness and compassion for others.

The first award will be presented at the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Convocation Awards Ceremony in November 2021, and will be awarded thereafter in perpetuity, annually, to a graduating student. On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students, the Department wishes to thank the Salehi family for their generosity, and we are honoured to have the opportunity to cherish Yassi’s legacy at our most important student event of the year.

Enabling resiliency after an acquired brain injury

New research with community impact conducted through Paul J.J. Martin Early Career Professorship

Five years after its endowment establishment, the March of Dimes Canada Paul J.J. Martin Early Career Professorship has made an important contribution to improving community integration for individuals with acquired brain injury. Driving this progress has been Dr. Emily Nalder, Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and the inaugural researcher to hold the professorship. From the start, Dr. Nalder’s vision has been to use the best available evidence to optimize service delivery and ultimately ensure that experiencing a brain injury is not a barrier to successful community participation.

In delivery of her research program, Dr. Nalder has worked in collaboration with March of Dimes Canada and their clients, families and partners. She has examined how to optimize the participation of individuals living with brain injury, by understanding and targeting resiliency, breaking down silos in service delivery and through innovations in housing services and supports.

March of Dimes Canada is one of the country’s largest organizations serving and supporting people with disabilities, and recognizes that acquired brain injury is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and that there is an urgent need for community services and supports that would maximise community participation. Their funding of the career professorship supports emerging researchers and provides evidence-based knowledge to better develop best practices in service areas and program priorities.

“We are excited to see the results of Dr. Nalder’s research,” said Dr. Michelle Nelson, Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer, March of Dimes Canada. “We are committed to continuing our support of this professorship and research that can improve the lives of people affected by a disability and provide opportunities to translate evidence to practice.”

Dr. Nalder has facilitated educational and training opportunities for staff at March of Dimes Canada and students from the University of Toronto with the aim to contribute to a culture of evidence-based practice, developing research capacity within a national service organization, and supporting professionals working in community services so that they can be change agents and responsive to community needs.

The importance of resiliency

It will require a shift in thinking, but my dream is to see resiliency become an explicit part of rehabilitation.

Dr. Nalder’s work explores how to enable resiliency, that is, the ways in which individuals and communities negotiate life challenges. Resiliency is important to services optimizing participation, as it prepares people to negotiate the challenges they may face in their lives.

“It will require a shift in thinking,” said Dr. Nalder, “but my dream is to see resiliency become an explicit part of rehabilitation.”

Together with March of Dimes Canada, she has developed and begun validating a conceptual model of resiliency specific to the context of living with traumatic brain injury. She has determined that resiliency must involve engaging in meaningful and productive activities, feeling a sense of belonging, making sense of difficult experiences and having hope. The next stage is to examine how service providers foster resiliency, and using arts-based research, to uncover stories of resiliency from individuals with brain injury.

Breaking down silos

Imagine someone living with a brain injury that develops dementia later in life. Will they continue receiving services from the disability organization that may have been providing them with housing and personal care support for many years, or a care facility with specialized knowledge of dementia?

March of Dimes Canada has been a strong advocate for the need to break down silos that exist between aging and disability services and policies. Dr. Nalder and March of Dimes Canada have developed a framework that describes initiatives intended to integrate aging and disability services.

“The framework outlines actions that can be taken in research to facilitate collaboration and exchange of knowledge on disability and aging to address common challenges and in policy and service delivery,” said Dr. Nalder. “These steps address barriers to individuals accessing the right care at the right time.”

A place to live

Housing is recognized as a core building block shaping how individuals live their life. Individuals with traumatic brain are at high risk of homelessness, with two-thirds of vulnerably housed individuals in Canada reporting a lifetime history of brain injury.

Dr. Nalder and her colleagues, in collaboration with March of Dimes Canada − which provides housing services as well as attendant care in supportive housing settings − are examining the critical characteristics of housing and support services for individuals with brain injury. Preliminary findings suggest that housing services extend well beyond provision of a dwelling and include case management, crisis support, and supports for community participation. For example: life skills training, and employment services and opportunities.

Support through technology

Dr. Nalder is also working with researchers in Quebec to develop technological innovations such as smart home or wearable technologies, that can support individuals with brain injury and their caregivers in the home. The goal: harnessing emerging technologies that can be used to support the person and their families to remain living in their home, engaged in activities they need or want to do, for as long as possible.

The March of Dimes Canada, Paul J.J. Martin Early Career Professorship has been a significant investment in research to enhance community services and optimize participation for individuals with brain injury. It is also building capacity in junior scholars like Dr. Nalder, and by supporting over 50 University of Toronto learners who have collaborated with March of Dimes Canada in research, program evaluation or clinical fieldwork placements.

The early career professorship and partnership between the University of Toronto and March of Dimes Canada is unique and an excellent model for bringing community and academic organizations together to address areas of community need.

With Dr. Nalder’s term ending, applications are being sought to fill the second five-year term for the professorship.

“The early career professorship and partnership between the University of Toronto and March of Dimes Canada is unique and an excellent model for bringing community and academic organizations together to address areas of community need”, said Dr. Heather Colquhoun, associate professor and interim chair. “We are excited to see what the next person appointed to this role will bring to this body of research.”

Find out more and how to apply at the University of Toronto Careers Website.

Four MScOT Students Receive 2021 U of T Student Leadership Award

The University of Toronto Student Leadership Award recognizes graduating students for their exemplary contributions and significant impact at U of T and on the university experience of their peers.

This year, four MScOT students (Class of 2021) received this prestigious award: Congratulations to Bismah Khalid, Meera Premnazeer, Gobika Sithamparanathan, and Marcus Yu.


Bismah Khalid	Meera Premnazeer	Gobika Sithamparanathan	Marcus Yu

Bismah, Meera, Gobika and Marcus shared their perspectives on leadership as occupational therapy students. Click on each photo to read their stories.