Paula Rowland

Dr. Paula Rowland is an occupational therapist (BHSc (OT), 2000) and a social scientist (PhD, 2013). She is an Associate Professor (status-only) in the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, a Wilson Centre Scientist with MD Education as part of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (2017-present), an Associate Member of the School of Graduate Studies, and is cross-appointed to the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. In addition, she is a Scientist with The Institute for Education Research at University Health Network (TIER@UHN) and a strategic advisor for the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Health Care and Education (CACHE).

Areas of Research / Educational Scholarship

Dr. Rowland’s research examines change in healthcare professionals’ work, how professions are responding to these changes, and implications for health professions education. She is particularly interested in meanings of professionalism and politics of expertise within contexts of changing clinical workplaces. Historically, she has studied change efforts related to patient safety, quality improvement, and patient engagement. Currently, she focuses on digitalization of healthcare work and associated implications for healthcare workers’ identities, forms of knowledge, dynamics of power, and possibilities for collaboration.