Graduate Student Research Day and Thelma Cardwell Lecture

The

Occupational therapy student presents research

Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Research Day takes place each year in the third week of June.  This annual event provides the opportunity for second year MScOT students at the University of Toronto to share findings of their research projects, and to celebrate their significant contributions to occupational science and occupational therapy.

This day also features a distinguished speaker who delivers the Thelma Cardwell Lecture, and has the opportunity to engage with students, faculty, clinicians and alumni.

2023 Graduate Student Research Day and Thelma Cardwell Lecture

The 2023 Graduate Research Day and Thelma Cardwell Lecture was held in person on June 21, 2023 at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto.

Download the 2023 Research Day Abstract Book.

Each year, several awards are given for presentations across several research and participation categories.

Research Awards

 

Award Name Recipients Presentation Title
Best Overall Presentation (1)Jenna Westra & Mahshad Ashraf-Zadeh, (2) Sophie Weaver & Larissa Chan (1) Co-creating a concussion education toolkit for Special Olympics Canada athletes, (2) A cross-sectional study on the participation of children with congenital hand and upper limb differences: Psychological, social, and physical determinants
Occupational Science/Therapy Souraiya Kassam & Emi Wong Identifying success indicators of discharge to community care and self-management within young adults with chronic pain: A qualitative descriptive study
Aging and Caregiving Saghar Baqizada & Bradley Wilson The influence of Dharmic religious practices at the end-of-life: A scoping review
Quality of Life Emily DeHaan & Hannah Eborall Behind the Camera: A scoping review on using photo methods in research with people with intellectual disabilities
Mental/Brain Health Briana Bortolin & Anna Colebatch Yoga as a modality in occupational therapy for adults with mood disorders: A systematic review
Pediatrics Shazeen Alam & Sandy Brassel Evaluating the effects of the i_SibworkS virtual cognitive-behavioural program on social support in siblings of children with disabilities
Musculoskeletal (MSK)/Upper Limb Allyson Hodder & Isabelle Bhola Examining clinician experiences using the web based version of the Prosthetic Upper Limb Functional Index (PUFI-2) in clinical use
Cognition and Everyday Life Vanessa Fan & Anna Krosinski Out-of-home experiences of people with dementia
Health Services and Supports Vania Wu Aligning ‘cultural humility’ to occupational therapy practice: A scoping review
Technology & Environment Tetyana Ali & Amira Hegazi Exploring the child and family experience of the Clinical Brain Computer Interface Program
Social Media Nada Barrie, Ava Favero, and Yiwen Li n/a

2023 Thelma Cardwell Lecturer:

Photo of Dr. Carrie MarshallThe 2023 Thelma Cardwell Lecture was presented by Dr. Carrie Anne Marshall. Dr. Marshall is an Assistant Professor in the School of Occupational Therapy at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Her research focuses on intersections between poverty and mental well-being with a particular focus on homelessness among persons living with mental illness and substance use disorders.

Lecture title: Time use and well-being in an age of inequity: A call to action for occupational therapy

2022 Graduate Student Research Day and Thelma Cardwell Lecture

The 2022 Graduate Research Day and Thelma Cardwell Lecture was held in a virtual format on June 22, in response to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to promote accessibility and safety.

Download the 2022 Research Day Abstract Book

Each year, several awards are given for presentations across several research and participation categories.

Research Awards

Award Name Recipients
Best Overall Presentation Emily Cooper & Jordan Chen
Occupational Science Katrina Jang & Ellie Pezzutto
Aging and Caregiving Danielle Block & Madeleine Sommerville
Quality of Life Alexia Kateb & Kaleigh McCarthy
Mental/Brain Health David Kuzmochka-Wilks & Emily Todd
Pediatrics Deanna Persaud & Tamsen Hutchison
Cognition and Everyday Life Julia Lee & Verena Mikhail
Health Services Emma Drake & Heather Steciuk
Technology Vanessa Crudo & Sabrina Teles
Social Media Erin Kirk

2022 Thelma Cardwell Lecturer:

Photo of Ana MalfitanoThe 2022 Thelma Cardwell Lecture was presented by  Ana Malfitano, PhD. Ana Malfitano is an Associate Professor in the Occupational Therapy Department and the Post-graduate Program in Occupational Therapy at the Federal University of Sao Carlos, Brazil. Ana was involved in the creation of the Master in Occupational Therapy (started in 2010), and PhD in Occupational Therapy (started in 2015), the first one in Latin America. She teaches in undergraduate and postgraduate occupational therapy courses, including the supervision of Master’s and doctoral students.

Ana’s career is focused on social occupational therapy, which has been developed in Brazil, to deal with inequities and social injustices. Ana is part of the Metuia Network, a Brazilian inter-institutional group, which develops teaching, research and community-university partnership in social occupational therapy. Her research focuses are on Social Occupational Therapy, Social Policies, Fundamentals of Occupational Therapy, Community, Youth, Citizenship, and Excluded Groups. She is editor of the Brazilian Journal of Occupational Therapy.

Lecture title: Social occupational therapy: Professional actions in an equal world

2021 Graduate Student Research Day and Thelma Cardwell Lecture

The 2021 Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Research Day occurred virtually on Wednesday, June 23.  This annual event provides the opportunity for second year MScOT students at the University of Toronto to share findings of their research projects and to celebrate their significant contributions to occupational science and occupational therapy.

Download the 2021 OS&OT Graduate Research Day Abstract Book.

Research Awards

Award Name RECIPIENTS Presentation Title
Aging and Caregiving Tiffany Igros & Layana Kirubainathan The rising problem of homelessness in later life: Exploring health and social service provision for older adults facing homelessness in Toronto
Quality of Life 1 Meaghan Walker & Torie Vaughan Exploring the role of OT in pediatric palliative care
Quality of Life 2 Kristin Glazier, Kathryn Forsythe & Sarah Thomson Pathways to belonging for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Perspectives of service providers
Mental Health Laura Boyle & Kira Paranyi Strategies to improve occupational performance and satisfaction: A qualitative study involving undergraduate students with mental health concerns
Pediatrics Karen Ogilvie & Allison Mah Prevalence and predictors of an elbow flexion contracture during early childhood following brachial plexus birth injury
Cognition and Everyday Life Nicole Filler & Adrienne Baker Investigating task sequencing amongst older adults living with dementia: Protocol development
Health Services Dana Moyer & Sabrina Umbrello COVID-19 outbreaks on inpatient forensic psychiatry units – The lived experiences of clients, staff and occupational therapists
Technology Elizabeth Ramirez & Richard Rusyn Exploring the adaptability of the Teach-ABI eLearning module for high school educators
Occupational Science Eve Pervin & Ink Davidson Exploring tabletop role-playing games as meaningful occupation: A qualitative exploratory study
Best Overall Presentation Alessia Roman & Danielle Hildebrand Examining interprofessional interventions for treating pediatric concussions: A scoping review
Social Media Andreea Sindiescu n/a
Additional award recipients are Prof. Yani Hamdani, Excellence in Research Supervision, and Prof. Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia, Excellence in Research.

A very big thank you to all faculty who sponsored these awards.

2021 Thelma Cardwell Lecturer:

The 2021 Thelma Cardwell Lecturer is Dr. Arno Kumagai, Professor and Vice Chair for Education, Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Photo of Arno Kumagai

Arno Kumagai is Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Education, Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He also holds the F. M. Hill Chair in Humanism Education at Women’s College Hospital, University of Toronto, where he has a clinical practice focused on working with people with type 1 diabetes mellitus.  Arno received his BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley and his MD from UCLA School of Medicine.  He completed a residency in Internal Medicine and an Endocrine fellowship and postdoc in the UCLA system.  He was on faculty at the University of Michigan Medicine from 1996 to 2016 and joined the University of Toronto’s Department of Medicine as Vice Chair in April 2016.

Arno has published extensively on the use of narratives in medical education, transformative learning, dialogical teaching, and teaching for equity and social justice, and holds numerous teaching awards in basic science teaching, humanism, educational innovation, and diversity.

Lecture Title: We make the path while walking:  Critical dialogues in teaching and learning for social justice

2020 Graduate Student Research Day and Thelma Cardwell Lecture
The 2020 Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Research Day took place virtually on June 24.  Congratulations to our Year 2 students who successfully presented their research projects in our first ever online Research Day!

Download the 2020 Research Day Abstract Book.

Each year, several awards are given for presentations across several research and participation categories.

Research Awards

Award Name RECIPIENTS Presentation Title
Aging and Caregiving Claudia Yousif & Timothy Spadzinski Caregivers’ experiences of community reintegration post-lung transplantation
Quality of Life Priscilla Leung & Stephanie Seilman Vocational characteristics among youth with disabilities who have transitioned to adult care
Mental Health Kerri  Adams & Riley Saikaly Cognitive adaptation training for inpatient forensic clients with schizophrenia
Pediatrics Orla Curran & Hayley Hawkins Move&Connect: A pilot study evaluating group-based active rehabilitation intervention for youth with prolonged post-concussion
Cognition and Everyday Life Gabriella Boccone & Paula Rico Everyday functioning among older adults with SCD: a scoping review
Health Services (2 awards) Ashley Ogilvie & Carleen Ginter “Lost in time”: Updating the content and clinical accessibility of the Prosthetic Upper Limb Functional Index
Health Services (2 awards) Dylan Laupacis & George Kalkanis Acute care occupational therapy assessments, goals, and interventions and association of therapist-stroke patient collaboration with readmission and length of stay
Technology Priyanka Thakkar, Karishma Patel & Shahrose Aratia Understanding the accessibility of technology to assess social interaction and social isolation among older adults
Occupational Science Sumaira Khan & Zahra Kanji Exploring occupational transitions of Syrian refugee youth to Canada
Debbie Hébert Award for Best Overall Presentation Sumaira Khan & Zahra Kanji Exploring occupational transitions of Syrian refugee youth to Canada
Social Media Tori McQuat n/a
Additional award recipients are Emily S. Ho, Excellence in Research Supervision, and Liza Pain and Jane Davis, Excellence in Teaching.

A very big thank you to all faculty who sponsored these awards.

2020 Thelma Cardwell Lecturer

Photo of Sarah KantartzisThe 2020 Thelma Cardwell Lecture was given by Dr. Sarah Kantartzis, Senior Lecturer Occupational Therapy at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK.

Lecture title: Our collective occupation: before, during and emerging in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.