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.
The 2024 Graduate Research Day and Thelma Cardwell Lecture was held in person on June 19, 2024 at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto.
Download the 2024 Research Day Abstract Book. View photos of the 2024 Graduate Student Research Day and Thelma Cardwell Lecture Each year, several awards are given for presentations across several research and participation categories.Research Awards
Award Name | Recipients | Presentation Title |
---|---|---|
Best Overall Presentation | Prithinkkraa Balasubramaniam & Sara Emira | The Elephant in our Homes: Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Racialized Homecare Occupational Therapists |
Knowledge Synthesis | Keira Mattook & Tyaibah Biswas | A scoping review exploring racism among occupational therapists and trainees |
Occupational Science & Therapy | Alessia Ragno & Mycah De Jong | Examining the user experience of the Prosthetic Upper Limb Functional Index (PUFI-2) web application from the perspectives of international clinicians |
Aging and Caregiving | Raquel Melanson & Tam Vo | Understanding the Usability of the Bathing Environment Grab Bar Selection and Placement Decision Aid: A Descriptive Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Older Adult Clients |
Quality of Life | Roaa Hussam & Mikaela Correa | Examining available interventions to enable occupations for adults living with predialysis chronic kidney disease: A scoping review |
Mental and Brain Health | Kate van de Ven & Isabel Heldmann | Canadian’s experiences of Long COVID (LC) Rehabilitation Across the Continuum of Care: Findings from people living with LC, caregivers and healthcare professionals |
Pediatrics | Joana Benin & Vivian Nguyen | Air travel experiences of disabled children and their families: a scoping review |
Musculoskeletal (MSK) and Upper Limb | Robyn Grunberg & Saisa Jeyakumar | A descriptive study examining machine learning training as a measure of functional hand use in the daily lives of children with cerebral palsy |
Cognition and Everyday Life | Lauren DeMone & Breanne Maidens | Opportunities, resources and supports influencing adaptation to traumatic brain injury |
Health Services and Supports | Tosh Whitley & Lovejot Mangat | Exploring the Impact of Longitudinal Small-Group Mentorship on Occupational Therapy Graduate’s Professional Identity Formation |
Technology & Environment | Siobhan Galeazzi-Stirling & Farah Bacchus-Misir | Accessible housing process and impacts from the perspective of people with disabilities |
Social Media | Sara Emira | n/a |
2024 Thelma Cardwell Lecturer:
![Ben Whittaker](https://ot.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Thelma-Cardwell-Lecturer-2024-150x150.png)
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.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 Marshall](https://ot.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/MarshallC_TC-Lecturer-2023-e1684873981926.png)
Lecture title: Time use and well-being in an age of inequity: A call to action for occupational therapy
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 Malfitano](https://ot.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Malfitano-Ana-2022-scaled.jpg)
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
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 |
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](https://ot.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/KumagaiA_photo-264x300.jpg)
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
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 |
2020 Thelma Cardwell Lecturer
![Photo of Sarah Kantartzis](https://ot.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/sarah-kantartzis-sm.jpg)
Lecture title: Our collective occupation: before, during and emerging in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.