Update Spring 2014 Electronic Version

Update
Coast to Coast
and Around
the World
SPRING
2014
Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy
Alumni Association
Physical Therapy
Executive Committee
and Occupational
Gaye Walsh
President
Ashley Graham
Therapy Alumni
Margaret Shaw
Biraj Khosla
Association
Mary Sauroil
Diane Gasner
Update Editor
Past Present
Achievement Awards
Spring Reunion/Events
Committee
and PT Faculty Rep
Communications
Committee
Patty Rigby
OT Faculty Rep
Note from the Editor...
There are so many Alumni who work and live all
across Canada, some can be found in the US,
and others still in Australia, Europe, and Africa.
Making this edition of Update is very exciting! In
the next few pages you will get to travel with
some of our fellow Alumni to places, like
Tanzania, where they have gone to learn and
use their OT or PT skills.
Don’t forget to submit stories and pictures you would like to see included
in future editions and check out all the editions of Update on our website!
Cheers, Ashley
Sheila Ritcey
Member Communications
Committee
Shirley Lupton
Member-at-Large
Ryan Wells (PT)
Giacomo Silvestri (PT)
Andrea Hickling (OS&OT)
Danielle D’Alessandro
(OS&OT)
Student Reps
This Update
Alumni President Update
Message from the Department
Chairs
Valedictory Addresses
Student Updates
Taking Us Further:
Alumni Profile
ICDR: Global Health on the
Move
Events
Updateus
Thank You
Update your address:
PT/OT Alumni Association
University of Toronto
160/500 University Avenue
Toronto, ON M5G 1V7
Email:[email protected]
Tel: 416-978-1820
Fax: 416-946-8643
In Memoriam
Alumni Achievement Awards
Nomination form (back cover)
UPDATE welcomes submissions from alumni. We want to hear about your accomplishments! Submissions can
be emailed to [email protected]
Please note submissions are subject to gentle editing.
Cover photo by Ashley Graham
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Alumni President Update...
Hello all,
I am back to the Alumni after a short leave of absence. I would like to extend my heartfelt
thanks to both Marg Shaw and Mary Sauriol for holding the reins in my absence. It is good to be
back. As always there are lots of activities happening with the Alumni.
I was amazed and inspired once again by the Department of Occupational Science and
Occupational Therapy Research Symposium held in November. There is such wonderful research
going on across all areas of practice and in all parts of the world.
Plans are well underway for our annual Spring Reunion and Annual General Meeting on June 1st
weekend. Details of activities are contained later in the magazine. We would love to see you all at the various events,
however, if your class is getting together on your own we would still love to hear about it and receive any pictures you have.
Just a reminder that we present the PT and OT Alumni Achievement Awards at the reunion breakfast where we honour an
outstanding alumnus/a from each profession. It is always humbling to meet and learn about the amazing careers of so many
of our alumni. Thanks as always to Biraj Khosla who chairs this Achievement Award Committee. This committee is currently
launching a new award called “Above and Beyond” which allows us to honour other alumni who have done remarkable feats
outside the profession.
We are continuing to renew our website. If you have logged on lately to our website, you will have noticed it is in sad need
of some refurbishment. Many thanks to Diane Gasner in her ongoing efforts to update and refurbish the website.
You no doubt have noticed that we have changed the format of our Fall issue of Update to an electronic version. We have
done this in an effort to trim costs. All issues are available on our website. Many thanks to Ashley Graham our Editor who
has provided a fresh new look for the magazine.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
From the Homepage of
either Department
www.physicaltherapy.utoronto.ca
You will find the Alumni Link under
‘Quick Links’ or in the top bar under
Our Community
www.ot.utoronto.ca
You will find the Alumni Link as a
pull-down from the Home page
“Alumni Association & Magazine”
You can find fast links to other
websites with interesting and
relevant information: Free University
lectures, honours and awards within
the University, the Faculty of
Medicine and our own Departments,
as well as Status Appointment and
faculty categorization information.
We recommend bookmarking the
site for quick and easy access.
Many of you will have heard by now that the Department of OSOT has
recently had a favourable external review led by the Chair Susan Rappolt.
We also wish to extend congratulations to Susan in her reappointment as
Chair of the Department for a further five years (but where did those first
five go?).
And finally, we bid both farewell and thanks to Katherine Berg in her role as
Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy. Katherine will be stepping
down from this role at the end of June (and where did those 10 years go?).
We extend our thanks to Katherine for the support of our Alumni activities
during her time as Chair.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you at Spring Reunion.
- Gaye
Mobile Intelligence - Find it on our web site
Michael Saylor in his publication The Mobile
Wave argues that society will be changed
forever by the mobile wave washing over our
landscape. We must learn to navigate the new
terrain as mobile intelligence changes
everything. Watch for changes in our web site
and join the information revolution.
You can also find us on Facebook!
Check either place regularly for
updates and highlights!
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Departmental Update:
Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
As Acting Chair, I have the great pleasure to give you recent and exciting news from the Department of
Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy. It continues to be a busy time here in the Department
with many achievements and accolades for our faculty and students alike.
First off, I am pleased to report that external reviewers who were on site in September 2013 have now
provided their report. They were very positive and supportive of the many achievements accomplished
by the Department over the past five years, and they have offered valuable suggestions for our future.
A key outcome of this external review is that our Department Chair, Dr. Susan Rappolt, has been
appointed for a second five year term. We look forward to another five years under her leadership.
Dr. Alex Mihailidis,
Acting Chair
With respect to Faculty news, on December 4, 2013, the Department held
its Annual Faculty Assembly (AFA), chaired by Donna Barker, Director of
Fieldwork and Chair of the Community Relations Committee. The Assembly
was well attended by core, status only, and adjunct faculty members and
many of our community partners. The theme of the Assembly was
Entrepreneurialism in Occupational Therapy with presentations by Dr. Nick
Reed and Occupational Therapist Sean Fleming. Nick Reed, who is a
Clinician Scientist at Bloorview Research Institute and Status Only
Appointee with the Department, spoke on his experience in expanding the
boundaries of occupational therapy beyond traditional health care practices.
Sean Fleming, who is a 2013 MScOT graduate, gave a presentation on a
very successful role emerging fieldwork placement at Sportball that
illustrates the role MScOT students and the Department can have in
enhancing organizations through OT involvement. In addition, our
congratulations to winners of this year’s Community Partner Teaching
awards: Jenna Rollings, Janet Murchison, Nira Rittenberg, Ken So, Alexis
Seaman, Anne Martin, Christie Welch, Holland Bloorview Kids
Research Symposium 2013: From left to right: Drs. Lewis,
Rappolt, Colantonio, Johnson and the Honorable Michael Wilson
Rehabilitation Hospital, and the University Health Network. Following the
Annual AFA, everyone was welcome to join the Faculty Research
Symposium, to celebrate Dr. Angela Colantonio’s award as CIHR Chair in Gender, Work, and Health and to see a showcase of
faculty members’ research in the fields of Brain and Mental Health, Human Development, Complex Diseases, and Global
Health. The event was attended by special guests University of Toronto Chancellor the Honourable Michael Wilson; CIHR
Institute for Gender Work and Health Director Dr. Joy Johnson; and Dr. Peter Lewis, U of T Associate Vice-President,
Research and Innovation, as well as scientific directors of research institutes, consumer organizations representatives, alumni,
teaching faculty and students. Attended by more than 150 people from hospitals, research institutes, service organizations,
and universities, the Symposium was a huge success.
Our faculty also continue to receive numerous individual awards. Dr. Angela Colantonio has just been awarded the 2014
Faculty of Medicine Graduate Teaching Award for Graduate Student Mentorship. This is one of six annual graduate
faculty teaching awards to honour and celebrate outstanding contributions to graduate education. Candidates are
nominated by their Graduate Department through a student (or recent graduate) initiated process and the awards are
adjudicated by the Faculty of Medicine Graduate Awards Committee, consisting of faculty and graduate students. Angela
was described in the nomination letters as a truly exceptional professor and exemplary mentor. Angela will be presented
with this award at the Faculty of Medicine Education Achievement Celebration on May 13, 2014. In addition, the
membership of AOTA Academy of Research has nominated Deirdre Dawson to the AOTA Academy of Research, the
highest US scholarly honor that AOTF offers and one of the highest in the occupational therapy community in the USA.
We have also been busy building the future of our faculty and Department. With great pleasure we welcome Drs. Mary
Stergiou-Kita and Heather Colquhoun as Assistant Professors and new tenure-stream faculty members to the Department.
Dr. Kita began her appointment on January 1st. Her research focuses on return to work following traumatic brain injuries,
including cancer and other complex conditions and building knowledge and practices in community and workplace integration
and inclusive strategies for marginalized populations. Mary previously held a Joint Scientist position in the Department with the
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute – University Hospital Network and a status-only and adjunct lecturer appointment. Dr.
Colquhoun will be joining the Department on July 1, 2014 when she completes her Canadian Institutes of Health Research
post-doctoral fellowship. Heather’s research focuses on knowledge translation, which addresses the Department’s broad goals
of advancing effective and cost-effective occupational therapy practices.
As new faces join our Department, we also say goodbye to those who have helped to build our program and profession. After a
long and great career with the Department, Professor Pat McKee will be retiring in July 2014. As we all know, Pat has long
contributed to the teaching and research of the Department and is responsible for many teaching innovations that have ensured
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that her students enjoyed and benefited from being in her classroom. Pat will truly be missed, but we know that she will never be
too far away and always willing to lend her support to the Department.
In addition to our Faculty members, our students also continue to impress. In December 2013, the OT Student Council led a
fundraising drive for the Canadian Red Cross to help with the recovery efforts after Typhoon Haiyan, raising hundreds of dollars
for this important cause.
Our graduates are also making a difference in their communities, such as Robin Mazumder (Graduate from the class of 2011).
An occupational therapist and instructor at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Robin recognized that there was a demand in his
community to address the needs of those affected by seasonal disorder and spearheaded “LightBrightYEG”, a pilot study that
installed three solar lamps at a downtown public library that will be accessible to everyone in the community at no cost.
Olympic bobsled champions Heather Moyse (Class of 2007)
and Kaillie Humphries who won Olympic Gold in bobsledding
in 2010, have reunited and again won Gold in 2014 winter
Olympics in Sochi. They also recently captured the Worldcup
Bobsled title and headed into Sochi with three World Cup
victories, one silver and one bronze medal.
Finally, on November 13, 2013, the Department held its
Convocation Awards Ceremony and Reception to honour 81 of
its new OT graduates. At this ceremony 17 of our graduates
received special recognition for their outstanding achievements
and 10 of these awardees were recipients of two awards. The
event was completed with the upbeat and effervescent
Valedictorian Address given by Amie Tsang to the Class of
2013. Amie celebrated the gender diversity of her class, praising it for having one of the highest number of conference presenters
(the 2013 conferences: Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists conference in London, ON and the Canadian Association of
Occupational Therapists conference in Victoria, B.C.), and the highest number of participants in role emerging placements – a
class, which pushed “forward the boundaries of where OTs work”(“boldly going to work where no OT has worked before”), and who
have already become “huge hits on YouTube and on national television” – “a group of OTs who will change the world.”
As you can see, our Department continues to shine. I wish you all well, and look forward to working with all of you in
my role as Acting Chair.
Update from Patty Rigby, Associate Professor
Departmental Representative to the OT Alumni and PTOT Alumni Association
I’m very pleased to report that our department has renewed
our commitment to build and foster our OT alumni relations.
We have several new initiatives underway.
tremendous career in our department, and her many, many
contributions to OT, and the training of numerous alumni. I’m
sure many of you found Pat to be an inspiring, supportive and
effective teacher, and would like the opportunity to recognize
her in this way. We will announce plans for this celebration in
the near future through email announcements. If you would
like to help with this event, please let me know.
First, we are improving the OT Alumni section of our
departmental website (http://www.ot.utoronto.ca/alumni). As a
part of this initiative, we are interested in highlighting the
accomplishments of our alumni. We would like you to
contribute to this effort. If you or someone you know is
involved in innovative and exciting initiatives, has been doing
noteworthy work, or has been featured in any newspaper/
magazine/local paper, we would love to hear about it. We will
be featuring some of these stories in the “Alumni in the News”
and “Innovative Initiatives” sections. We look forward to
hearing about your exciting work!
We are also making preliminary plans with PT alumni for a
workshop on ‘starting your own business’. This weekend
workshop will help entrepreneurial OT’s and PT’s make their
dreams for starting a private practice/business a reality. We’ll
keep you posted as our plans progress. We welcome
volunteers to join our planning committee.
Second, we will work with you to plan OT alumni special
events. Our first of these special events was held on
February 25th, 2014 on campus. It was a hugely successful
Wine and Cheese Social, which featured the inspiring
documentary, What’s Art Got to Do with It? followed by a
discussion with our alumna, and talented filmmaker, Isabel
Fryszberg. A large crowd of OT alumni and friends
experienced fun socializing and networking, and considered
how they may incorporate greater creativity and art in their
OT practice.
In closing, I want to emphasize that we greatly value the
many contributions of our OT alumni to teaching, mentoring
and supporting our MScOT students within our OT curriculum,
both on and off campus. And we greatly appreciate your wise
guidance and counsel in your participation on our
departmental committees and other initiatives. We
encourage you to keep involved and keep in touch with the
department.
As you have read in our Chair’s report, Pat McKee is retiring
this year in July. A group of OT alumni have also formed an
organizing committee to plan a celebration of Pat McKee’s
As many of our alumni live across Canada and beyond, we
wish to keep connected with you and offer web-based
networking and educational opportunities. We welcome your
suggestions.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Patty Rigby, Associate Professor
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 416 978-0528
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Departmental Update:
Physical Therapy
The Physical Therapy Department underwent a five-year review in November 2013 by three external
consultants from UBC, U of Saskatchewan and USC, the top ranked US physical therapy program.
The reviews were very positive. Thank you to everyone who participated. I also wish to thank
University of Toronto alumni and our community for their contributions to the program. Our students
benefit greatly from your support and participation. I look forward to seeing everyone at Spring
Reunion - my last as Chair. The search for a new Chair is ongoing but we should have someone in
place by July 1, 2014.
Katherine Berg, Chair
Students
Students have been busily engaged in both academic and extra-curricular pursuits. On the morning of July 23, 2014, the
Department will hold its annual MScPT Research Day. The MScPT Research Day provides physical therapy students with a
valuable learning experience and the opportunity to share their work with peers, faculty clinicians and alumni. It also offers
faculty members the opportunity to support the University of Toronto’s physical therapy students in their scholarly endeavors.
We invite all alumni to come see the great work of our students and listen to Sharon Gabison PT Phd (c) who will speak on
Advocacy.
Student social events this year have also been hugely successful, including the semi-annual coffee house. Physical Therapy
students gathered at The El Macambo where we had singers, guitar players, and even DJs showcase their hidden talents. The
PT/OT intramural team has already captured 2 championships: handball and inner-tube waterpolo, with many more sports
entering the playoffs in the coming weeks. The Movember team is trying to outdo our fantastic showing last year with second
year Jennifer Bull leading the charge (no pun intended). With over $1,100 raised so far, U of T Physical Therapy sits in 7th place
across Canadian university programs. The Holiday Festivus again raised donations for the food bank.
OIEPBP
Project Summary
The Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy Bridging Program (OIEPBP) offers a variety of learning opportunities to
best meet the needs of the internationally educated physical therapists (IEPT’s) who are seeking licensure to practice in Ontario.
The OIEPBP has 2 curricular streams; (i) Comprehensive Bridging which is a 10 month, full time program that runs Wednesday
and Saturday for 8 months with an additional 2 – 4 week clinical internships and (ii) Modular Bridging which is a collection of
courses and workshops that provide single source learning opportunities for IEPT’s to address a specific gap. To date 588
IEPT’s have accessed an element of the Bridging Program.
Project Description
The Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy Bridging Program (OIEPBP) offers a variety of learning opportunities to
best meet the needs of the internationally educated physical therapists (IEPT’s) who are seeking licensure to practice in Ontario.
This program fills a vital gap in the educational opportunities available to IEPT’s. Currently in the Ontario educational framework
there are no other university based programs available for these learners. Upon successful credentialing by the regulators
interested IEPT’s are assessed for eligibility for the Bridging Program.
The OIEPBP at the University of Toronto has established a curriculum that provides IEPTs with educational opportunities to
enhance their knowledge, skills and clinical reasoning needed to meet Canadian entry-to-practice standards. The Physiotherapy
Essential Competencies Framework has been central in the development of this curriculum. The courses/workshops developed
to date include; PT in the Canadian Health Care System, Exam Preparation Workshops for both the Written (MCQ) and Practical
(OSCE) based licensure exams, and System/Skills Based Workshops. There is also a Workplace Integration stream that
supports successful Bridging candidates through to employment.
To date 39 IEPT’s have accessed a significant element of the Comprehensive Bridging Stream. The Comprehensive Curriculum
spans all areas of physiotherapy practice in an effort to ensure that the theoretical and clinical skills gaps noted by the Alliance
and the learners are met. The curriculum is designed to assist IEPT’s to prepare for the national licensure exams and to enter
physiotherapy practice in Ontario. The Comprehensive Bridging Program includes the following courses; Health Care, Culture
and Communication in Canada (HCCC), Physical Therapy in the Canadian Healthcare System (PT CHS), Fundamental Systems
Review (FSR), Clinical Internship 1, Comprehensive Physical Therapy Practice, Integrated Systems Review, Research
Integration in Practice, and Clinical Internship 2.
To date 549 IEPT’s have accessed an element of the Modular Bridging Stream. The Modular stream has been designed as a
collection of courses and workshops that provide single source learning opportunities for IEPT’s to address a specific gap.
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Learners
As with any evidence-informed educational program curriculum development and revision is an ongoing process. In response to
IEPT demand and outcomes of preliminary course and program evaluations the OIEPB Program has a number of curricular
redesign projects and learning tools in the planning stage and ready to move forward once renewed funding is secured.
Faculty Honors and Awards
Faculty continue to earn top research awards and honors in their fields. Prof. Dina Brooks has been named a Fellow of the
Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), one of the most prestigious honors that is bestowed by the Canadian health
sciences community.
Prof. Aileen Davis was appointed the Interim Director of the Toronto Musculoskeletal Centre (EDU-C).
Dr. Barbara Gibson is now the Bloorview Kids Foundation Chair in Childhood Disability Studies.
Prof. Carol Heck was recognized by the Mississauga Academy of Medicine in the area of Faculty Teaching Awards for
Excellence in Small Group Teaching.
Dr. Nancy Salbach has won a CIHR New Investigator Award for her project, “Bringing research findings into action to improve
stroke and HIV rehabilitation”.
Prof. Lynne Sinclair received an Honorary Bachelor Degree in Applied Studies from the Board of Governors of the Humber
College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning for her consulting work in Interprofessional Education.
New Members of the Department
This month the Department welcomed Sue Ellison and Meghan Buttle, who join Dr. Esther Waugh in leading Unit 3,
Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy Practice. Both newcomers are clinical practitioners at the Sports Medicine Specialists clinic
here in Toronto.
The Department is happy to announce that Linda Stone accepted the position of Administrative Assistant to Chair and
Information Officer.
New and Ongoing Research
Dr. Katherine Berg, Meredith Smith and Martine Quesnel are beginning recruitment of persons with stroke to participate in a
Tele-Tai-Chi randomized clinical trial.
Dr. Barbara Gibson is on sabbatical and is undertaking collaborative research with colleagues in New Zealand.
Stephanie Nixon is one of 8 UofT researchers who were awarded Stars in Global Health grants from Grand Challenges Canada
in October 2013. Her project, entitled “An eModule to Address HIV-Related Disability and Rehabilitation in Sub-Saharan Africa”,
will be conducted with collaborators in Zambia and Kenya. The initiative will start with an online educational tool developed in
Canada, and adapt and test a revised version for health workers in Sub-Saharan Africa to improve health and reduce disability
for people living with HIV (PHAs) in that region. Rehabilitation in the context of HIV has been a crucial part of the HIV care
continuum in Canada, where the prevalence of HIV is less than 1%. Imagine the impact of such a teaching tool in Sub-Saharan
Africa, which carries nearly 70% of the global burden of HIV. Dr. Nixon’s work was recently profiles in the UofT News article,
“Innovations for developing countries: Grand Challenges Canada”: http://www.news.utoronto.ca/innovations-developingcountries-grand-challenges-canada
Stephanie’s student, Shaun Cleaver, has won a five-year Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship and a W. Garfield
Weston Foundation Doctoral Fellowship. He is using this to support his PhD dissertation fieldwork in Western province in
Zambia where he is collaborating with communities of people with disabilities to explore new opportunities for rehabilitation.
Nancy Salbach, an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, has been collaborating with Jo-Anne Howe,
Clinical Educator at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network and Lecturer in the MScPT neurology
curriculum, to increase access to exercise programs for people living in the community with balance and mobility limitations.
Nancy, Jo-Anne and colleagues first partnered with a municipal recreation provider (Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation) to
implement a group, task-oriented exercise class at two community centres for people with stroke, multiple sclerosis and acquired
brain injury. Physical therapists trained fitness instructors to deliver the program and were available for consultation. Since
demonstrating the safety, feasibility and potential benefit to balance and walking capacity in a pilot study (soon to be published in
the Journal of Physical Activity and Health), the program called “Together in Movement and Exercise” (TIME), has expanded with
help from the Ontario Stroke Network to 19 additional sites in Toronto, the GTA, Windsor, Sudbury and British Columbia. Nancy
and Jo-Anne recently obtained a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Aging to fund a meeting of
TIME stakeholders to form a network and brainstorm how to further expand and sustain these programs across Canada. They
are seeking additional funding to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the TIME program.
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Other Announcements
Upcoming Events
The Faculty Awards Ceremony will be held at 11:30 am on February 20th, 2014 in the McLeod Auditorium.
Two workshops are being offered by the Department this Spring: Exercise Prescription for Cervical Dysfunction for Physical
Therapists will be held on April 26th and 27th, while The Prevention, Assessment and Treatment of Chronic Wounds will take place
on May 3rd and 4th.
The PT community is invited to participate in the GDRS Research Day, which will be held on May 14th, 2014. This year’s MScPT
Student Research Day will take place on July 23rd. We hope to see you there!
Convocation 2013
On Wednesday November 13th, the Department of Physical Therapy welcomed the 2013
graduates and their families to a reception at the Chestnut Conference Centre in honor of
their convocation. This was followed by the first convocation ceremony with U of T’s new
President, Meric Gertler. Noting the energy and enthusiasm
of the students, Chancellor Michael Wilson expressed his
confidence in the future of healthcare.
Student Awards:
Dr. Barnett and Beverley Giblon presented their Award for
Excellence in Physical Therapy to Amanda Kapsimalis
(pictured left).
Amanda attained the highest average
throughout her studies in PT. She also earned the CIHR
Health Professional Student Research Award.
Lauren
Sutherland received the Dr. Barnett & Beverley Giblon Silver Medal for Excellence in Physical
Therapy.
Nadir Mawji and Masumi Turnbull were presented with the Olive Wallace Pester
Fellowship in Physical Therapy by Ms. Pester (pictured right).
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Valedictory Address
Amie Tsang (OT)
University of Toronto Master’s of Science in Occupational
Therapy, Graduating Class of 2013 - We made it! There are
so many people who helped us get to this day, and I’d like to
begin my speech with a thank you.
First of all, thank you to all of our loved ones - our friends
and our families. We literally could not have made it through
these two years without you. I will let you in on a secret.
Over the last two years, I can guarantee that every OT
graduate in this room has used their friends and family as
practice clients. We have secretly examined your shoes for
abnormal gait patterns, screened you for cognitive
impairments, assessed and adjusted your work station, all
the while using techniques that were not quite honed and
probably without obtaining proper consent. Thanks to you,
we have all learned to improve our competency in technical
skills and our ethical practice. You pushed us, encouraged
us, loved us, and we seriously wouldn’t be here without you.
Thank you.
I’d like to thank another group of people we love, just with a
different kind of love than our friends and family. To the ninth
floor office team: you were the only consistent faces we saw
over the last two years. While a different professor taught
every class, term after term you were there on the ninth
floor, ready to give sound financial advice, share some
chocolate when we looked stressed, and lend us a stapler
two minutes before papers were due. You handled all the
random requests we had with grace and kindness and for
that we thank you.
Next, I would like to thank all of our professors, preceptors,
and other teaching clinicians, for giving us their time, energy,
and expertise. In Toronto, we are lucky to have access to
some of the world’s best teaching hospitals, as well as
prominent researchers and clinicians. You taught us
knowledge and skills, but also patience and compassion.
You fed our minds, or our "academic stomachs", if you will,
and sometimes our actual stomachs too, with memorable
end-of-term celebration cakes made out of cupcakes, and
with fruit instead of candy during our lecture about diabetes.
We hope to follow in your footsteps and become the
amazing preceptors, teachers, and role models you have
been for us.
But most importantly, I want to thank you, this wonderful
class. In reading Valedictorian speeches from previous
years, every Valedictorian thinks their class is the best and
the most wonderful. But we all know the truth. The
graduating class of 2013 is absolutely the best and most
wonderful class! I thought a lot about the theme or message
I wanted to share today, and I decided it is not about
occupational therapy or the University or our future clients;
although they all are extremely important. Today, I want to
celebrate our amazing class. Did you know our class is one
of the most racially diverse OT classes? We are still working
on the gender diversity, but nevertheless, I believe our
diversity is something to be celebrated as we push forward
the cultural competency of our profession. We are also a
class with one of the highest number of conference
presenters, with posters and presentations at the Ontario
Society of Occupational Therapists conference in London,
Ontario this
year, and at
the Canadian
Association of
Occupational
Therapists’
conference in
Victoria, BC.
We also had
one of the highest number of participants in role emerging
placements, pushing forward the boundaries of where OTs
work, by boldly going to work where no OT has worked
before. We have classmates who became huge hits on
YouTube and on national television, pushing our profession
further into the public’s eye. There is no doubt in my mind
that we are a group of OTs who will change the world.
We have already accomplished so much over the past two
years and consistently supported one another along the
way. For example, when I found out I was going to be
Valedictorian, I received a lot of support from the class
through congratulations and hugs, but also in the form of
unsolicited suggestions for the speech. There were a lot of
ideas to choose from, including: teach the audience to bake
a loaf of bread from scratch, sit with my feet up on the
podium, talk about my OT blog (shameless plug - it’s
OTstudent.tumblr.com, check it out), rap or sing a song, and
cite the entire speech in proper APA format (M. Kasner,
personal communication, 2013).
Although these were some fun ideas, I decided I would need
to use something more serious for inspiration. So, I did what
any good OT student would do and reflected on the last two
years. Then, I did what any good grad student would do and
went back through my notes to see if I had already written
something I could use for the speech. As it turns out, after
the first month of school, my mentor asked us to write down
what we expected from this program and we put our
thoughts into a time capsule. We opened these just prior to
graduation. Do you remember what your first day of OT
school was like? Your first month? Take a moment to think
about it now. What did you expect from the program back
then?
I wrote down three things that I expected from the program,
and I’m going to talk a little bit about how this program met
all of my expectations.
First of all, I wrote that I expected to have a degree at the
end of this program. Well done, I did it. We all did it. We
have our Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy!
The second thing I wrote down was a career direction. Proof
of a career direction is not as obvious as a diploma, so, as
evidence based practitioners let us carefully examine the
evidence of a career direction. Our class has three PhD
candidates, several world-class travellers, Occupational
Therapists working in British Columbia, Alberta, Northern
Ontario, Quebec & Toronto, and wives and moms! We’ve
generated amazing class discussions over the last two
years about transitioning to adulthood with a disability, about
recovery in mental health, and about older adults and
sexuality. We adapted bras, canes and wallets. We worked
with a variety of marginalized populations: children with
developmental disabilities, adults who are homeless, youth
8
in early psychosis, and older adults with multiple
comorbidities. We have really internalized OT models like
the CMOP-E. I know this because of all the jokes we’ve
made about "participating in leisure activities" when we
were out dancing, and how we were going to “enable selfcare" by getting our eyebrows done. We have an
occupational lens that will stay with us, no matter what
direction our career takes us.
Finally, the last thing I wrote after I had been in OT school
for one month was that I expected life long friendships from
this program. Over these last two years we have come
together as a class to climb the CN Tower, race a dragon
boat to the podium, practice yoga in tiny classrooms, buy a
family Christmas presents, and throw “cultural potlucks”. I
have to pause briefly on this point about food. Our class
really enjoys food. We also genuinely like one another and
the expression of our camaraderie often emerged in the
form of food. I've eaten more spring rolls and matzo balls
over the last two years than any other time in my life. I don’t
think I could have made it through class without the daily
back row buffet. I will never get over the fact that Shannon
would bake enough cookies to feed a small army before
every exam. We spent quality time bonding as study groups
cooped up in study rooms for hours on end, making fools of
ourselves on video, and making signs with cats on them and
dinosaur-themed cheers to encourage class presenters. I
could go on forever about the proof of the life long
friendships we’ve built. I remember a professor once
commented on how cute it was that we all got up to talk to
one another during class breaks. It didn’t matter that we saw
each other every day for 3-8 hours a day, we still had to use
that 10 minute break to talk to one another. A lot of us have
admitted to some degree of separation anxiety when we
completed school. We have probably become a little too
attached and dependent on each other.
However, I want remind everyone about what we learned in
school about the concept of independence: that walking with
a walker is just as independent as walking without a gait aid.
That people who are dependent on others for self-care
shouldn't be made to feel badly for it because no one in this
world is completely independent. Most
of you here didn't make the shirt you're wearing or build the
car you took to get here. It's just that we have normalized
our dependence in certain areas. So if we really believe that
our clients can define their own independence, let's define it
for ourselves too. Is it so improper to admit that as budding
clinicians, we need the support of our classmates and
mentors? I'm excited to continue using the Facebook group
to share inspiring stories and information, and to continue
posting resources to our class Dropbox. I hope Shannon will
continue to bake me cookies when I'm stressed too, but I
know that's probably pushing it.
So I got exactly what I expected from my experience as a
student Occupational Therapist at the University of Toronto:
a degree, a career direction, and life long friendships.
We're now at the point in the speech where I am supposed
to say something motivating or inspiring to close. I would
like to finish off with some advice from my grandfather, who
was recently placed in palliative care. And in this way, I can
also honour him. Much like our graduating class, my
grandpa is the best. He uses a wheelchair. When I told him I
was learning how to fit wheelchairs he was very excited. He
said I had a good job, since lots of people were getting old
and would need wheelchairs. I, being the keen advocacyminded OT I am, told him that lots of people of all ages use
wheelchairs. He paused before asking..."So when are you
going to open a wheelchair factory!?"
My advice to you from my grandpa is not to open a
wheelchair factory, although given the current job market
and my grandfather's market analysis, it's probably not a
bad idea. But no, my advice is to dream big, because my
grandfather always dreamed bigger for me than I did for
myself.
All it takes to change the world is a dream and people to
work together towards that dream. Cultural anthropologist
Margaret Mead is quoted as saying: "Never doubt that a
small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." So to
you, the University of Toronto Master’s of Science in
Occupational Therapy Graduating Class
of 2013: Dream big, dream together, and
change the world. Congratulations!
OS&OT CONVOCATION AWARDS 2013
Jenny Lau Memorial Award – Season Kam
Nina Mehta Underserviced Populations Recognition Award – Season Kam
Pamela Cowie Gray Generosity of Spirit Award – Jade Ryan
PT & OT Alumni Association Award – Jade Ryan
Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists Award – Allison Rinne
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Student Award – Michelle DiLauro
Margaret Bahen Gold Medal Award – Ilyse Lax
Hospital for Sick Children Prize in Paediatrics – Melissa Paniccia
I.V. League of Occupational Therapists Prize in Community Rehabilitation – Amanda Pereira
Jenne Lewis Goodman Award – Marissa Matijasevich & Michelle DiLauro
Marge Murphy Award – Amanda Yaeck & Justin Simon
Motion Specialties Assistive Technology Award – Kalyn Armstrong
Mount Sinai Hospital Book Prize – Carolyn Wong
Pearl Gryfe Assistive Technology Award – Amanda Yaeck
Remington Medical Award in Rehabilitation of Adults – Amelia Hockin
Remington Medical Award in Rehabilitation of Older Adults – Michelle DiLauro
Thelma Cardwell Prize in Research – Michelle DiLauro & Amanda Pereira
Toronto Occupational Therapy Psychiatry Interest Group Award – Marissa Matijasevich & Allison Rinne
University Health Network Prize – Ruby Knafo
VHA Rehab Solutions Prize in Community Practice – Jessica Botelho & Amelia Hockin
Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation Future Scholar Award – Brynde Edwards
9
Valedictory Address
Anne-Marie Bourgeois (PT)
“PT How: Then and Now”
Good afternoon everyone! My name is Anne-Marie
Bourgeois and I am a Physiotherapy Resident with the
University of Toronto. How is everyone doing today?
So the purpose of my presence up here, at this podium, is
to provide the Valedictory Address on behalf of the MScPT
Class of 2013. Now what that basically means I’m going to
share something small I’ve put together called “PT How:
Then & Now” which describes how I knew I was in the right
program, with the right people, under the right leadership.
And so relevant to each of these categories, I’ll describe
when my symptoms started, and how they have evolved
over the course of the program to now, as a new grad or
PT Resident.
In terms of what to expect, I just want to let you all know
that it shouldn’t be painful (or least tooooooo painful!).
Benefits include a trip down memory lane or a glimpse into
our lives for the past two years, with I hope, a healthy mix
of humor and heart.
Risks include that you won’t find it heartfelt or humorous.
That being said I will do everything to mitigate these risks.
Now, armed with the plan of attack, as well as the risks and
benefits, I would like to request your consent to proceed?
Can I have nods? I need nods.
Now, I would also like to request that if anyone has any
discomfort or pain with any of the moves, or any questions,
comments, regrets with any of the stories, that you please
let me know!
Right Program
It all started with the application process. I gathered with
my peers in the 4th floor computer lab, of 500 University
Avenue (soon to be dubbed ‘500’), where we were exposed
to our first faculty member, Sharon Switzer-McIntyre (aka
SSM) who genuinely and enthusiastically guided us
through the tremors and trials of the CAP (Computerized
Assessment Profile), a series of interview-style questions
answered via tornadoes of typing over the course of 3
hours. Upon completion, with bilateral Carpal tunnel
syndrome setting in, we were herded around the building
by ‘jovial, tell it like it really is’ PT students who were
already in the program and in jogging pants and hoodies
(our soon to be staples!).
And so moving on: we applied, we were accepted and then
once in the program I’ll just highlight a few of the numerous
reasons it felt right:
Nerdy humor had a place!!! For example, gait analyses
occurred constantly, not even Saturday nights were sacred
as we earned points for spotting scapular wingers, tippers,
and could be heard saying things like “Yikes, check out the
genu varum on that guy!’ Or “Annnnd we’ve got a
Trendelenberg approaching on the left!”
It was acceptable, or at least only mildly disruptive, to stand
up and stretch in the back of class
We got to work with real cadavers for anatomy
We got to work with real people for lab
We got to work with real clinicians who helped us with our
handling and shared their clinical pearls.
We got to work in real inpatient and outpatient settings for
placements. Oh, the drama, the trauma of placements! It
worked out, it didn’t work out, some worked out, none
worked out but no matter
what, we all learned a
great deal!
Most importantly
however, through it all,
despite stress or workload-related dips in
morale I feel we were
without a doubt
constantly stimulated and
constantly challenged as together, we battled daily the
incredibly inconvenient and terrifying realization that ‘it
depends’! The brave, and ‘no bones about it’ leaders of
MSK Unit 3 were the primary pioneers of this repeat
phrase, and we had to slowly accept the fact that the exact
diagnosis or exact treatment is not always in our notes or
our slides, nor is it buried somewhere in Blackboard or
even posted late!
Now let’s turn to the present. To make it about me for a
moment, it really does depend! In my new job, I’m still
stimulated and challenged daily, and I, so help me
somebody, I hope I’m not alone here, continue to not
always know the exact diagnosis nor the exact treatment. It
still depends. And that is still terrifying. Yes, I am AnneMarie Bourgeois, PT Resident and I am terrified. Daily.
But it’s FUN, it’s exciting, it’s frustrating, and it’s meaningful.
Every patient is and will be different! And we have to learn
and review regularly! Sometimes at a fast pace! Especially
when for example you have a female client postmastectomy scheduled back-to-back with a male client with
Scheuermann’s - where did I put those lymphedema
management notes, and wait, what was the gospel
according to Robyn for Scheuermann’s Disease!?
That actually happened, during Week 1 of my new job. And
just to be totally candid, both of those charts were littered
with post-it notes on what to make sure I do, or do
differently next time. And in the spirit of continued candor, I
admit I fluctuate between feeling I’m brutal and feeling I’m
awesome, but regardless I’m always motivated and I
always feel I did the right program.
Right People
So not only did I do the right program, I did it with the right
people!
Forever friendships were fast made, for example, in the
line-up for mask fit testing, at the book store, during break
by the fountain, or in the lab in our sports bras.
One thing stands out for me personally, I remember, being
asked by friends outside of PT, those with jobs and
mortgages, ironing boards and dinner parties, ‘So AM, how
is school?!’ And there I’d go, instead of providing the
anticipatory ‘good’ or ‘busy’, I’d find myself off on some
royal rant, some meandering monologue about how ‘niiiice’
everyone was, just the ‘niiiiiicest’ people, the most genuine
bunch of people you ever met… And then true to form, I’d
eventually realize I was still going. So I’d have to claw
myself short and utter the ‘Oh and school, ya school is
gooood!’ And it WAS, but I would always get distracted by
how awesome you all were/are!
I just have to say it was an incredibly cohesive group of
smart, kind, and like-minded people. Once we’d finished
staking our territory in 140, and nestling into our sides and
10
social groups and seats (once we’d had enough), if late it
didn’t matter where you plunked, who you plunked beside,
or for that matter who was in your cadaver crew or PT Logic,
clinical patterns, clinical reasoning, ethics, research or small
groups. Nor did it matter whose appendage you pushed,
pulled, glided or tilted, we were always warmly welcomed by
whomever, wherever and whatever the scenario.
I’d like to add another adjective: generous. Incredible
gestures of generosity came in multiples forms. For
example, shared notes, tables, charts, reminders, recipes,
tumblirs, baked goods, inspirational quotes, and pre-party
hosting, to name just a few!
Turning to Facebook, it seems no setting is impervious to
the powers of Facebook, as it even has a place in this
speech. But for all its faults, particularly it’s ability to derail
any and every well-intended study session, I have such a
soft spot for our class Facebook page, whether it’s to gawk
at pictures posted of humorous or compromising scenarios
from lab or class, or to banter back and forth re: course
content or comic relief. Particularly noteworthy was how we
could find solidarity in studiousness, including sarcastic ‘So
how’s everyone doing?” on nights before exams, or more
importantly, helpful questions and answers. For someone
would flick up a question and almost immediately, answers
were posted and/or links to more information provided.
Now, to bring it back to me for just a bit, in term of how I
how my ‘right people’ symptoms have evolved to
present, two things stick out:
- First, is the instant support - I’m alone at my work and the
couple of times I’ve popped up a question regarding
something about one of my current clients I’ve received
rapid replies – multiple chat windows shoot up
simultaneously with multiple suggestions! So I end up
skipping out to meet that client rather than approaching with
trepidation, and deep breathing, and purse-lip breathing and
yet another waving of my internal ‘fake it ‘til you make it’
pom poms.
-Second, quite simply and truthfully, I know I did it with the
right people by how much I miss you all. I realize I’m wordy,
but I’m finding it really hard to find enough words or at least
the right words to articulate just how wonderful it is to be
together again, and just how far away I feel from you
sometimes.
....To continue reading the PT 2013 Valedictorian Address
please go to page 20 of the electronic version of this
publication.
PT CONVOCATION AWARDS 2013
Highlighted Awards:
Nadir Mawji & Masumi Turnbull
Olive Wallace Pester Fellowship in Physical Therapy
Lauren Sutherland
Dr. Barnett & Beverley Giblon Silver Medal for Excellence in Physical Therapy
Amanda Kapsimalis
Dr. Barnett & Beverley Giblon Award for Excellence in Physical Therapy;
CIHR Health Professional Student Research Award
Awards:
Wing-Tung Rachel Lee: Canadian Physiotherapy Association – Paediatric Division
Award; Molly Verrier Award
Ryan Brijlal, Samantha Chung, Jonathan Lim Sze How, Nadir Mawji, Min Tang,
Anne-Marie Bourgeois, Allison Condren, Ellen McCurry, Giulia Mesaroli, Peter
Petropanagos: Breathe in Life Research Poster Award
Nadir Mawji: Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy Alumni Association Award
Min Tang: University Health Network Prize
Anne-Marie Bourgeois: St. Michael’s Hospital Trauma Physiotherapy Award
Ali Hassan: Carlos Melendez Memorial Award
Lisa Herterich: C. Estelle Cunningham Prize
Abdullah Imam: Central Toronto District – OPA Award
Rachel Parisien: Heart and Breath of Physical Therapy Award
Mathew Hughes (2012) & Diane Blonski (2013): Cardiorespiratory Division Student Award
Kendra Saunders & Tristan Senior: Goldie Lewis Award
Giulia Mesaroli: Hospital for Sick Children Prize in Paediatrics
Jessica Pearo: Mount Sinai Hospital Book Award
Ali Hassan: Mountain Challenge Award
Katie Hauck: Toronto Cathay Lions Club Scholarship
Angela Chung, Etienne Dugal-Tessier, Edga Escorcia, Kathy Li, Lisa Smuskowitz: pt Health Prize for Excellence
in Student Research
Etienne Dugal-Tessier: Kathryn A Falconer Memorial Prize
Amanda Rancourt: Canadian Physiotherapy Association Award; Mary N. Sauriol Business Practice Prize
Megan Covert: Herta Leyss Scholarship in Physical Therapy
11
Student Updates
PT Student Council Update
The graduating PT class has just returned from 10 weeks hard
at work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and clinics in Toronto,
the GTA, and across Canada! Meanwhile, the first year students
look forward to their first taste of clinical experience in February.
Social events this year have been hugely successful,
including our semi-annual coffee house. Physical Therapy
students gathered at The El Macambo where we had singers,
guitar players, and even DJ’s showcase their hidden talents.
Our annual Festivus celebration on December 18th was a great
night filled with good food, festive holiday outfits, and a ton of
laughs. Both the first years and second years contributed
spectacular videos, while Dr. Dina Brooks performed a farewell poem to the PT1s for completing their first two units at U of T.
Student council held a trivia night at O’Grady’s pub, with the 2 classes going head to head for bragging rights (taken home by the
second years!). Early January saw our FROST welcome back
week. The PT students of 500 University were spotted participating
in theme days that include sports, tight and bright, cowboy, and twin
days. We look forward to our upcoming Blue Mountain ski trip in
February! Physical Therapy followed up our outstanding performance
in 2012 at Movember with another great year, raising $7,663.00,
good enough for 24th across all Canadian university teams. Keeping
the community in mind, over 100 food items were collected and
donated to the Daily Break Food Bank. The PT/OT intramural teams
have captured multiple championships, including European handball,
inner tube water-polo, men’s flag football, and co-ed football, with
great finishes in other sports
too.
OT Student Council Update
There is never a dull moment for our students in the OT program! The past year has
been filled with exciting events and opportunities. We kicked off the year with O-week for
the first year OT students, which was a memorable experience as they embarked on a
journey to forming friendships that would continue to grow over the next few years. On
the other hand, the second year OTs are approaching a bittersweet conclusion to their
last year of student life (possibly) and preparing for post-grad aspirations!
The students of the OT program have continued to exemplify their dedication to
the profession as well as to the local and global community in many ways. Early in the
fall term, we had the opportunity to: participate in the CN Tower Climb in support of
WWF-Canada; celebrate and promote OT month at the UofT St.George Campus; raise
over 800 dollars for the Movember Campaign within the Faculty of Medicine as well as
fundraise over 700 dollars in response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. More
recently we have donated over 200 toiletry items through our Bathtub drive to support
WomenAide, a local organization dedicated to supporting women’s abuse shelters. Future fundraising initiatives will support
and raise funds for Camp Winston, a camp for children with neurological conditions in Muskoka. Our fundraising efforts will
support the camp’s developing OT department.
On the academic side, our students continue to shine. The first year students have completed their introductory fieldwork
placement and are nearing completion of their first year. The second year students are wrapping up their last academic term of
the program and gearing up for final placements, the CAOT Conference in New Brunswick and Thelma Cardwell Research day
in June 2014. Our students are equally committed to maintaining a work-life balance. In addition to various spontaneous socials
amongst students, the Student Council has also organized fun-filled
events including karaoke
night at the Fox & Fiddle
and pub nights at O’Grady’s
and The Loose Moose. We
are looking forward to
creating more memorable
events disguised in the form
of bake sales, Valentine’s
Day celebrations,
International Dragon Boat
Race festival, semi-formals
and many more! Here’s to
another great year!
12
Taking Us Further: Alumni Profile
My OT experiences in Tanzania
By Ashley Wilson, OT’09
In 2008 I traveled to Moshi, Tanzania as an Occupational
Therapy student with the University of Toronto for an 8-week
placement at the Comprehensive Community Based
Rehabilitation Centre in Tanzania (CCBRT). In October of
2013 I returned to Moshi, Tanzania with 4 years of pediatric
OT experience from working at the Ottawa Children’s
Treatment Centre. I volunteered for 1 week at CCBRT and 2
weeks at a partnering agency, Building a Caring Community
(BBC) - a daycare for single parent families with a child who
has a disability. Looking back it’s amazing how different the
two trips were and how they’ve contributed to making me a
more holistic OT and a more enlightened person.
As a student and first-time visitor to Africa in 2008 some
of the challenges were to be expected, such as the language
barrier and cultural differences. Not knowing Swahili, it was
difficult to communicate with the parents. The children on the
other hand were either easily amused by our poor Swahili
attempts and silly faces or terrified at their first sighting of a
white person. Being immersed in a new culture provided me
with many challenges. I was unsure what was an
inappropriate question or behaviour and did not want to
cause any offense. I observed parents handling their
physically disabled children in ways that made me cringe and
learned that a child’s disability in Tanzania is believed to
bring a curse on their family. Looking back now, I see the
best way to understand the families and provide them with
appropriate suggestions was by immersing myself fully in
their culture.
An unexpected difficulty as an OT student in Tanzania
was that we only saw the children once. The families couldn’t
afford to travel to the clinic often, so it was challenging not
being able to follow up and see if the suggestions given were
useful. This helped me understand the importance of being
client-centered. I learned to address parents’ concerns first
because those were the areas they would be motivated to
work on at home. Once this was discussed with the parents,
we could then provide suggestions on a few of the often
numerous areas of need. Our primary focus was towards the
factors that posed the biggest health concerns to the child.
The multidisciplinary work was another challenge; the OT’s at
CCBRT are often functioning not only as an OT but also as a
PT and SLP. Feeling not completely competent as an OT
student and having to answer questions about gross motor
development and speech delays provided endless
challenges to my self-confidence. This was a great reminder
to focus on the whole child. I absolutely loved my time spent
in Moshi as a student; I was immersed fully into a brand new
culture, I saw and did many things for the first time and
ultimately walked away with a handful of new OT and
personal skills. It was an amazing and life changing
experience. It was interesting that although we were
presented with many challenges during our placement
abroad, these challenges turned into the greatest gifts. They
were the best learning opportunities to grow as a
professional and as a person and to expand my knowledge
and perspectives. Personally, my greatest challenge with my
placement abroad was coming home to Canada and feeling
that I wasn’t able to contribute significantly enough while I
was there, so I started planning my return to Tanzania
immediately.
Returning to Moshi, Tanzania in 2013, I spent 10 days
with 9 children at BCC (ages 3-14) and focused my therapy
on 3 children at the request of the caretakers. I experienced a
few challenges while at BCC as an OT, the first being
behavioural challenges. As a pediatric OT, behavioural
challenges are often part of the job but I quickly realized that
what I considered to be inappropriate behaviours, the
caretakers did not. Some of these behaviours were culturally
appropriate, while others were not seen as a big enough
issue to be concerned about, even though they were
interfering with therapy. This revealed the importance of
attachment in therapy. When I was connected with the
children and attuned to their needs, they focused and did
their best to complete the activity. Once the attention shifted
to another child the behaviours started. It’s nearly impossible
to stay connected with 9 children at the same time, so this
became a problem. It was an extraordinary experience
connecting with each of those 9 children and gaining their
trust in a short period of time so that they would participate in
therapy, whether it was fine motor, self care, sensory
integration or feeding skill development.
The other challenge I experienced was being told that
some of the children at BCC would never go to school
because of their disability. It was difficult because I could see
the potential in the children and knew that if they had
consistent therapy they could be competent enough to learn
in school. I worked very hard to demonstrate one 9-year-old
boy’s abilities to the caretakers in hopes that he might get the
opportunity to go to school one day. Situations like these
remind me of how very grateful I am for the life that I live and
the job that I have; OTs can really make a meaningful
difference in the lives of others. The 2 caretakers were
amazing at BCC; they were keen to learn how to help these
children and they were just as excited as I was to see the
progress in just the first week of therapy. Returning to Moshi
was a chance for me to share the knowledge that I had
gained as a practicing OT. It made me feel that I wasn’t just a
visitor in their town, but that I was a bigger part of their life,
contributing something meaningful. The significance I’ve
realized with both trips is that while I travel and volunteer
hoping to somehow improve the lives of others the end result
is that I return home a changed person. Although I return
home this time with a sense of accomplishment and
completion to my journey, I know that I will be back in Moshi
again!
13
ICDR: Global Health on the Move
2013 was a great year for the International Centre for
Philippines Chair, PT Jeffrey
Disability and Rehabilitation, or “ICDR” as we are often called.
Andrion, and his team responded
Housed within the Rehabilitation Sciences Sector, ICDR is a
swiftly. Communication channels
welcoming intellectual home to anyone interested in critical
lit up between Canada and family
perspectives on global health, disability and rehabilitation. We
members in the Philippines and
have a vibrant community of students, clinicians, faculty and
with ICDR partner, the Philippines
friends interested in using research and education to advance
Physical Therapy Association to
the rights of people with disabilities worldwide. Importantly,
identify how and where to help. A
over 25% of ICDR’s members are UofT rehab alumni! Below
link was forged with Handicap
are selected highlights from the year gone by.
International, with a triple-yourICDR-Trinidad to host international fieldwork for OT, SLP
dollar fundraising campaign whereby all donations in
and PT students: ICDR-Trinidad has enjoyed long and strong
December were matched by ICDR-Philippines, the sum of
partnerships with the Immortelle Children’s Centre for Special
which was then matched again by the Canadian Government.
Education and the Trinidad and Tobago Occupational Therapy
We particularly thank the generous colleagues at the
Association. As part of these relationships, ICDR-Trinidad has
Sunnybrook Holland O&A, where Jeffrey is a PT, who gave so
provided 65 international clinical internships for OT students
willingly to this cause!
since 2001! This is a great success story
This emergency response is part of a long-term sustained
in itself, but even more exciting is the
effort to accelerate a rights-based response to disability in the
recent development of training
Philippines. Each May, ICDR-Philippines hosts a continuing
opportunities for PT and SLP students as
education Lecture Day for rehab clinicians, the proceeds from
well.
which are used to fund disability projects in the Philippines.
In 2011, the first group of SLP
This year’s presenter is Dr. Patrician Sullivan (author of 4 PT
students went to Immortelle School in
texts) on May 24th – join us there!
Trinidad with the assistance of Canadian
We are also proud to announce that ICDR-Philippines
SLP, Fern Westernoff. In March 2014,
hosted its first-ever UofT OT fieldwork placement in 2013, with
the second ever SLP fieldwork
a PT placement planned for 2014. Finally, we congratulate
placement will be offered with the onsite
Jeffrey Andrion for winning the prestigious Department of
support of UofT SLP alum, Sarah
Physical Therapy Exceptional Achievement Award for
Strathy. Sarah, who conducted an
Professional Development, presented on February 18, 2014.
international fieldwork placement
Well deserved!
through ICDR in Tanzania during her
ICDR study on education of children with disabilities in
own training, will work in collaboration
West Africa makes international headlines: In September
with several Trinidadian SLPs. In the
2013, a study conducted by ICDR-Consulting was released to
final week of this 7-week internship, the
widespread media interest by study funder, the nonSLP students will welcome the OT students arriving to start
governmental organization, Plan International. The research
their own 6-week fieldwork experience. In July 2014, two final
on inclusive education and children with disabilities in West
year PT students will experience the first-ever UofT PT
Africa presented a groundbreaking picture of perspectives and
internship in Trinidad.
opportunities for change in this neglected population. The
This initiative takes interprofessional education global.
report, entitled, “Outside the Circle: A research initiative by
Not only will the SLP and OT students work together for a
Plan International into the rights of children with disabilities to
week during their placements, but students from all three
education and protection in West Africa” is available at: http://
rehab fields will participate together in a fieldwork training and
plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/publications/
debriefing program implemented by ICDR in collaboration with
education/outside-the-circle. The research was led by ICDR’s
the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. The vision for
founding Executive Director, Penny Parnes, in collaboration
interprofessional international clinical education has been
with OT alumni Janet Njelesani and Goli Hashemi, ICDR
driven in part by Ellen Leung (an active member of ICDRCoordinator Cathy Cameron, along with Donald Njelesani,
Kenya) who developed a model of interprofessional IPE as
Danielle Richard and Heather Keachie. The story was picked
part of her recent Master’s of Education degree. Ellen then
up and reported by TIME, Al Jazeera, ABC News, The Globe
travelled to Trinidad with ICDR’s Education Lead, Deb
and Mail, and Huffington Post. The report was also picked up
Cameron, to initiate the program. Bravo to all involved!
in some of the world’s biggest wire services such as the
ICDR-Cameroon having an impact: Established in 2004,
Associated Press and the Reuters health wire syndicate. The
ICDR-Cameroon is engaged in
story was also featured in UofT Medicine Magazine at http://
research, education and advocacy with
medicine.utoronto.ca/news/opening-circle. Congratulations,
people with disabilities in
Penny and team!
Cameroon. Please see the
2014 marks the 10th
special report from ICDRAbout the Author: Stephanie is
Cameroon members, Jaymiethe Director of the International
anniversary of ICDR! Stay
Lyn Labelle-Rae and Lynn
Centre for Disability and
tuned for news of celebrations Rehabilitation (ICDR) and an
Cockburn in this same issue.
ICDR-Philippines responds
to honour the achievements of Assistant Professor in the
to Typhoon Haiyan: When
Department of Physical
students, alumni, faculty and
devastating Typhoon Haiyan hit
Therapy.
global health partners.
the islands of the Philippines in
November 2013, ICDR14
Five new publications by ICDR members
This has been a productive year for ICDR faculty and students (many of whom are now alumni).
Cameron D, Cockburn L, Nixon SA, Garcia L, Leotaud J, MacPherson K, Mashaka P, Mlay R, Parnes P, Wango J, Williams T.
Global Partnerships for International Fieldwork in Occupational Therapy: Reflection and Innovation. Occupational Therapy
International. 2013;20(2):88-96.
In partnership with a team from ICDR and Lesley Garcia and Jacqui Leotaud of Trinidad, Peter Mashaka and Ruth Mlay of
Tanzania, and Julius Wango of Cameroon.
Cleaver S, Nixon SA. A scoping study of ten years of published literature on community-based rehabilitation. Disability and
Rehabilitation. In press.
Shaun Cleaver is a PhD student in GDRS conducting his dissertation in Zambia. He is a member of ICDR-Zambia and ICDRCommunications. Stephanie Nixon is ICDR Director, and a member of ICDR-Zambia.
Haro A, Knight B, Ahluwalia P, Hicks E, Cameron D, Nixon SA. Becoming an occupational therapist: impact of international
fieldwork placements on clinical practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. In press.
Adriana Haro and Brittany Knight are OT alumni who conducted this study as part of the OT degrees. They were supported by
PT Puja Ahluwalia and OT alum Emma Hicks, and co-supervised by Deb Cameron and Stephanie Nixon.
Cassady C, Mehru R, Chan C, Engelhardt J, Fraser M, Nixon SA. Thinking beyond our borders: investigating ideal
competencies for Canadian physiotherapists working in resource-poor countries. Physiotherapy Canada. In press.
Christina Casiddy, Rehana Mehru, Carmen Chan and Julie Engelhardt are PT alumni who conducted this study as part of the
PT degrees. They were supervised by Stephanie Nixon and Michelle Fraser, who is the Chair of the CPA’s Global Health
Division.
Wickenden A, Nixon SA, Yoshida K. Exploring the impact of the intersection of HIV, disability and gender on the sexualities
of women in Zambia. African Journal of Disability 2013;2(1),Art.#50,8.
Anna Wickenden conducted this analysis as part of her Master’s degree at the UK’s
Institute of Development Studies. She was co-supervised by Karen Yoshida and
Stephanie Nixon using data from an ICDR-Zambia study.
Special Highlight - ICDR Cameroon, by Jaymie-Lyn Labelle OT’13
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are
efficiency, and often
approximately 600,000,000 people living with a disability in
cast a frown upon
Lynn Cockburn, Julius Wango, SAJOCAH
the world, with 80% living in low-income countries. In many
"backward"
parts of Africa, individuals living with disability experience
ingenuity, which is Staff and past U of T students
stigma, isolation, and negative attitudes from members of
rooted in simplicity.
their community. One country where there is tremendous
But for those with limited resources, even the simplest tweak
need for rehabilitation programs and health promotion is
can be a huge blessing and offer a life-altering solution to a
Cameroon. Although progress is being made, there is much
once desperate problem. During my time working with ICDR
that can be done to improve the lives of individuals living with
in Cameroon, I came across this truth time and time again.
a disability in Cameroon, particularly in the North West region.
One of the most memorable clients, Ellie (not her real name),
I first realized this fact whilst completing a fieldwork
once a healthy, outgoing and lively student, developed
placement in the North West region of Cameroon as a U of T
heterotrophic ossification after contracting meningitis that left
occupational therapy Masters student affiliated with U of T
her unable to walk or stand independently. Despite being
and International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation
severely restricted in her mobility and function, she was being
(ICDR). During this time I witnessed
discharged from the hospital and returning home, where
firsthand the utter disparity that exists
she only had a pit toilet. As a patient in a system that was
between the citizens and systems of our
already strained and financially limited, the idea of
vast and varied globe. ICDR-Cameroon has
community care for this young woman seemed
three main and overlapping components:
impossible. Her mother was expected to give up her
community development, research, and
livelihood and take on the role of a round-the-clock
education. Composed of faculty members,
caregiver. To alleviate some of the caregiver strain on
health professionals, students and U of T
Ellie’s mother, while allowing Ellie herself to sustain as
Alumni, ICDR-Cameroon facilitates
much of her independence as possible, two of my
program development and implementation
student colleagues collaborated with a hospital
alongside local Cameroonian community
technician to create a commode for Ellie to bring home
groups via committee meetings, discussion
with her. After hours of brainstorming, they found a
forums, and travel to Cameroon.
second-hand folding steel chair in the local market: a
Unlike in many other parts of the
Wheelchair created by SAJOCAH household item for some, but a life-changer for Ellie.
world, we are very fortunate in high
Staff and past U of T students
income countries. Devices, technologies,
...You can find the rest of this article on page 20 of
and healthcare often get taken for granted and overlooked in
the electronic version of this publication on the PT/OT Alumni
the hurried shuffle of our everyday lives. We crave speed,
Website.
15
2014 PT and OT Spring Reunion
Classes ending in 4 or 9
Friday May 30th O’Gradys Pub 7-10pm. All UofT OT and PT grads are welcome, please come
we would love to see you and chat!!!!
Saturday, May 31st, 9-12pm, 500 University Ave. Breakfast, the Annual Meeting, Presentation of
the Alumni Awards, Guest Speaker and tours of the Rehabilitation Building. Cost: $15
Go to http://springreunion.utoronto.ca for more details and to register for the events!
Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Phone: (416) 978-1820
Would you like to reconnect with classmates or would like a class list to help with reunion planning? Contact Morgan
Tilley, Alumni Relations Coordinator at (416) 978-3588 or [email protected]
In October 2013 the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Alumni Association hosted a fundraising evening
at the Famous People Players (FPP) Dinner / Theatre. It was an evening of good food and magical black light performances by the challenged but very talented cast. For we, rehabilitation professionals, it could not have been a more meaningful experience. It is definitely
something we hope to repeat in the future to stimulate further socialization while we support our Alumni and
the very worthwhile FPP.
16
Sandra L. Abraham
Joan Cracknell
Gwendolyn J. Hoover
Margaret L. McMulkin
Frieda Sherman
Patricia R. Abram
Jane G. Dale
Diana H. Hopkins-Rosseel
Frances J. McNaughton
Karl Skierszkan
Barbara J. Alguire
Carolyn M. Davis
Nancy Hurlburt
Patricia D. McPhail
M. Fearnley Smith
Katharine B. Anderson
Diane L. Davis
Susan K. Hurley
Helen F. Mierzwa
Syliva Budovitch Soicher
Lydia I. Andrews
Victoria J. Dawes
Patricia M. Idenouye
Linda Moore
Kathryn E. Steckley
G. Margaret Armbruster
Susan E. Dineen
Martin Imrisek
Leslee M. Mordaunt
Nancy Stefanyk
Esther E. Atkin
Sandra Z. Doblinger
Judith D. Irwin
Marie O. Morin
Jane P. Stephenson
Ruth Babcock
Susan M. Dosman
Leslie S. Iskander
Barbara A. M .Morris
Margaret J. Stevens
Doris Bailey
Anne C. Downie
Margaret J. Jackes
Ruth H. Morton
Margaret H. Stone
Lynne Gay Balfour
Mary E. Dunn
Susan Jaglal
Gail Mueller
Jean B. Sutherland
Marjorie K. Banks
Marie P. Eason Klatt
Maryann Jefferies
G. George Muirhead
Margaret L. Timberg
David and Gwendolyn Bell Sarah Eby
Lynn Jensen
Duy Thien Nguyen
Jennifer L. Tooke
Dorothy E. Bennett
Nancy E. Egan
Sandra J. Johnson
Marilyn A Niess
Ruth E. Torrey-Brockie
Linda M. Bennett
Cathy Evans
Joan Johnston
Betty-May Ormiston
Elizabeth A. Torrible
Linda J. Biddle
Penny Evenden
Maranatha S. Joos
Beverley Secord O'Sullivan Susan Track
Paula Blackstein-Hirsch
Joseph Federico
Constance L. C. Keen-McIlwrick Jane C. Palmer
Barry Trentham
Victoria J. Boase
Susan J. Ferguson
Trishan M. Kelso
Joan C. Pape
Christine S. Urban
M. Catherine Boddy
Eleanor M. Finlayson Louise Killens
David R. Paradi
Marguerite E. Varrasso
Elizabeth Bracht
Linda M. Finn
Bonnie Kirsh
Kirsten Pavelich
Molly Verrier
Ellen E. Bradey
Pat Fisher
Judith I. K. Knaack
Maxine L. Peters
Helen Ward
Jocelyne Brault
Mary Fogarty
Mary Margaret Koreen
Linda Phaneuf
Carolyn A. Webster
Christine L. Brenchley
Julie Frame
Audrey M. Kouyoumdjian
Jo-Anne Piccinin
O. Joan Webster
Kelly M. Brewer
Arthur H. Fraser
Mary E. Lane
Jan A. Polgar
Sybil M. Wells
Heather D. Brien
Lois A. Fricker
Elizabeth A Langlois
Dana Prutschi
Catherine White
Patricia K. Brodie
Judith Friedland
Yung Shong Lee
Ruth P. Armstrong
Beverley A Whittaker
E. Diane Brokenshire
Noreen P. Fyffe
Joanne Legros-Kelly
Carol Ann Puri
Lisa Wickerson
Anne L. Brown
Joy D. Galloway
Kristin LeRoy
Arlene D. Quackenbush
Frances Wier
Esther Burack
May K. Gardiner
Karen L. Llanos
Carrie L. Racher
Linda Claire Wilkinson
Deb Cameron
Diane Gasner
Susan M. Lott
June B. Rattray
Donalda A. Williams
Marya B. Carr
Emily L. Grant
Shirley A. Lupton
Elizabeth M. Reid
Marjorie A. Wilson
Lily Chan
Iris Greenspoon
A. Margaret MacLure
Mea M. C. Renahan
Evelyn E. Wolf
Nancy P. Christie
Beverly Hall
Noreen J. Manger
Lynda R Richardson
Ann L. Wolfe
Mary B. Clarkson
Dianne E. M. Hauri
Mary H. Martin
Margaret Jane Rodd
Mary M. Wood
Frances J. Cleave
Beth S. Haworth
Allison Martins
Judith M. Russell
Joan Wright
Cheryl A. Cooper
Sandra M. Henderson Mavis A. Mason
Mary D. Sabo
Karen A. Yantha
Juliette E. Cooper
Carol A. Hennigar
Evelyn J. McComb
Margaret E. Schmidt
Margaret L. Young
Lillian Cooper
Carolyn Hepburn
Fiona E. McGaw
Patricia Schweitzer
Natalie A. Zaraska
Jane Copeland Dpot
Rosalie Herschorn
Linda A. McIlwain
Luella M. Shank
Judith L. Zelmanovits
Lynn Corbey
Lesley A. Heysel
Allan B. McMillan
Margaret Shaw
M
A
N
Y
T
H
A
N
K
S
We would like to thank everyone on this list who has made a pledge to OT, PT, or the Rehab Sciences
Sector between January 1st and December 31st, 2013!
If you’d like to make a gift, please visit the Rehabilitation Sciences Sector’s online giving page
(donate.utoronto.ca) to make a donation to either Physical Therapy or Occupational Science and
Occupational Therapy. Funds raised are used to support students through bursaries and scholarships
and also to fund travel to national and international conferences and clinical placements.
To learn more about different giving options, or if you are interested in making a gift of securities or a
planned gift, please contact the Heather Yearwood, Senior Development Officer at (416) 978-5564 or
[email protected].
17
In Memoriam
BARBARA JANE WORTH, BSc (OT), OT Reg.(Ont.) 1952- 2013
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Barbara Jane
Worth. Barbara was an esteemed alumna, who had a very
distinguished career and contributed significantly to the regulation of
OT in Ontario. She graduated from one of our first BScOT classes at
the University of Toronto (1975). Following graduation, Barbara joined
McMaster University Medical Centre. During her 20 plus years of clinical
care, Barbara took on many academic and managerial roles. She was
the Director of Complex Continuing Care in her last role within the
Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, before taking a position at the
College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO). Barbara was also
active within the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
(CAOT), including contributing to the design and testing of the CAOT
Certification Exam. At COTO, Barbara held many positions, including
serving as the President from 1999-2000, and COTO Registrar from
2000 to 2013. Most recently, Barbara had an influential role of spearheading initiatives that addressed the issues of cross province
transportability of OT skills and internationally educated OTs.
Barbara will be missed dearly by her family, friends, colleagues, and former patients and students. Barbara will
always be remembered for her many achievements in the profession of OT.
MARLENE MCLEOD ECKSTRAND,
P&OT (1934 - 2012)
Marlene passed away Feb 2012, at home in Ottawa.
Marlene was born in 1934 in Kirkland Lake, On. She
was part of a clinic group in P&OT, the clinic was made
up of Marlene, Josie Kruzel, Marilyn Heinbuch(all
deceased). Joan Leman, Joyce Hillier Wallace, Marie
Hodgins Bodrug, and Barb Legge Miller took the train to
Ottawa for Marlene's service. The family did a
wonderful job of remembering Marlene and her beloved
animals. Marlene and her husband Roger lived in
various parts of the world, consequently Marlene's work
history is broad. 1962-1963 Peter Bent Brigham
hospital Boston Mass, USA, 1963-1976 Noranda, Chile
and 1976-1982 St Vincent Hospital, Ottawa,
1982-1997 Rehab Centre, Ottawa. Marlene is fondly
remembered by her clinic group in P&OT and we kept
in touch with several reunions and weekends in
Muskoka over the years and a bike trip thru Vermont
between first and second year. It is safe to say we will
miss her and her comical critique of life. (written by
Barb Miller)
18
Dear Alumni:
The Alumni Achievement Award was established in 1995, and awarded first at the AGM in June 1996. The
Award acknowledges graduates who have made an exceptional contribution as a member of the Physical
Therapy or Occupational Therapy professions. Alumni or members of the public may nominate a University
of Toronto graduate in Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy for this award. The year 2014 will
mark the 19th anniversary of the Achievement Award.
Beginning in 1996 an award has been given to one alumnus/a from Physical Therapy and one alumnus/a from
Occupational Therapy each year. The areas of achievement for consideration for this Award are based on
achievements in any three of the following categories:
• Scholarly Activity in clinical, community, or academic environment
• Therapeutic Practice
• Education (of PT/OT students, (at university or college level) health professionals, general public
• Administration
• Political activity and advocacy for the profession of PT/OT.
The Achievement Award Committee will contact all nominators to acknowledge receipt of nominations. The
Selection Committee may contact nominees to obtain additional information related to their nomination.
Please include phone and/or email contact information of the nominee in your nomination. A CV and/or
comprehensive information providing specifics of the
nominee’s achievements is REQUIRED to give the
To contact us or forward nominations:
Achievement Award Committee a more complete idea of
the nominee.
Alumni Achievement Award
PT & OT Alumni Association
University of Toronto
If you require assistance in completing a nomination, or
500 University Avenue, Room 160
have additional questions please contact us and we will be
Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7
pleased to assist you.
All information provided will be used exclusively for
Award determination purposes.
Phone:
416-978-1820
[email protected]
www.rehab.utoronto.ca
AWARD NOMINATION FORM
NOMINEE
Name________________________
Address:_________________________________
________________________________________
Telephone:(H)_________________
(W)________________________
E- mail: ______________________
Year of Graduation_____________
PT_________ OT_____________
The Nominator should describe the outstanding
contributions in each category checked, in a
covering letter. The more comprehensive the
information the better.
NOMINATOR
Name________________________
Address:_________________________________
________________________________________
Telephone:(H)_________________
(W)________________________
E- mail: ______________________
Scholarly Activity
Therapeutic Practice
Education
Administration
Political Activity/Advocacy
PT Valedictorian Address 2013 continued from page 11...
Moving on the final category – the right leadership – this
took the shape of key supports, key lessons and key
council.
Personally, I had several humbling moments over the course
of the program; I was treated through each with support,
sympathy and strategy.
On behalf of everyone, countless emails were answered to
address countless questions; feedback sessions were held in
the interest of improving curricula; extra tutorials or lunchtime
recaps were held to hammer home hard to handle concepts.
Finally, just to finish this point, we weren’t just supported. We
were respected. I found this tremendously motivating. From
Day 1, relentlessly through to the very end, no matter the prof,
the TA, the visiting clinician, the guest lecturer, we were
deemed ‘colleagues’. And for that, we are all very honored.
Now, amidst all the support and respect, we were taught!
Some key lessons from key disciplines included:
From Cardioresp:
- Bronchial breath sounds, are neither increased nor
decreased, they simply are or are not.
- Diet coke can get you through the day!
- Key Analogies included: a pair of saggy pantyhose = chronic
obstructive lung disease or emphysema lungs while Dina
sitting on my chest =restrictive lung disease
From Neuro:
Now we’ve arrived at the interactive component of the
speech or viewed differently a complimentary postural
education/awareness session:
Can everyone please slouch in your seats? Did you feel your
pelvis move back? That is what we call the all-too-common
PPT, or the posterior pelvic tilt.
Now can everyone sit up nice and straight? Did you feel your
pelvis move forward? That folks that in marked contrast, is alltoo-strived-for APT, or anterior pelvic tilt.
Now can everyone shift your weight onto your buttock? Take
a look at your left side – that is shortening, while the left side,
the left side is elongating!
And yes, for a good few months, each and every one of us
could be found ourselves or coaxing each other into any or all
of these positions, as form the fundamentals and foundations
of Neuro!
From MSK:
And now the second and final interactive component, can
everyone please make a fist and hold it up. Now make a C
with your other hand, and cup it over your fist. For several
months we could also be found in this position, as Rock and
Roll Robyn coached us through the arthro-kinematics and
osteo-kinematics of every joint.
MSK also taught us that the success of a joint mobilization is
strongly correlated to your soundtrack selection.
Further, from a peer leadership level, we had council Thank-you to all our council members, especially of course
our fearless leaders, Nadir and Amy, our President and Vice
President, who consistently created, let alone seized
opportunities to go the extra mile for us as a class.
Turning to now, for me, key supports provided opportunities
for learning and personal growth; as for key lessons, they
stick in my head and Dina, well Dina will forever have a
special place on my chest. Finally, I, particularly in this new
grad phase, I am tremendously grateful to know that I am an
email or phone call away from the counsel of respected and
wise clinicians and professors.
And there you have it folks – the right program, right
people, right leadership.
Before closing:
-To faculty and staff – thank-you for sharing your passion,
your intellect, your laughs and your lessons.
-To members of the PT family – it has been a tremendous
honor to speak today on your behalf, thank-you for being kind
and colorful characters, full of motivation and smarts,
generousness and genuineness, thanks for being there for
me and thanks for being there for each other.
-To our immediate family and loved ones – thank you for
sharing this special day with us. In many ways it’s your
special day as well! So congrats! I would of course especially
like to thank my parents, who are here, Kathleen and Francis,
from Kippens, NL. I don’t think they or I really expected this
day, and it’s been so special to have my two worlds collide.
I’m so grateful for your unconditional love and support and I’m
thrilled that you could both be here today for the great
meeting of the families.
In closing:
“We know it. We just need the confidence.” That goes for
Sunday, and for the remainder of our careers. That being said
we must never get complacent or slack, as lifelong learning is
our responsibility to ourselves and to our clients. We need to
remember or at least remind each other that it’s ok not to
know. We have the tools to tackle whatever ‘depends’ lands in
our laps, and a solid strategy is sticking with what we do know
and branching from there.
Now if there are no questions, I would like to thank you all for
your cooperation and participation. And, although we are
indeed independent to transfer into the working world, and
safe for discharge, I would still recommend frequent followups.
ICDR Cameroon, continued from page 15...
Together they were able to cut a hole in the chair and turn it
into a portable commode. And so we learned as
occupational therapy students, and continue to learn as U
of T Alumni, that there is beauty and potential in just about
everything, when it is viewed in a different light.
ICDR-Cameroon developed and maintained
partnerships with numerous organizations in the North
West. For example, they are helping to develop a
sustainable occupational therapy program at St. Joseph's
Children and Adult's Home (SAJOCAH), a community
rehabilitation hospital. They are also developing programs
and completing research alongside the Bamenda
Coordinating Unit for Associations of Persons with
Disabilities to support disabled people’s organizations and
individuals living with disability residing in the North West.
They worked with colleagues to establish the Centre for
Inclusion Studies, a unique centre in the country. Finally,
ICDR-Cameroon is currently in the process of collaborating
with the new Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of
Bamenda to develop a visiting scholar program and to
improve student education resources.
While striving towards community development, ICDRCameroon initiated and hosted annual conferences on
disability and rehabilitation, in collaboration with local
organizations in Bamenda, and sometimes with the Centre
for Inclusion Studies. These conferences provide
individuals living with disability, health care professionals
and others who are interested in disability and rehabilitation
an opportunity to come together and share their
20
experiences and
health and medical students, to Cameroon since 2004.
research. They also
Students have divided their time between two organizations:
allow for professional
SAJOCAH, where the students provide direct intervention and
presentation of work.
the Centre for Inclusion Studies, where the students have
Most significantly, it
roles in community development work. In low-income
is inspiring and
countries, this kind of collaborative placement fosters
motivating for
innovation and creativity when working in a rehabilitation
individuals to hear
center, and allows for input into the creation of roles for
that they are not
occupational therapy in new settings.
alone in their
The learning process is reciprocal. One individual who
challenges. Leo (not
was helped by U of T students was a man who experienced a
his real name), a
stroke. He was left unable to dress himself and unhappy with
SAJOCAH Canteen and Shoe Making
young individual, who
the idea that his wife would have to put his socks and shoes
Workshop
experienced a spinal
on for him every day. This sudden lack of functional
cord injury, attended the conference and explained that being
independence left him feeling quite distraught; he not only
able to connect to individuals living with the same impairment
suffered a blow to his overall wellbeing, but also to his sense
was life-changing. Speaking with people who had experienced
of self. The students collaborated with the client and identified
a spinal cord injury many years before and knowing that they
dressing as a goal. With materials that the students brought
were still leading a fulfilling life provided him with a sense of
from Canada, and some common kitchen equipment, the
hope. The 7th annual conference held in 2012 was honored
students replicated a long-handled shoehorn and a Sock-Aid,
with the presence of the Canadian High Commissioner of
an assistive device that allows one to independently don their
Cameroon, Mr. Benoit Pierre, Laramée and attendees had the
socks. When the man returned the following week, students
privilege of sharing their ideas and aspirations with him. The
coached him how to use the assistive equipment. He was
theme of the 8th annual conference, held in November 2013
thrilled with being able to dress himself independently.
was "Break Barriers, Open Doors: Adapting Sports for an
Despite its success, ICDR-Cameroon has and continues
Inclusive Society for All". The conference focused on
to struggle with barriers. The financial constraints of working
encouraging all individuals regardless of disabilities to be
internationally and the lack of regular funding has been an
active and engage in meaningful pursuits through the use of
ongoing challenge for the group. It has not always been easy
inclusive and adapted sports.
to maintain a partnership with local
ICDR-Cameroon has conducted
organizations given the geographical
qualitative, quantitative, and mixeddistance, cultural differences, and
methods research in a number of
inconsistent access to technology. Despite
areas including: women and disability,
the challenges, ICDR has been able to
prevalence of disability and HIV/AIDS
succeed and accomplish several of its
and disability. Future research aims to
initiatives. Of particular note, many
continue to improve the quality of life
individuals living in the North West
of persons with disabilities and their
reported that there has been a reduction in
communities, to examine the
stigma and marginalization, and the
development and impact of assistive
Annual Conferences have been beneficial
devices, develop tools to measure the
in increasing awareness about disability
impact of assistive devices, and to
and allowing individuals the opportunity to
carry out further research on gender
share their ideas and research with one
and disability. Best-practice guidelines
another. ICDR-Cameroon supported the
and evidence-based treatment are
development of disability organizations
Faculty of Health Sciences at the Bamenda University
imperative for occupational
throughout the region. They continue to
therapy, and other rehabilitation
address disability issues and empower
programs. ICDR-Cameroon has been working on best practice
individuals living with disability. To continue making strides in
projects for a variety of issues including stroke, visual
progress, the ICDR will continue to see challenges as
impairment, hearing impairment, vocational rehabilitation and
opportunities.
family centered care. These projects focus on providing best
Whether it is through supporting international student
practice guidelines grounded in research that are appropriate
placements in Cameroon, developing resource packages and
for the local environment.
best practice guidelines, assisting in hosting conferences and
Members of ICDR-Cameroon have worked together to
workshops, or supporting the development of disability
create a Mental Health Resource Package that outlines the
organizations, ICDR-Cameroon and its affiliates are doing
position taken by ICDR-Cameroon as well as their vision for
tremendous work. There is no better way, in my experience, to
mental health work within the North West. The package
get involved and put all of the information you have acquired
summarizes the beliefs and values held by the group in the
during your studies to a “new sort of use”- one that demands
area of mental health as well as how they plan to incorporate
out-of-the box thinking, a high degree of adaptability, a dose of
these beliefs and values into everyday practice. Personal
humility, and the delivery of a level of care that far exceeds
vignettes are incorporated into the resource package to shed
what you could have expected.
light on the experiences and challenges individuals living with
mental health face in the North West. By generating greater
References
awareness and acceptance, the group hopes to be able to
Kiani, S. (2009). Women with disabilities in the North West
support individuals living with mental illness to seek the
province of Cameroon: resilient and deserving of greater
services they require.
attention. Disability and Society, 24(4), 517-531. doi :
ICDR-Cameroon has supported student placements,
10.1080/09687590902879205.
primarily occupational therapy students, as well as public
21