News

The School of Occupational Therapy recently welcomed three new faces:

Dr. Niki Kiepek holds a PhD in Health Professional Education, a Masters in Occupational Therapy and a diploma in addiction counselling.  She recently joined the School of Occupational Therapy, moving from Sioux Lookout, Ontario.  Her most recent employment history includes Program Coordinator for the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority in the areas of sexually transmitted and blood bourne infections and community-based addiction treatment programs; Occupational Therapist at Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre Medical Withdrawal Support Services; and Instructor in the Addiction Counselling Program at Fanshawe College.  She is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers and provides workshops across Canada as part of her private practice.  She also holds an appointment at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in the Clinical Sciences Division.

Dr. Kiepek's research involves qualitative investigation of substance use in relation to health professional education.  She draws on discourse analysis as a means to critically examine the political practices underlying personal accounts of drug use, and the ways in which research participants challenge dominant discourses about drugs (e.g. medical, legal, and media) and health professional practices.  Drawing on theories of occupation, sociology, medical anthropology and philosophy, she problematises dualistic constructs of "healthy" or "socially acceptable" occupations and "unhealthy" or "socially unacceptable" occupations.  Dr. Kiepek's work on critical reflexivity guided by aesthetic representation is grounded in the medical humanities and ethics disciplines.  She is currently involved in data analysis for a program evaluation at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre.

Dr. Catherine White, OT Reg (NS, NB) recently joined the School of Occupational Therapy following the completion of her PhD in Rehabiliation Science at Queen's University.

Upon her 1995 graduation from Dalhousie University's entry to practice occupational therapy program, BScOT, Cathy began a career as an occupational therapist with Horizon Health Network (then River Valley Health) in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in a mental health setting.  She completed an MEd in Counseling from UNB in 1999, where, in collaboration with Dr. Sharon Myers, her studies focused on the role of empathy in therapeutic relationships.  She returned to UNB as a sessional instructor (2000 - 2008), and graduate school teaching associate (2006 - 2008) in Counselling Psychology.  In 2005, she graduated from Dalhousie's Msc (Post-Professional) in occupational therapy, which provided her first opportunity to conduct independent research (supervisor - Dr. Anita Unruh).  Dr. White's research, using qualitative methods, focused on the impact on families, and particularly mothers, when a child is diagnosed with schizophrenia.  Aware of the need for occupational therapy-specific research to guide, and be informed by, practice she enrolled in her PhD at Queen's University under the supervision of Dr. Terry Krupa, a renowned occupational therapist and researcher in the mental health field.  Using ethnographic methods, in which participant observation served as a particularly valuable data collection tool, her research examined the challenges of integrating recovery-oriented mental health care, specifically the impact of housing environments on recovery.  Prior to joining Dalhousie, Dr. White worked as an Administrative Occupational Therapist juggling a caseload of clients with mental illness with administrative duties, including the role of Clinical Fieldwork Coordinator.  Cathy's ongoing research interests are focused on knowledge translation and recovery-oriented practice for people with mental illness in order to advance recovery and self-managment of mental illness.

Chris McWilliam, BKin (Acadia University), BSc(OT) (Dalhousie University), OT Reg.(NS) is not actually "new" to the School of Occupational Therapy.  For several years he has been very active as a part-time tutor, adding his expertise to many courses.  This year, Mr. McWilliam has taken a leave of absence from his position at CDHA to join us on a part-time basis as Instructor/Lab Coordinator.  Mr. McWilliam has extensive practice experiences as an Occupational Therapist with Capital District Health Authority (CDHA) Addictions and Mental Health Program where he is also a Cultural Competence Trainer and has been a preceptor for numerous occupational therapy students from across Canada and around the world.  As a Mental Health Consultant for Dalhousie Family Medicine, Spryfield Medical Clinic and Hatchet Lake Medical Clinic he contributes to collaborative care models of client care.  Mr. McWilliam is highly sought after as a presenter regarding issues of childhood bullying, diversity, inclusion, resiliencty, coping skills and mental health and wellness.  Some of his recent presentations have been at ISIS, Halifax Refugee Clinic, CSIS, RBC, Dalhousie School of Social Work, Acadia University and Eastern Health (Newfoundland) to name a few.  Mr. McWilliam is originally from Colliers, Newfoundland.  He moved to Nova Scotia in 2001 to further his education.  He presently lives in Halifax with his partner and two rescued cats, Jimmy and Bobby.