Director's Message Fall 2025
Our success as a program, of course, is deeply connected to the generosity and partnership of our broader community.
Celebrating achievements and renewed commitment to our shared vision
As we celebrate the 2025 graduating class, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our graduates. Your hard work, dedication, and perseverance have brought you to this exciting milestone. We are so proud of the confident and competent occupational therapists you have become, ready to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
This year, we have continued to navigate challenges, including ensuring timely and diverse fieldwork placements—an essential component of our students' professional preparation. We recognize the complexities of aligning placement opportunities with students' housing and travel needs, and we remain committed to improving our student experience by working with our clinical community to secure placements well in advance. This year also focused on refining and strengthening our curriculum to ensure that our graduates enter their placements and the profession with confidence, competence, and a deep sense of purpose.
Our success as a program, of course, is deeply connected to the generosity and partnership of our broader community. To our fieldwork educators, alums, donors, and supporters—thank you for the vital role you play in shaping the next generation of occupational therapists. Your ongoing collaboration is invaluable to our success.
It was great to (virtually) see those who attended this year's Kelly Bang Memorial Presentation on "Advancing Health Equity: Disability-Inclusive Practices for Transformative Health Science" with Dr. Birgit Prodinger. This powerful lecture served as a poignant reminder of the ongoing work required to challenge bias and stigma surrounding disability in health care and education. It reinforced our shared responsibility to dismantle the notion that those without disabilities set the standards. As a School, we continue to strive for justice and equity in all we do—to foster inclusion and belonging for everyone, and to engage in collaborative, reciprocal relationships that honour diverse experiences and strengths.
OT Month was another recent highlight; we enjoyed celebrating the OT profession and the people who continue to expand the boundaries of our field through discovery and creativity. We invite you to follow our socials (facebook or instagram) to stay informed & engaged with School activities.
As we look toward the new calendar year, we remain committed to fostering belonging, engaging in meaningful partnerships, and continuing our shared vision of transforming everyday lives through occupational therapy.
Warm regards,
Paula Rushton
Director, School of Occupational Therapy