Director's Message Spring 2023

By Dr Paula Rushton

Welcome to our spring 2023 newsletter! I hope you have all been enjoying spring, the season of new opportunities, rejuvenation, and growth. It is hard to believe we are at the middle of May and that I’ve been the Director of the School of Occupational Therapy for 4 months already! I want to thank everyone who has welcomed me into this position, both internal and external to the university. To those who have reached out from beyond the walls of Dalhousie, both old and new colleagues, it’s been great to connect! I love hearing your thoughts and receiving your suggestions and feedback! Keep it coming! To those within the walls of Dalhousie and our School, I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for the support and guidance I receive as I settle into my position. Thank you all!
 
Our faculty have been hard at work evolving our programs in response to the changing landscape. The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy is undergoing a curriculum renewal in response to the new Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada, the Master of Science in Occupational Science program is expanding via the addition of a course-based stream, and the Certificate in Disability Management is enhancing its Universal Design for Learning and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy.
 
The Clinical Education Team held a 2-day Provincial Fieldwork Coordinators meeting in March to strategize ways to address current fieldwork challenges and preceptor feedback. We thank our coordinators from across the Atlantic provinces who attended this meeting and, of course, the preceptors who make our students’ fieldwork experiences possible! We look forward to acknowledging our preceptors in our 2nd Annual Preceptor Appreciation Pin ceremony in the fall.
 
We celebrate the scholarly achievements and contributions of our faculty members and graduate students. Several faculty members are recent recipients of research grants, including the Research Nova Scotia New Health Investigator Award (Shanon Phelan), Dalhousie Centre for Teaching and Learning Open Educational Resource Grant (Diane MacKenzie), Dalhousie University, Faculty of Health Research Development Grant (Diane MacKenzie and Sorayya Askari). I hope you will take a moment to read about the important work being done by our featured researchers Dr Brenda Beagan, Tara Pride and Kaitlin Sibbald.
 
Several faculty members will be attending the annual Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists conference in May in Saskatoon and also, more locally, the OT Atlantic Conference in Halifax in October. For those interested in submitting an abstract for the OT Atlantic Conference please click here.
 
We are excited to share that Diane MacKenzie has taken on a 3-year, 40% term position as the Faculty of Health Interprofessional Education (IPE) Coordinator. Diane has been a leader in interprofessional education over the last 15 years. Her wealth of experience and knowledge will support continued development of IPE within the Faculty of Health.
 
Spring and summer will fly by and before we know it, we’ll be into the fall. With lots of advance warning, clear your schedules and plan to attend the 20th Annual Kelly Bang Memorial Lectureship featuring our very own Amira Tawashy! As a member of a WHO assembled team of spinal cord injury (SCI) specialists, Amira will share her 10-week experience in the Rivne Oblast province in western Ukraine where she is helping to establish a Ukrainian national SCI rehabilitation centre. Stay tuned for more details of this upcoming event that will be held on September 21!
 
As I reflect on my first months as Director, I look toward the future with enthusiasm. Surrounded by an exceptional group of students, faculty, staff, leadership, and an engaged community, I have great confidence that we will collaboratively continue to progress, succeed, and overcome challenges we face.