Incoming Director's Message Fall 2022

By Dr. Paula Rushton

I am honored to take on the role of Director within Dalhousie’s School of Occupational Therapy* and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in person when I begin this new role in January. In the meantime, I wanted to take this opportunity to briefly introduce myself and let you know how excited I am to be a part of the School and the OT community that is an integral part of its success.
 
I come to you from an Associate Professor role in the School of Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy Program at the University of Montréal and a researcher at the CHU Ste-Justine Research Center. My research interests focus on measurement, intervention, knowledge translation and education related to improving the wheeled mobility of children and adults through an improved wheelchair service provision process.  My collaborative leadership style has been honed, in part, through my involvement overseeing international research groups.
 
I can see that Dalhousie School of Occupational Therapy has made a name for itself by striving for interdisciplinary teaching excellence, research impact, innovative action and collaborative community. Looking ahead - the intent is to build on these existing relationships with a goal of fostering a space that encourages a diverse range of voices, shared creative ideas and fresh perspectives. In this way we can continue to evolve into the School that challenges the status quo and advances well-being in everyday life through occupation, leadership and community. I hope you will continue to be a part of this journey as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary. 

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*Dr. Paula Rushton will be joining Dalhousie School of Occupational Therapy in January of 2023.