M argaret R. Hood was the founding
head of the occupational therapy
program at UBC when it opened in
1961. She deposited her notes on the
history of establishing the School of
Rehabilitation Medicine and the first
occupational therapy curriculum in the
UBC archives, and last year I enjoyed
several hours browsing the collection of
curriculum plans and correspondence.
Meetings held in the mid-1950s show
tha t oc cupa t i ona l t he rap i s t s ,
physicians, and representatives from a
long list of organizations were actively
fundraising and lobbying government
and the University to establish a
p r og r a m . M a ny e f f o r t s w e r e
coordinated with physical therapists
and support came from provincial
cerebral palsy, arthritis, tuberculosis,
muscular dystrophy, polio, and other
societies, as well as Lions and Kinsmen
clubs and Workman’s Compensation
Board. Miss Hood relocated to BC from
Ontario in the 1950s to take on the
position of occupational therapy
supervisor at the WCB, served as BCSOT
President, and was secretary to the
committee to establish a school of
rehabilitation.
In 2013 we celebrate the 100th
anniversary of Margaret Hood’s birth:
September 25, 1913. Please “save the
date” – September 25, 2013, when we
will host alumni and friends to an
evening at the Beaty Biodiversity
Museum at UBC – which now occupies
the site very near Hut B3, the hub of
Volume 4, Issue 4
Oct—Dec 2012
the School of
Rehabilitation
Medicine when
M a r g a r e t
retired in 1979.
We’d love to
h e a r y o u
reminisce about
working with
Margaret at
WCB, UBC, or
volunteering
with BCSOT.
Please share
your stories
and photos by submitting to [email protected]
or mailing to the OSOT Department.
Margaret R. Hood, Head, UBC Occupational Therapy
1961-1979
Catherine Backman, Professor & Head Celebrating the Founding Head
OT LENS
Newsletter of The Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
I n 2009-2010 I completed data
collection for my doctoral research
studying early childhood in war. I was
Theresa McElroy, OT, MIH, PhD After the Research:
based in northern Uganda, a region
emerging from 20 years of vicious
conflict. In 2009, three years after
hostilities ceased, almost a third of the
population remained in displacement
camps and people were struggling to
rebuild their rural agrarian lives. My
research was a focused ethnography
using multiple methods to explore
varied views on early childhood health
and development. The emergent data
painted a picture of circumstance that
seriously thwarted caregivers from
employing their extensive knowledge
and traditional care practices to
protect and nurture their youngest
children. War left children exposed to
numerous, cumulative risk factors that
previous research has documented as
threats to long-term developmental
potential.
While in the field, advocacy for early
childhood programming led to my working
with international organizations, local
gove rnmen t , commun i ty ba sed
organizations (CBO) and community
members to plan and establish two early
childhood care and development (ECCD)
centres run by farmer groups returning to
villages in Pabo district. I left Uganda
before the centres were fully functioning
and throughout the years wondered about
their fate. This Christmas an email update
came; one centre succeeded and the other
failed due to a rift between community
members. The model of program delivery
was re-worked and the leading CBO went
on to launch 7 more “community owned”
ECCD centres. These new centres are not
tied to any particular group of individuals,
but to local primary schools and therefore
are accessible to all. The news was the
highlight of my doctoral journey - 8 months
after graduation.
UB
C A
rch
ives
ima
ge
5.1
/13
92
Community Owned Early Childhood and
Development Centres in Northern Uganda
OT Lens Page 2
OCTOBER The 3rd annual FoM Mixer
on October 12 welcomed new students
and celebrated the depth and breadth
of the Faculty’s Education and
Research Programs. The event
attracted over 470 students, faculty
members, researchers and health
professionals from various programs,
departments and health community.
October 27th UBC Alumni and Friends
gathered at the Coast Hotel downtown
to share lunch and celebrate OT month.
The event was well attended and much
appreciated. We look forward to
making the luncheon a tradition.
NOVEMBER The MOT class of 2013
wins the National gOT Spirit Challenge
with their creative and powerful video
message Because of OT, I Can,
viewable on our webpage or on
Youtube with more than 51,000 views
so far! Congratulations to the creative
team.
DECEMBER 40 Under 40 (see below)
JANUARY The first Faculty of
Medicine Telehealth retreat took place
on January 17th with 27 participants
representing 14 departments. The
group developed 6 action steps toward
delivering health-care across the
province and nation-wide using
communications technology.
OSOT Timeline
LENS ON …
Salim Janmohamed (MBA, BSc OT '98), now the Managing Director for Community Therapists in Burnaby,
was featured in the December issue of Business in Vancouver's “Forty under 40”, in which the
magazine highlights the achievement of BC's outstanding entrepreneurs, executives, managers and
professionals in public or private business and non-profit sectors. Winners are under 40, from a wide
range of industries, and have demonstrated excellence in business judgment, leadership and community
contribution at a relatively young age.
Community Therapists, an interdisciplinary rehabilitation practice headquartered in Burnaby, BC,
provides community-based rehabilitation and specialized rehabilitation assessments and programs to clients funded by
ICBC, WorkSafeBC, Health Authorities, Ministries, Law Firms and other government agencies. It is the largest privately
operated community based rehabilitation practice in British Columbia with over 90 healthcare and administrative
personnel including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, kinesiologists and operations staff.
Outstanding in Their Field
Dr. Susan Forwell has been named Scholar in Residence and awarded the
Barbara Sexton Lectureship for 2013 for the University of Western
Ontario’s Department of Occupational Therapy. The Barbara Sexton
Lectureship was established in 1999 to reward innovation and excellence in
occupational therapy teaching and to foster professional enrichment.
Clinical Faculty member Kim Calsaferri is co-recipient of the 2012 BC
Health Association Legacy Award to recognize the collaborative focus of
her contributions in the health community. Over the past 20 years or
more, she has been passionate about, and dedicated to building
relationships which bring people with mental illness, families, and mental
health professionals together to share talents,
skills and experiences to build a better mental
health system.
Catherine Backman strikes the OT pose with a gaggle of aspiring OTs at the
Faculty of Medicine Mixer in October.
Volume 4, Issue 4 Page 3
O ccupational therapists now have even more choice and
flexibility when doing the online Master of Rehabilitation
Science (MRSc) program. The new course-based option
announced last Fall provides learners with the choice of taking
more courses or completing a small practice-based research
project. Although the research project allows learners the
opportunity to study a particular interest in depth, some
learners met with barriers that made completing the research
more difficult. Now learners can continue to focus their studies
on a specific area by taking additional elective courses. It’s
now possible to complete the MRSc in one year if studying full-
time. For more information visit our website at
www.mrsc.ubc.ca
Change Your Thinking —
Change your Practice
Master of Rehabilitation Science
Now Offers a Course-based
Option
L ast August Andrea Walus moved from her
position as Administrative Coordinator of the
Rehabilitation Science Online Programs to
Development Coordinator at the Faculty of Applied
Sciences. She had been with the Department of
OS&OT for 7 years and is missed greatly but reports
enjoying her new position
immensely!
Andrea’s replacement, Claire
Ca r i g i , h a s e x ten s i v e
experience in di stance
learning. She worked for the
Commonwealth of Learning for
nine years where she was the
educational coordinator for
five UN agencies, supporting up
to 1200 learners per year.
Welcome Claire!
Changing Staff
From left to right: Associate Director Mary Clark,
Administrative Manager Andrea Walus and Director Sue
Claire Carigi
Our Latest Graduates
W e continue to graduate leaders in rehabilitation who
give back to their practice in many ways. Last
November the following three graduates received their Master
of Rehabilitation Science.
Congratulations to all.
Mireille Delorme, Occupational Therapist, Eganville, Ontario
Topic: Fall Prevention for the Elderly: An Exploration of Roles
Tammam El-Khodor, Occupational Therapist, Montreal
Topic: Nurses’ Perception of Occupational Therapy in an Acute
Care Hospital
Kim Mullens, Occupational Therapist, Toronto
Topic: Service Providers' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards the
Recovery Paradigm in a Secure Forensic Mental Health Unit
APPLICATION DEADLINES FOR A
SEPTEMBER 2013 START
April 30, 2013
Master of Rehabilitation Science
May 15, 2013
Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation
ONLINE PROGRAMS
Save the Date!
Capstone Conference
August 29, 2013 at the
Vancouver Public Library Central
Branch.
The Department of Occupational Science
& Occupational Therapy supports three
graduate academic programs.
The Master in Occupational Therapy
(MOT) program, for those looking to
practice professionally as an
Occupational Therapist;
The Master of Science (MSc) and PhD
programs in Rehabilitation Sciences, for
those interested in research credentials
and the science of occupation; and
The online Master of Rehabilitation
Science (MRSc) for practitioners
interested in obtaining a graduate
degree that will advance their career
and be obtained while working.
T325 2211 Wesbrook Mall
UBC Hospital - Koerner Pavilion
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6T 2B5
Phone: 604.822.7392
Fax: 604.822.7624
/ubcosot
osot.ubc.ca
@ubcosot
Watch the OSOT Highlight Video on
This newsletter can be found in PDF form with
active links on our website.
The British Columbia Hospice Palliative Care Association's 2013
Annual Conference takes place June 2-3, 2013 at the Sheraton
Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond, BC. This year’s theme is
Moving Forward Together - Collaborating with creativity and
compassion.
Back by popular demand, Dr Bashir Jiwani will be speaking on
ethical issues. The second keynote speaker will be Nontombi
Naomi Tutu who will present on the Sub-Saharan Hospice
experience. You can read more about the two keynote speakers
on the conference website.
Do you provide Hospice Palliative Care? If so, you are invited to
submit an abstract to make an oral or poster presentation at the
conference. Visit the conference website for more details on the
abstract submission process. All submissions must be made by the
deadline of Sunday, January 27, 2013 (17:00 PST).
For more information and to sign up for our e-newsletters, visit
t h e w e b s i t e : w w w . b c h p c a . o r g o r c o n t a c t
BC Hospice Palliative Care Association
Fieldwork Notes
W elcome to our recent appointees to the rank of Clinical
Instructor:
Tracy Adams; Melissa Austin; Giovanna Boniface; Jeff
Boniface; Katie Bunting; Katherine Elissat; Jennifer Glasgow;
Brian Lam; Angela Louie; Patty Mason; Kat McKall; Ivonne
Montgomery; Jennifer Persello; and Wendy Tse.
The 'Fieldwork' section of our website, http://osot.ubc.ca/
fieldwork/clinicians/, has a variety of resources and tools available
for clinicians and preceptors. The Competency-Based Fieldwork
Education forms are available at http://video.med.ubc.ca/videos/
osot/fieldwork/strategies/UBC_OT_Evaluation_Tools_Forms.doc, and information about our free Fieldwork Educators Workshops
can be found at http://osot.ubc.ca/fieldwork/clinicians/
workshops/.
FYI: An alternate placement model presentation will be
taking place at VCH bridges.
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