BS (OT) (San Jose), MA (OT)(S. Calif.), PhD (Educational Studies) (UBC)
Assistant Professor
T325 – 2211 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5
Office: T-333 Koerner
Tel: 604-822-7395 Fax: 604-822-7624
Profile-Research-Teaching-Memberships-Publications
Research Graduate Student Opportunities
Current Research Graduate Students- Melinda supervises MSc and PhD students and serves as a committee member on several thesis research committees.
Future Research Graduate Students – Melinda is open to supervise new MSc and PhD program students. She encourages PhD students to investigate funding options one year in advance of applying to the program. Visit the Rehabilitation Sciences Research Graduate Programs Website for more information.
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody else has seen
and thinking what no one else has thought
- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi -
Occupational Profile
Dr. Melinda Suto immigrated to Canada after graduating from San José State University and decided that it was imperative to live somewhere other than sunny California. After her first occupational therapist position with children who had profound developmental disabilities, Melinda worked at Burnaby Mental Health Day Program for five enjoyable years. Intellectual curiosity prompted a return to school where she received a MA in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California, supervised by anthropologist Dr. Gelya Frank. After teaching in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences for a number of years, Melinda completed a PhD in Educational Studies at UBC. She has a long-standing interest in how people use time, particularly moments that are unencumbered by the demands of employment. When those moments (or days) arise, Melinda enjoys bicycling, traveling, seeing films, gardening, practicing yoga, training her dog, and getting away from her computer.
Research Interests and Specialization
Melinda’s research interests include mental health, mental illness (specializing in mood disorders and schizophrenia), stigma and recovery; conceptualizing leisure and how participation is shaped by beliefs, environments, and transitions; and exploring how the occupation of gardening contributes to the health and well-being of individuals and communities. She is concerned with how bipolar disorder influences leisure, work, and friendships. Melinda’s interest in this area arises from ongoing relationships with people who live with bipolar disorder, previous experiences working in community and inpatient treatment centres, and teaching Psychosocial Occupational Therapy.
Melinda specializes in conducting research from a qualitative inquiry paradigm, drawing on ethnographic and phenomenological traditions in her own work and in collaborative research with colleagues and graduate students. She recently co-authored a book, Qualitative Research for Occupational and Physical Therapists (2008), with Dr. Christine Carpenter of Coventry University. Melinda is initiating a program of research around gardening and health that will utilize mixed methods and draw in researchers from other disciplines, as well as community partners. Melinda is open to the development and use of a variety of data gathering methods and analytic approaches (both standard and novel) that will provide the best answer to the research question. Melinda works closely with CREST.BD team leader Dr. Erin Michalak and values working in this well-functioning, interdisciplinary group of researchers. With Dr. Michalak and other team members, Melinda is conducting a study that describes the self-management strategies that individuals with bipolar disorders use to stay well. See the CREST.BD webpage for further information http://wwww.crestbd.ca.
Teaching Interests
Melinda takes a constructivist approach to teaching and learning. This is characterized by a recognition that learning is a dynamic process and that there are multiple perspectives possible to understand phenomena (people, problems, circumstances). A person who seeks to ‘know” something achieves this, in part, by analyzing and interpreting her or his experiences and interactions with environments. Rather than receiving or replicating knowledge from authorities, learners take responsibility for constructing knowledge through participation in and reflection on selected activities. Mistakes made in applying principles or using concepts effectively offer opportunities for dialogue and exploration of the learner’s thinking processes, and potential adjustment of the instructor’s approach. Melinda has considerable interest and experience with teaching and learning in the following areas:
- Mental health issues (especially mood disorders and schizophrenia) and their impact on occupations
- Qualitative methodologies (particularly ethnography and phenomenology) and research methods
- Occupational therapy theory (leisure) and occupational performance components (affective, cognitive)
- Interpersonal communication; group dynamics and leadership
Melinda was awarded a UBC Killam Teaching Prize in 2008.
Activities and Memberships
Member, American Occupational Therapy Association
Member, British Columbia Society of Occupational Therapists
Member, Canadian Society of Occupational Scientists
Member, Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Member, College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia
Member, Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial issues in Bipolar Disorder (CREST.BD)
Selected Publications
*link to articles provided when possible*
Horsman, M., Suto, M., Dudgeon, B., & Harris, S.R. (2010). Ageing with cerebral palsy: Psychosocial issues. Age and Ageing, 39(3), 294-299.
Murray, G., Suto, M., Hole, R., Hale, S., Amari, E., & Michalak, E.E. (2010). Self-management strategies used by ‘high functioning’ individuals with bipolar disorder: From research to clinical practice. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, epub ahead of print.
Suto, M., Murray, G., Hale, S., Amari, E., & Michalak, E.E. (2010). What works for people with bipolar disorder? Tips from the experts. Journal of Affective Disorders, 124, 76-84.
Suto, M. (2009). Compromised careers: The occupational transition of immigration and resettlement. WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, 32, 417-429.
Carpenter, C., & Suto, M. (2008). Qualitative research for occupational and physical therapists: A practical guide. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Suto, M. (2004). Exploring leisure meanings that inform client-centered practice. In K.W. Hammell & C. Carpenter (Eds.), Evidence-based rehabilitation: Informing practice through qualitative research (pp. 27-39). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Harcourt Brace.
Purves, B. & Suto, M. (2004). In limbo: Creating continuity of identity in a discharge planning unit. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71, 173-181.
