francesca piddlesden
UBC MOT Info Night 2023: Thursday October 19, 6pm–7pm
Interested in becoming an occupational therapist? Find out more about our two-year MOT program at the upcoming Info Night.
This is D’HoPE: Diversifying Health and Human Service Professions Education
Find out about the second D’HoPE Summer Program, which is designed to help equity-denied high school and undergraduate students develop a sustained interest in a health profession education program of their choice.
Fieldwork placements needed for MOT students
We have about 50% of the placements we need. Please support the important fieldwork component of OT education.
Welcome to the MOT class of 2025
A warm welcome to our new MOT students in our Vancouver, Northern and Fraser cohorts.
Catherine Backman Retires
After 37 years of service, Dr. Catherine Backman has retired from UBC. Read about her career and legacy.
We will triple your donation to the Research Initiative Fund
Support the Department and maximize your gift as part of our crowdfundraising campaign!
Dr. Tal Jarus featured as an EDI Champion and Ally
Find out more about our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Champion, Dr. Tal Jarus and her motivation, challenges and vision on the same.
Calling alumni taught by Margaret Hood
Did you know there is a scholarship in Margaret Hood’s honour?
Protected: More Fieldwork Placements Needed
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Surb Atwal: Winner of the 2022 Chris Courtney Excellence in Fieldwork Education Award
Congratulations to our clinical instructor Surb Atwal, who won this year’s prestigious fieldwork education award.
Welcome to our new faculty members
Meet our accomplished new faculty members who joined the department in September.
Katie Lee Bunting’s values-based teaching celebrated by UBC Today
Find out more about Katie’s value-based teaching and read the in-depth UBC Today profile of her approach.
UBC MOT Info Night 2022: Thursday October 20, 6pm–7pm
Come along to a free information session and learn how you could become an occupational therapist.
MOT Class of 2022 celebrates with heart
Our MOT class of 2022 created a beautiful commemorative mural to present to the faculty team.
Recruitment: Postdoctoral Researcher for Knowledge Mobilization Program
New faculty member, Dr. Stephanie Glegg, is currently recruiting for a postdoctoral researcher. Find out more.
OSOT faculty contribute to the WFOT Congress 2022
This August, faculty members travelled to take part in the WFOT International Congress and were inspired by OT colleagues from around the world.
OSOT hosts the inaugural World Occupational Science Conference
WOSC takes place this week – find out more about the conference program, special events, book of abstracts and a forthcoming call for papers.
Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Fellow, CEDAR Brain Injury Lab
The CEDAR Brain Injury Lab is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow. Find out more about the details of the role.
Dr. Julia Schmidt receives Spring 2022 CIHR Project Grant
Dr. Julia Schmidt has been awarded a CIHR Project Grant to investigate the impact of peer support on people living with traumatic brain injury.
OSOT Department Photography call (with optional headshots)
We are refreshing our departmental photography on the OSOT website and in the OSOT quarterly newsletter, and we are holding an afternoon indoor photography shoot. Participants in the main shoot are also offered the opportunity to have outdoor professional headshots taken after the shoot (optional). Key details Date: Wednesday July 13 Time: 12:30pm-2:30pm (optional headshot session […]
Graduate Teaching Assistant Roles – MOT Academic Year 2022-2023
Send your CV and cover letter by July 12 to be considered for a 2022-2023 GTA role.
Make a difference: It’s the 40th Anniversary of the UBC Rehabilitation Sciences Alumni Bursary
Read more about the impact of this alumni-started bursary and consider helping to sustain its legacy.
May Graduation
Congratulations to our May graduates including from the Rehabilitation Sciences MSc and PhD programs and our MRSc program.
New undergraduate course: OSOT 301 Introduction to Human Occupation
Read more about our new undergraduate course for UBC students, which starts in September.
Celebrating the achievements of faculty and clinical faculty
Four special individuals from the Department were honoured at the 2022 Faculty of Medicine Academic Gowns and Emeriti Recognition Ceremony.
Register now for the 2022 Capstone Conference
This year’s conference takes place on Tuesday, July 26. Find out more.
‘Alone in the Ring’ wins the 2022 D2L Innovation Award
Read about the play’s innovative approach to learning, empathy and activism.
Leadership change for the Rehabilitation Science Online Programs (RSOP)
After four exemplary years of dedicated leadership of the Rehabilitation Science Online Programs (RSOP), Dr. Leslie Duran is stepping down as the Director of these important graduate programs. We are most grateful for Leslie’s creativity, calmness, and professionalism over these years as well as her sophisticated approach and attention to detail in the nuanced aspects of […]
Nominations for the Faculty of Medicine Teaching Awards
In 2020, we were thrilled to see MOT alumna Denise Kendrick recognized by the Faculty of Medicine with a Clinical Faculty Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching. In order to find out more about Denise’s approach to teaching, we asked her what she enjoys about being a member of the clinical faculty and whether she had […]
Research round up: Dr. Skye Barbic
With news of her promotion to Associate Professor, we thought we’d take the opportunity to highlight Skye’s most recent research projects and initiatives. Skye’s research interests at a glance Mental health Mental health rehabilitation Health outcomes measurement Skye’s Roles & Connections Foundry BC (Head Scientist) CHEOS (Scientist) Michael Smith Health Research BC (Scholar) Skye’s research […]
Decisions on Driving with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease
Have you ever wondered about the life cycle of a Capstone project? These projects, which are central to the MOT program, are designed to enhance students’ knowledge of research and use of evidence for practice; they begin in Term 2 of students’ very first year, and they give students the hands-on experience of collecting, analyzing, […]
Join our clinical faculty
Have you considered joining our clinical faculty? Do you have a colleague who would be a great fieldwork or classroom educator? We have a growing community of approximately 350 clinicians who hold part-time, unpaid appointments with the department. Our clinical faculty members are a key part of OSOT’s learning ecosystem, whether working with students on […]
Support the Louise McGregor Memorial Scholarship in Neurorehabilitation
Dr. Susan Harris, Professor Emerita with the Department of Physical Therapy, is encouraging donations to the McGregor Scholarship Fund that she endowed in 2005. The Louise McGregor Memorial Scholarship in Neurorehabilitation is endowed in memory of Louise McGregor, a former faculty member in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences. This award is offered to a MSc […]
Holiday closures
Please note that the department’s administrative offices will be closed over the winter holidays from December 24 until January 4. We will respond to any inquiries as soon as possible once we return. Wishing you all happy holidays and the very best for a relaxing, festive break, and we look forward to seeing everyone again […]
Donna Drynan receives Alumni Achievement Award
Associate Professor of Teaching, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Associate Head Donna Drynan has been recognized by the University of Toronto with a 2021 Occupational Therapy Alumni Achievement Award. The selection committee was particularly impressed with the extent of Donna’s leadership, not only for her key roles in our department, but also in recognition for her […]
Announcing DCD-14 (July 6-9)
We are pleased to be hosting the 14th International Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) Conference. The conference will take place July 6-9, and the theme for 2022 is DCD in the Real World, grouped into the following streams: It has been 20 years since Canada hosted the International DCD Conference in Banff, Alberta. We are very […]
Clinical Instructor Minnie Teng awarded grant for artificial intelligence healthcare project
We are delighted to see that Minnie Teng has been awarded a Compassion and Artificial Intelligence Grant from AMS Healthcare for her work on “Optimizing interactions between humans and artificial intelligence when administering remote cognitive assessments”. Her team is collaborating with people with disabilities to pilot remote assessments to evaluate how the design of human-computer-environment […]
UBC Health: Donna Drynan’s role as Director of Education
UBC Health UBC Health works under the Office of the Vice-President, Health to help address complex challenges affecting the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities, and societies. The initiative facilitates collaborations across disciplines and faculties at the UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, as well as with communities, institutions, and government organizations to improve the ways […]
Meet our new faculty members
With the expansion of our Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program and the ongoing need to increase our teaching staff, we are delighted to welcome three new Assistant Professors of Teaching to the faculty team. Jay MacDonald Elly Park Elisha Williams Jay joins the department in Vancouver, whilst Elly and Elisha are working in Prince […]
Congratulations to all our Graduates
On November 26, our graduating students officially received their degrees at UBC’s Fall 2021 Congregation. We extend a heart-felt congratulation to our graduates this year for their remarkable achievements. It is our pleasure to recognize: Our gifted Master of Occupational Therapy graduates Our exceptional MRSc graduates Our phenomenal PhD graduates We wish you the best […]
Catherine Backman wins the Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP) 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award
Catherine Backman has been awarded The Association of Rheumatology Professionals’ (ARP’s) 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the ARP’s highest honours. This award was bestowed in recognition of Catherine’s outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology, in particular her advocacy, service, and patient-centred research in arthritis. ARP President Christine Stamatos was full of praise for […]
Dr. Jill Zwicker receives Canada Research Chair
[Reposted from June 29, 2021] We are excited to announce that OSOT Associate Professor Dr. Jill Zwicker has been awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Pediatric Brain Development and Rehabilitation for her research in developmental coordinator disorder (DCD). This award will advance Dr. Zwicker’s research in developmental coordinator disorder (DCD), an underdiagnosed […]
Michael Lee awarded the 2021 Killam Teaching Prize
The Killam Teaching Prize is awarded annually to faculty nominated by students, colleagues and alumni in recognition of excellence in teaching. This April, Michael received the 2021 Killam Teaching Prize. He joins several other faculty members in receiving this honour, and notably during the pandemic. Michael is well-regarded by students, clinicians, educators, and scholars for […]
First year for our MOT-North program in Prince George
Applications are now open for our Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program. In addition to the program being taught, as usual, at UBC’s Point Grey Vancouver campus, we are also launching the new northern program at UNBC in Prince George. Students in both the MOT-Vancouver and MOT-North programs will be taught by the same instructors […]
The first World Occupational Science Conference will be in Vancouver
We are pleased to have partnered with the International Society for Occupational Science to host the inaugural World Occupational Science Conference (WOSC). Taking place August 18-20, 2022 at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, a number of keynote and featured speakers have already been announced. Registration to attend will open in the new year. Featured Speakers Keynote: Lilian […]
Registration open for MOT applicants
Thinking about becoming an occupational therapist? Our Masters of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is now open for applications. Here’s some useful links to get started: Read more about the program Check admission requirements Note the key dates, fees and guidance Follow our step-by-step guide to applying The application deadline for the September 2022 intake is […]
Welcome to our new website
In case you haven’t noticed, we have refreshed our website! Things will be new for a while, and we’ll keep improving the site over the next few weeks. See anything that doesn’t seem right? Can’t find what you’re looking for? Have any other comments or suggestions? Please email us with your feedback at os.ot@ubc.ca with […]
MOT-North Info Session
Thursday October 7, 5:00-6:00pm We are pleased to be launching a new program in partnership with UNBC. If you are interested in becoming an occupational therapist, and would like to work in Northern, remote or rural areas, the Master of Occupational Therapy – North could be for you. Find out more at this free info […]