Michael Lee, MBA, PDOT, 3M National Teaching Fellow, Killam Laureate

My research interests and specialization lie in four main areas, with the first three focused on education research & scholarship of teaching and learning, with the fourth area being clinically focused:

1. teaching practices that foster students’ wellbeing, including undergraduate and graduate students wellbeing;
2. inclusive campus and universal design in learning that support university students with disabilities to excel in their occupation of learning;
3. occupational therapy education research; and
4. occupation participation for people with mental health concerns

As a believer in constructivism, my philosophy in teaching is to enable learners to construct and interpret their understanding of knowledge and reality through active and collaborative learning. Underscoring the importance of affective and cognitive aspects of learning, I bring Fink’s “human dimensions” domain to my teaching and use Cognitive Load Theory to guide content delivery. Integrating my research findings into my teaching, I intentionally apply teaching strategies that support students’ wellbeing in my classes.

As an educator who values students’ success in constructing new knowledge that is meaningful to them, I prioritize addressing students’ motivation and making learning relevant to their life. Addressing students as whole people, valuing their intrinsic meaning of learning, and fostering their wellbeing are key to me when designing a class, a course, or a curriculum.

As deep learning calls upon meaning-making and relevancy to the learner, it is critical for us as teachers in higher education to rethink the purpose and value of education. As a teacher of health professionals, I echo Philip Candy’s sentiment:

“What if education […] is not primarily about the absorption of ideas and information, but about the formation of hearts and desires? What if we began by appreciating how education not only gets into our heads but also (and more fundamentally) grabs us by the gut? What if education was primarily concerned with shaping our hopes and passions?” (from Candy, P. (1991). Self-direction for lifelong learning: A comprehensive guide to theory and practice. Jossey-Bass Publishers.)

Hence, I believe: 

• An educator needs to create a safe space for students to identify their prior learning and collaboratively construct new knowledge.  
• An effective teacher must provide a variety of learning avenues for students with different learning styles to experience, to reflect, to conceptualize, and to test their learning.
• An inspiring instructor needs to not only address knowledge and skill acquisition, but also acknowledge learners’ values and motivations to make learning relevant and meaningful to them.
• The ultimate goal for a healthcare educator is to transform a student into a skilled clinician with a heart to foster recovery.

I enjoy teaching the psychosocial aspects of illness, especially enabling occupational participation through promoting recovery for people living with mental health concerns. I am also interested in clinical reasoning skills in occupational therapy practice, as well as program and outcome evaluations. I am passionate about interprofessional (IP) education and work collaboratively with other educators to develop IP curricula.

I focus on educating future occupational therapists as entry-level therapists at the Master’s level and I am not currently supervising any research students.

• Registrant, College of Occupational Therapists in British Columbia
• Affiliated Investigator, Vancouver Coastal Health
• Member and volunteer, Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
• Member and volunteer, Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, BC Chapter
• Member, Board of Directors, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada
• Co-chair, Certification Committee, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada
• Member, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada
• Member, US Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association

*link to articles provided when possible*

Jarus, T., Krupa, T., Mayer, Y., Battalova, A., Bulk, L.Y., Lee, M., Nimmon, L., Earllene R. (2022). Negotiating Legitimacy and Belonging: The Experiences of students and Practitioners with Disabilities in Health Professions. Medical Education, https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.15002

Mayer, Y., Shalev, M., Nimmon, L., Krupa, T., Bulk, L. Y., M., Battalova, A., Lee, M., & Jarus, T. (2022). Social Support Experiences of Students and Clinicians with Disabilities in Health Professions Advances in Health and Science Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-022-10169-9

Hammell, K. W., Laliberte-Rudmen, D., Zafran, H., Schmidt, J., Lee Bunting, K., Bulk, L.Y., Grenier, M.L., Désormeaux-MoreauU, M., Lee, M., Jarus, T., Mortenson, W. B. (2022) Unbecoming change agents. (2022). Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1177/00084174221089708

Wang, C., Ao, L., Wang, L., Jiang, F., Zhou, Y., Liao, P., & Lee, M.  (2020). Promoting mental wellbeing through internet during COVID-19: A case report in Yunnan, China. The World Federation of Occupational Therapist Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1080/14473828.2020.1821499

Battalova, A., Bulk, L., Nimmon, L., Hole, R., Krupa, T., Lee, M., Mayer, Y., & Jarus, T. (2020). “I can understand where they’re coming from”: How clinicians’ disability experiences shape their interaction with clients. Qualitative Health Research, https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732320922193  

Bulk, L. Y., Tikhonova, J., Gagnon, J. M., Battalova, A., Mayer, Y., Krupa, T., Lee, M., Nimmon, L., & Jarus, T. (2020). Disabled healthcare professionals’ diverse, embodied, and socially embedded experiences. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 25(1), 111–129.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-019-09912-6  

Jarus, T., Bezati, R., Trivett, S., Lee, M., Bulk, L. Y., Battalova, A., Mayer, Y., Murphy, S., Gerber, P., & Drynan, D. (2019). Professionalism and disabled clinicians: the client’s perspective. Disability and Society, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2019.1669436  

Wada, M., Suto, M. J., Lee, M., Sanders, D., Sun, C., Le, T. N., Goldman-Hasbun, J., & Chauhan, S. (2019). University students’ perspectives on mental illness stigma. Mental Health & Prevention, 14, 200159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mph.2019.200159  

Easterbrook, A., Bulk, L., Lee, M., Marlee, G., Opini, O., Parhar, G., & Jarus, T. (2018). University gatekeepers’ use of the rhetoric of citizenship to relegate the status of students with disabilities in health and human service programs. Journal Disability and Society, 34(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2018.1505603  

Lysaght, R., Thomas, A., Schmitz, C., Lee, M., & Bossers, A. (2018). Expanding the foundation of occupational therapy educational research – A Canadian initiative. World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin, 74(1), 52–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/14473828.2017.1384126  

Lee, M., Wada, M. Carter, K., Goldman-Hasbun, J., Nga Le, T., Pang, M., Ma, C., Hambler, P., Sun, C., & Jung, D. (2018). Conducting a university student mental health needs assessment using a participatory action research approach. SAGE Research Methods Cases. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781526446664 

Lane, K., Teng, M. Y-C, Barnes, S., Moore, K., & Lee, M. (2018). Using appreciative inquiry to understand the role of teaching practices in student well-being at a research-intensive university. Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2018.2.10  

Bulk, L. Y., Easterbrook, A., Roberts, E., Groening, M., Murphy, S., Lee, M., Ghanouni, P., Gagnon, J., Jarus, T. (2017). “We are not anything alike”: Marginalization of health professionals with disabilities. Disability & Society, 1–20.  https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1308247

Schmitz, C., Lysaght, R., Peterson, M, Lee, M., & Thomas, A. (2017). Establishing collective priorities for occupational therapy educational research in Canada. OTNow, 19.5. 28–29.  

Lee, M., & Iyqbal, I. (2017). Backward Course Design. This Changed My Teaching. http://thischangedmypractice.com/backward-course-design/  

Thomas, T., Bossers, A., Lee, M., & Lysaght, R. (2016). Occupational therapy education research: Results of a national survey. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70, 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2014.685S06  

Easterbrook, A., Bulk, L., Ghanouni, P., Lee, M., Opini, B., Roberts, E., Parhar, G., & Jarus, T. (2015). The legitimization process of students with disabilities in health and human service educational programs in Canada. Disability & Society, 30, 1505–1520. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2015.1108183  

Eccott, L., Hall, W., Newton, C., Lee, M., Greig, A., & Wood, V. (2012). Evaluating students’ perceptions of an interprofessional problem-based pilot learning project. Journal of Allied Health, 41, 185–189