Fall 2022 Research Highlights

By Dr. Niki Kiepek, Interim Director | School of Occupational Therapy

August, 2022 marked the inaugural World of Occupational Science Conference, sponsored in part by the Dalhousie School of Occupational Therapy. I am proud to share with you the breadth of scholarship shared by our own faculty, MScOS students, and affiliated faculty.

SOT faculty
Pre-conference workshop - Global Classroom: Diversifying perspectives in occupational science on structural inequality
Lynn Shaw, Gail Whiteford, Eric Asaba.

Justice-Involved Refugee Youth: Engaging in occupation through gang membership
Sara Abdo

Building a conceptual understanding of crime as occupation
Crystal Dieleman, Mathieu Dumont, Dominique Shephard

Reflections from a decolonising community-of-practice: Lessons for knowledge generation in occupational science
Ana Paula Serrata Malfitano. Liesl Peters, Heidi Lauckner, Roshan Galvaan, Nerida Hyett, Chontel Gibson, Leanne Leclair.

Migration and human displacement: Global dialogic on the contribution of occupational science
Suzanne Huot. Margarita Mondaca, Nadine Blankvoort, Mary Black, Yda Smith, Sara Abdo, Anne-Cécile Delaisse, Atieh Razavi Yekta, Natasha Damiano, Holly Reid, Concettina Trimboli,
Natalia Rivas-Quarneti.

Criminalization of occupations
Niki Kiepek

What if inclusion was radical?: Centering belonging and agency in inclusion today
Shanon K. Phelan. Paige Reeves.

The (radical) role of belonging in expanding and shifting understandings of social inclusion
Paige Reeves. David McConnell, Shanon Phelan.

The Belonging Project: Conditions that support belonging for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Paige Reeves. David McConnell, Shanon Phelan.

Making it work: The invisible work of mothers in pursuit of inclusion
Shanon K. Phelan.  Jessica Harasym, Paige Reeves, Dana Eckl, Dana McKie, Meghan Harris.

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MScOS students

Becoming occupational scientists
Catherine Rose Talastas.  Marcel Nazabal Amores, Brittany Bhatnagar, Colleen Diggins, Jean MacEachern, Niki Kiepek.

An occupational and ecocultural perspective on inclusive childcare and early education: The family experience
Colleen M. Diggins. Sarah A. Moore, Christine Ha, Shanon K. Phelan.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the occupational engagement of youth
Catherine Rose Talastas. Parisa Ghanouni.

Music listening reduces anxiety during medical and dental procedures: What about context?
Marcel Nazabal Amores. Niki Kiepek.

Analyzing Philippine inclusive education policies in primary schools: An occupational justice perspective
Jay Allen Bajar Villon. Catherine Rose Talastas.

Professor Emerita
Occupational science propositions about health promotion: Implications for including non-WEIRD perspectives
Clare Hocking. Ema Tokolahi, Elizabeth Townsend.

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Adjunct professors

Promoting an ‘unconference’ space for transformation of occupational science through critical dialogue
Lisette Farias. Rebecca Aldrich, Debbie Laliberte Rudman, Lilian Magalhaes, Roshan Galvaan.

Is occupational therapy an ableist health profession?
Michael Sy. Daryl Patrick Yao, Pauline Gail Martinez, Elizabeth Laboy.

Decolonizing occupational science: (Re)constructing the science that we want and need
Rudolfo Morrisson. Lisette Farias, Daniela Olivares, Enrique Henny, Ricardo Banda.

Visual methods for exploring narratives in occupations of caring
Anneliese Lilienthal.  Lisette Farias, Eric Asaba.

Community engagement for social inclusion in substance abuse and HIV in Zimbabwe
Clement Nhunzvi. Edwin Mavindidze, Davison Samanyada, Biggy Dziro, Lisa Langhaug, Richard Harding, Roshan Galvaan.

How are “hidden occupations” taught in contemporary higher education?
Charmaine Kristabel de Vera. Micheal Sy.

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During the World Federation of Occupational Therapists Conference, hosted the week following the  World of Occupational Science Conference, we likewise shared a breadth of stellar scholarship internationally!

SOT faculty

Leading a path toward reconciliation between occupational therapy and Indigenous Peoples in Canada: A national occupational therapy truth and reconciliation taskforce
Kaarina Valavaara

International Society of Wheelchair Professionals’ (ISWP) learning modules for wheelchair service providers
Amira Tawashy

Healthcare services to support transition of individuals with autism to adulthood
Parisa Ghanouni

"There’s so much more tied to that drink than just the drink”: What substance use can tell us about the meanings of everyday occupations
Niki Kiepek

Making it work: The invisible work of mothers of children experiencing disability in the pursuit of inclusion in school settings
Shanon Phelan

Adjunct professors
 
Developing contextually congruent Supported Education: reflecting on decolonial methodologies
Roshan Galvaan

Enacting global collaboration to support decolonizing efforts within occupation-based education and scholarship
Lisette Farias

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2022 was a big year for conferences, with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Conference taking place earlier this year.

SOT faculty and students

Client-centered practice challenges for therapists from marginalized groups
Brenda Beagan, Kaitlin Sibbald, Tara Pride, Stephanie Bizzeth

Correlates of cognitive fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis
Sorayya Askari, Neda Alizadeh

Interpersonal skills among adults with autism spectrum disorder: Subjective experiences
Maxwell Trottier-Chi, Parisa Ghanouni

Ableism on the job: Canadian disabled healthcare professionals’ embodied experiences
Michelle Owen, Shayla McMillan, Kaitlin Sibbald, Josephine Etowa

What do we know about multiple sclerosis cognitive fatigue interventions?

Sorayya Askari, Keri Harvey

My apologies if I missed anyone - the programs are easy to get lost in! Of course, our faculty present outside OT and OS conferences as well, so although I have not listed other conferences here, the work beyond these three conferences is greatly appreciated.

This is just one example of the many reasons we have to be proud of the work being done by the School of Occupational Therapy faculty, students, and partners!