Current research
Improving everyday lives
As one of Canada’s leading research universities, Dalhousie attracts millions in research grants and awards annually. The School of Occupational Therapy is one of 8 schools and colleges in the Faculty of Health. Please see our faculty listing for current research interests.
If you are applying for our Master of Science - Occupational Science research thesis stream, please connect with the faculty member(s) who may be best suited to supervise you as you pursue your research interests. See profiles here.
Occupational Science Research Updates
Askari S, Harvey K, & Sam-Odutola M. (2023). Patients experience of cognitive fatigue post-stroke: an exploratory study. Disability and rehabilitation, 1–8. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2023.2280065
Beagan BL, Bizzeth S, Pride T, Sibbald K. (2022). LGBTQ+ identity concealment and disclosure within the (heteronormative) health professions: “Do I? Do I not? And what are the potential consequences?” [Open Access] SSM – Qualitative Research in Health, 2, 100114. https://10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100114
Bizzeth SR, Beagan BL. (2023).“Ah, it’s best not to mention that here”: Experiences of LGBTQ+ health professionals in (heteronormative) workplaces in Canada. Frontiers in Sociology, 8: 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1138628
Beagan BL, Sibbald KR, Bizzeth SR, Pride TM. (2023). Factors influencing LGBTQ+ disclosure decision-making by Canadian health professionals: A qualitative study. [Open Access] PLOS One, 18(2): e0280558. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280558
Beagan BL, Bizzeth SR, Etowa JB. (2023). Interpersonal, institutional and structural racism in Canadian nursing: A culture of silence. [Open Access] Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 55(2): 195-205. https://doi.org/10.1177/08445621221110140
Beagan BL, Bizzeth SR, Sibbald KR, Etowa JB. (2022). Epistemic racism in the health professions: A qualitative study with Black women in Canada. [Open Access] Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine. Advance online. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634593221141605
Beagan BL, MacLeod A, Owen M, Pride T, Sibbald KR. (2022). Lower-class origins in Canadian health and social service professions: “A different level of understanding.” Social Science & Medicine, 115233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115233
Best KL, Rushton PW, Sheriko J, Arbour-Nicitopoulos KP, Dib T, Kirby RL, Lamontagne ME, Moore SA, Ouellet B, & Routhier F. (2023). Effectiveness of wheelchair skills training for improving manual wheelchair mobility in children and adolescents: protocol for a multicenter randomized waitlist-controlled trial. BMC Pediatrics, 23(1), 1–485. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-023-04303-8
Burrola-Mendez Y, Kirby RL, Rushton PW, Contepomi S, Tawashy AE, Kankipati P, Jiménez García N, Terhorst L, Goldberg M, & Pearlman J. (2023). Psychometric properties of the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals’ basic manual wheelchair-service-provision knowledge Test Version 1 and development of Version 2. PloS One, 18(3), e0281584–e0281584. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281584
Dib T, Burrola-Mende Y, Brûlé-Ouimette L., Fung KHM, Lecavalier M, & Rushton PW. (2023). The French-Canadian WheelCon for manual wheelchair users: paediatric adaptation and preliminary evaluation of its measurement properties. Disability and Rehabilitation, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2023.2203950
Kiepek N. (in press). Occupation in the Anthropocene. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy.
Kiepek N, & Ausman C. (2023). “You are you, but you are also your profession”: Nebulous boundaries of personal substance use. Contemporary Drug Problems, 50(1), 63–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/00914509221132301
Kiepek N, Ausman C. Beagan B, & Patten, S. (2022) “A reward for surviving the day”: Women professionals’ experiences of substance use in comparison to men. Performance Enhancement & Health, 10(2), 100200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2022.100220
Kiepek N, Beagan B, & Patten S. (2022). Reflecting on conceptualisations of ‘meaning’ in occupational therapy. Brazilian Journal of Occupational Therapy / Cadernos Brasileiros de Terapia Ocupacional, 30, e3156. https://doi.org/10.1590/2526-8910.ctoARF24193156
Kiepek N, Ausman C, Beagan B, & Patten, S. (2022). Substance use and meaning: Transforming occupational participation and experience. Brazilian Journal of Occupational Therapy / Cadernos Brasileiros de Terapia Ocupacional, 30, e3037. https://doi.org/10.1590/2526-8910.ctoAO23023037
Pride T, Beagan BL, MacLeod A, Sibbald K. (2022) Educational experiences of health professionals from marginalized groups: “It definitely takes more work.” Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, Early online. https://10.1080/15595692.2022.2149485
Robert M, Labbé M, Hebinck M, Périnet-Lacroix R, Albert U, -Nicitopoulos KA, Boulenger A, Batcho C, Maltais D, Rushton P, & Best K. (2023). Education and Measurement are the Top Priorities to Advance Physical Literacy for Individuals with Physical Disabilities. Physical Activity and Health, 7(1), 103–114. https://doi.org/10.5334/paah.219
Sibbald KR, Beagan BL. (2022) Disabled healthcare professionals’ experiences of altruism: Identity, professionalism, competence, and disclosure. [Open Access] Disability & Society. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2022.2061333