Academic activities and initiatives
The School of Rehabilitation Sciences continued to provide exemplary education, research and service in still challenging times. Overstretched health care systems and rehabilitation personnel shortages created additional difficulties securing clinical fieldwork opportunities for students. Our clinical education coordinators, Tanya McDonald, Véronic Quann, Susie Renaud and Martine Trudelle, applied interpersonal expertise, wisdom and tenacity as they built and maintained relationships with clinical partners to ensure that each student in audiology, speech-language pathology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy could complete approximately 1,000 hours of supervised fieldwork across diverse practice settings.
A SWOT analysis of the PhD program was carried out by Director Elizabeth Fitzpatrick and Roanne Thomas. The results of this exercise, which included professors, students and alumni, will inform program development over the coming years.
Competency development is the focus of all our professional programs, and accreditation bodies are demanding detailed information regarding this process. Working closely with Mélanie Côté of the Office of the Dean, the professional program curriculum committees began applying new course mapping software to detail when, where and how each professional competency is addressed.
Professors gathered for a half-day workshop, Études de cas respectueuses de la diversité, with Jean-Pascal Beaudoin of the Teaching and Learning Support Service.
The Occupational Therapy program, under the leadership of Rose Martini, was granted full accreditation by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists for 2022–2029.
Academic and community services
- Susie Renaud was part of an elite team of health professional volunteers who supported athletes at the XXVIII Canada Games in P.E.I.
- Daniel Benoit and Ryan Graham (Human Kinetics) co-chaired the 2022 North American Congress on Biomechanics (NACOB).
- PhD student Sandra Houle of the CADRE Research Group hosted eight Art & Play evenings. These well-attended creative events help uOttawa graduate students unwind and connect socially with others.
Awards and honours
Jacinthe Savard received the Fellowship Award of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists for outstanding contributions and service to occupational therapy.