Susan Jurczak, an MSc(OT -Post-professional) student in Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University, died on December 30, 2010.  Susan had a strong interest in designing environments of long term care facilities that foster residents’ social connections and occupational lives.  She got the most out of her master’s studies by focusing her practicum work, electives and thesis research on this interest area.  Her thesis work was supervised by Robin Stadnyk and Anne Carswell.

Susan lived about 8 months of each year in Connecticut, where her husband Russ had an academic position, and the other 4 months in Edmonton, where she practiced and conducted her research.  Her life circumstances made her a good candidate for the School of Occupational Therapy’s distance education program, which she began in 2003.  Susan was a hard-working student.  She immersed herself in academic life, taking every opportunity to learn and to push herself out of her “comfort zone” of clinical work.  She presented papers and posters for many Alberta-based organizations and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy annual conferences.  She received scholarships from the Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation and the Alberta Association on Gerontology.  She also received a peer-reviewed grant from the Capital Care Foundation in Edmonton to conduct her thesis.  Susan sought mentorship beyond the occupational therapy program she was enrolled in through her involvement with the Canadian Association on Gerontology and a longstanding connection with Edmonton researcher Doris Milke.  She fostered many connections with policy makers in Alberta.

In 2008-2009, Susan was on leave from her studies because she had a life-threatening illness.  Despite ongoing struggles with treatments, she described her illness as a “chronic disease” and her “new normal.”  Even in her final months of life her usual hope and optimism prevailed.  She completed her data analysis in 2010 and had plans to defend her thesis in the summer of 2011.

With the help of her husband Russell, who located her research files, and research assistants Haley Augustine (MSc(OT) 2011, now a Dalhousie Medical student) and Vanessa Johnson (MSc(OT) 2011), the manuscript for Susan’s thesis was completed by Robin Stadnyk.  Susan’s Master of Science degree was awarded posthumously on October 1, 2012.  Russell received Susan’s degree at the convocation ceremony.  Her thesis was entitled “Maintaining family relationships within assisted living facilities for clients with dementia:  Effects of the physical and social environment.”

At the recent Canadian Physiotherapy Association Congress in Saskatoon, two faculty members in the School of Physiotherapy were honoured with awards:

• Carolyn King (Assistant Professor) was awarded Life Membership.  This award is recognition from her peers of her contributions to the physiotherapy profession and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association through outstanding service for over 25 years at both local and national levels.
• Gail Wainwright (Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education) received the Canadian Physiotherapy Association Mentorship Award.  This award is given in recognition of outstanding and enthusiastic contributions as a mentor of students and new physiotherapists.

Congratulations to both Carolyn and Gail on their achievements!

Assistant Professor, Carolyn King and Adjunct Professor (Clinical), Alison McDonald were joint recipients of the 2012 Congress Bursary for Volunteers. This bursary provides funding for Congress attendance for NSPA members who are (or have been) active volunteer contributors to the association. Carolyn and Alison are both long-term volunteers with NSPA, CPA and in the community. The NSPA acknowledges the commitment volunteers make to the association to ensure the viability and profile of the profession.  The Congress Bursary is intended to acknowledge this commitment and contribution to the profession, and reward a volunteer for their sacrifice of time and energy. A bursary of up to $2,000 will be available annually to a volunteer to represent NSPA at Congress.

 

 

Director, Sandy Rennie was announced as the recipient of the 2012 NSPA Award of Excellence. Sandy received the award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the physiotherapy profession in Nova Scotia, as an inspirational role model, teacher, mentor and leader. The NSPA Award of Excellence is given annually to a Nova Scotia Physiotherapist who:

• is a member in good standing of the NSPA
• has demonstrated outstanding contributions in one or more of the following areas: administration, clinical practice, education, professional contribution, research

 

 

Assistant Professor, Carolyn King was also successfully nominated by the NSPA Awards Committee for the CPA Life Membership Award. Carolyn has been an active volunteer, mentor, association promoter and volunteer recruiter extraordinaire throughout her career as a physiotherapist.  She has volunteered nationally and in multiple provinces, has inspired many paediatric physiotherapists, and has a truly infectious enthusiasm for everything CPA. Carolyn will receive her Life Member award at CPA Congress in May 2012, in Saskatoon. The CPA Life Membership Award recognizes physiotherapists who have provided outstanding service of long duration to the profession and the Association.  His/her peers must recognize the individual as having contributed to the profession and the Association through outstanding service. This significant contribution must be demonstrated over at least twenty (20) years of CPA membership and service to the profession and to the Association at a local and/or national level.

Activities that will be considered include:

• development of means to promote the physical therapy profession nationally
• leadership which serves to motivate others to become involved in professional activities
• involvement in raising of the Association within the physical therapy profession

 

 

Gail Wainwright was successfully nominated by the NSPA Awards Committee for the CPA Mentorship Award. Gail’s mentorship of students, clinical instructors, and other Academic Coordinators of Clinical Education across Canada goes well above and beyond her role requirements, earning her the respect and admiration of all with whom she interacts. Her approachable, yet tell-it-like-it-is personality has helped shape the careers of a tremendous number of physiotherapists in Canada. Gail will receive her Mentorship Award at CPA Congress in May. The CPA Mentorship Award recognizes physiotherapists who, through their inspiration and support, are actively engaged in the mentorship of other physiotherapists and act as role models for professionalism and volunteerism.

Members of the profession believe that:

· An individual can provide inspirational mentorship in a variety of ways at any stage of his or her career.

· Physiotherapists who role-model professionalism and volunteerism are often as inspiring to their colleagues and peers as the key leaders of the profession.

· Physiotherapists who mentor colleagues benefit both the individual and the profession.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last month, seven interprofessional student teams presented case studies on patients they worked with at the IWK Health Centre. The “Rockin’ Rehab” team, pictured above, had their work with a young patient profiled by Dal News. Click here to read their story.