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T
he past year has brought a number of research
and teaching awards to the University of British
Columbia Department of Occupational Sci-
ence and Occupational Therapy, which attest to the im-
pressive work of our students and faculty.
Ben Mortenson , PhD, MSc, BScOT, OT, and Jill
Zwicker, , PhD, MA, BA, BSc (OT), OT(C), both won
CIHR New Investigator awards. These five-year awards
target new and outstanding researchers, and help in the
initiation and development of their health research.
Given that only around 40 researchers across the country
receive this award each year across all applied and basic
science disciplines--and given that this was the final year
of the New Investigator competition--we are exception-
ally proud to have two award winners in our department.
Mortenson’s project is titled "Maximizing Independence
through the Use of Assistive Technology" and Zwicker’s
project is titled "Developmental Coordination Disorder:
Integrating Brain Imaging and Rehabilitation to Improve
Outcomes". We look forward to seeing the research re-
sults that this funding enables.
Donna Drynan, MEd, BSc (OT), is a recipient of a
2015-16 Killam Teaching Prize, in recognition of her ex-
cellence as an instructor in the MOT program. The prize
rewards sustained teaching excellence over a period of
ten or more years. Among the criteria taken into consid-
eration for Drynan’s award were her ability to motivate
students and stimulate critical thinking, her sustained
teaching excellence, and her development of innovative
approaches to teaching methodology and curricula. She
also received the 2016 Universitas 21 HSG Teaching Ex-
cellence Award, an international teaching award in which
25 universities globally compete for the two prizes. U21’s
rationale is to foster international co-operation, and the
award provides Drynan an opportunity to work with fac-
ulty from a range of institutions and disciplines. She will
co-facilitate an interprofessional workshop at the 2017
U21 HSG annual meeting at the University of Johannes-
burg in South Africa.
And, finally, Michael Lee, MBA, PDOT, was nomi-
nated as an Educational Leader for the UBC International
Program for the Scholarship of Educational Leadership,
an intensive program that en-
hances the provision of high
quality and high engagement
student learning experiences in
diverse, internationally-respon-
sive and technology-enabled
academic degree programs.
Lee’s participation builds on his
expertise in the scholarly litera-
ture of and ethical issues sur-
rounding
educational
leadership, curricula, and ped-
agogical practices.
Ben Mortenson receives
his CIHR New Investigator
Prize of Excellence in Research
on Aging at the awards cere-
mony at the Canadian Associa-
tion
on
Gerontology
Conference in Montreal.
Donna Drynan was recog-
nized as a UBC Killam Award
winner for her excellence in
teaching in our MOT program.
NEWS FROM UBC
(Left to right): Michael Lee and Jill Zwicker have had
their teaching and research recognized.