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QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY
Retirement Announcement for Donna O’Connor
Q
ueen’s University is announcing the retirement of
Donna O’Connor, who has been a valued faculty mem-
ber of the School of Rehabilitation Therapy for over 30
years.
Donna’s professional journey began at Queen’s, where she
completed her diploma in Occupational Therapy in 1973 fol-
lowed by her BSc in 1976, and M.Ed. in 1995. Donna joined the
School of Rehabilitation Therapy as a casual instructor in 1982,
receiving her initial full-time faculty appointment in 1999. She
held numerous roles during her time on faculty, including field-
work coordinator, course instructor, research mentor and admis-
sions coordinator. To each of these roles she brought her unique
blend of creativity and energy, seizing opportunities to extend
on existing frameworks and challenging students to even higher
levels of engagement and excellence.
In addition to teaching, Donna’s love for innovation led her
to engage in numerous funded research studies over the course
of her academic career. Donna’s research interests speak to her
commitment to clinical education. Her projects included cur-
riculum innovation to enhance the integration of fieldwork ex-
periences with academic coursework, alternative models of
fieldwork coaching and supervision, fieldwork performance eval-
uation, use of simulated patients to enhance development of clin-
ical reasoning, and transfer of learning from classroom to
practice settings.
During her time as a Fieldwork Coordinator at the School,
Donna’s positive and collaborative approach was the foundation
for the strong relationships that she built with colleagues from
other universities across the country. Always an active contribu-
tor to her profession and community, Donna was a long time
member of ACOTUP’s Committee on University Fieldwork Ed-
ucation. She also served on the Executive Committee of the On-
tario Society of Occupational Therapists during the years of
rotating administrations. In retirement, she will continue to chan-
nel her energies towards one of her favourite causes as a mem-
ber of the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmother-
to-Grandmother Campaign.
As some may know, Donna’s mother was also an occu-
pational therapist. At her retirement reception, Donna spoke of
the significance of the deeply ingrained, “OT Lens” through
which she views the world. Donna closed by expressing her grat-
itude to the many wonderful people she has encountered on her
journey to date, and by saying that occupational therapy is not
simply what she does but forms an important part of who she is.
She expressed how lucky she felt to have taken on many chal-
lenging roles within the School while always being given the op-
portunity to sustain her deep commitment to teaching. The
passion that Donna brought to the classroom is reflected in the
outpouring of well wishes from former and current students on
the news of her retirement, and is echoed in the following com-
ment from a member of faculty: “You have inspired each of our
teaching with your creativity, enthusiasm and profound dedica-
tion to student learning.”
Please join us in wishing Donna the very best in the next
stage of her journey.
Donna O’Connor