Staff Changes in the Online Programs

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Change happens to us all…

Lois Nightingale has accepted a position as coordinator of the portfolios for the Associate Dean Students and Assistant Dean Student Services in the Faculty of Arts at UBC. We congratulate Lois on her new role and wish her every success. Lois has been with the Rehabilitation Science Online Programs since August, 2007. During this time she has implemented many improvements to our learner supports and accounting systems. Like the 2010 Spring Graduates, we too are not sure what we will do without her helpful and timely reminders.

Replacing Lois is Andrea Walus who returns from her maternity leave, and joins us September 1. Prior to her leave, Andrea was the Administrative Manager for the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (OS&OT) and provided valuable support to the online programs. Andrea is keen to contribute more to our growing programs. She holds baccalaureate degrees in Mathematics and Education, and taught high school and elementary school before moving to BC when her husband accepted a position in UBC engineering. We are extremely fortunate to have Andrea join us.

Although Lois leaves officially on August 6, 2010 she will return occasionally in August/early September to orient Andrea to the online programs.

Please join us in congratulating Lois and welcoming Andrea.

Okanagan MRSc Grads & Learners Meet

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Darlene Russell, Kathy Davidson, Jennifer Stephenson and Kathy Hatchard

We four MRSc students (current and recent) converged in Penticton  a few weeks ago.  We discussed issues in common within the Okanagan,  resifted  events since graduation (Kathy, Kathy and Darlene) and offered  encouragement to  Jennifer as she nears the finish line.

Clearly,  evidence of social interactions among online students!

MRSc Spring 2010 Graduates Share Early Online Experiences

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Denise Sylvest, John Campbell, Nancy Littke, Janice Duivestein and Sue Stanton

This Spring’s Master of Rehabilitation Science graduating class chose to share some of their more humorous experiences of online learning as part of their joint valedictorian speech at the Spring 2010 Rehabilitation Science Graduate Programs Reception. Present learners, alumni and instructors will relate warmly to these anecdotes. For a ‘feel good’ break, listen to the speech.

The graduates: Janice Duivestein from Vancouver, BC; Nancy Littke from Olds, Alberta; Denise Sylvest from Castlegar, BC and John Campbell from Chilliwack BC now join our growing alumni of 22. To read more about their research visit Graduate News on our program website.

New Doctors of Philosophy
Graduates from the doctorate and Master of Science program were also recognized. In her speech on behalf of the PhD grads, Jill Zwicker described their journey as similar to training for the Olympics or Paralympics, although rather than going downhill at great speed it was more of an uphill, slow and steady journey with a fair share of moguls to negotiate. Other PhD graduates include Michael Bodner and Marie Westby.

Master of Science Graduates
Alison McLean represented the Master of Science graduates with a special thank you to their supporters. She spoke of the many instructors, and family members who not only supported them, but according to Alison “downright put up with us” as their notes and laptops took over dining room tables, and family vacations became attending international conferences. Graduating with Alison were Joy Teo and Jeanne Yiu.

The reception was held on May 25 at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. These receptions are becoming a tradition in the Rehabilitation Science Graduate Programs at UBC. Family and friends, together with colleagues, instructors, and supervisors come together twice a year, in May and November to congratulate the most recent graduates and celebrate the growth of rehabilitation science and theory.

Lesley Bainbridge and Sue Stanton

Lesley Bainbridge and Sue Stanton

MRSc Celebrates 5th Anniversary
Following the congratulatory portion of the evening’s events, Lesley Bainbridge was asked to say a few words about Sue Stanton, who was described by this Spring’s graduating class as the ‘glue’ that holds the program together. Lesley described the various hurdles that had to be overcome and Sue’s capital T for tenacity that made it all possible. Listen to her kind words for more about the early challenges.

Lois Nightingale, Mary Clark and Dr. Tony Bates

The evening ended with Sue’s recognition of the many people who make the program a success with special recognition to Dr. Tony Bates who was a special guest at this year’s anniversary celebrations. When the online programs first started Dr. Bates was the Director of Distance Education and Technology at UBC. Sue credits his vision of online learning at UBC for the program’s initial start and much appreciated his support in those early days and ever since.

To learn more visit the program website and or recently launched history Wiki .

Many thanks to Randy Singer for the great photos.

Help Recall and Record our History

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Dale Graham, May 2008 graduate created a timeline and history Wiki for us. We encourage you to join Dale in capturing more of our history at the Wiki. Dale is presently an instructor in RHSC 581: Writing to Enhance Practice and an active participant in our growing online learning community. Many thanks to Dale for getting us started.

Vancouver Island Bridges Session

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Sue Stanton and Tracey Thompson-Franson

On April 30, 2010 Program Director Sue Stanton and Graduate Certificate Learner Tracey Thompson-Franson presented a poster on the program and the impact it is having on practice. After four presentations in one hour, Sue and Tracey had become a good tag team. Participants enjoyed hearing from Tracy, the ‘real story’ about the hours needed to study, and having a variety of questions answered regarding online learning and the major project research requirement.

A Community of Practice: O.T. & Indigenous Health

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Are you interested in Aboriginal health in Canada? Do you have practice, educational or research experience in Aboriginal health? Do you have thoughts, ideas, perspectives related to Aboriginal health?

‘Partnerships for Change’ is an emerging international community of practice focused on occupational therapy and indigenous health. It is a virtual gathering place for practitioners, educators and researchers involved or interested in  issues related to the significant health disparities that continue to be experienced by many indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide.

‘Partnerships for Change’ utilizes a wikispace platform. Currently there are two ‘Hot Topics’ as starting points for generating a sharing of viewpoints. Here is our first ‘hot topic’ –

Occupational therapy purports to have a holistic core to services provision, yet is historically grounded in western notions and mainly provided through western health care systems. What does occupational therapy have to offer indigenous peoples? How meaningful is occupational therapy for indigenous peoples who may have an alternative worldview of health and wellbeing?

Maintaining the silence is an effective way of maintaining the status quo. This community of practice provides an opportunity for occupational therapists internationally to have a voice. Join or visit by going to:

http://occtherpartnershipsforchange.wikispaces.com

The creation for this community of practice was a collaborative one between myself, and a Maori O.T., and non-Maori O.T. in New Zealand. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions at agerlach@hawaii.rr.com

Alison Gerlach, MSc, OT(C)

UBC Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation Science Announce Latest Grads

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Lynn Jongbloed, Chair, Research Graduate Programs, and Sue Stanton, Program Coordinator, MRSC program are very happy to announce that three Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Science candidates will “cross the stage” in the May 2010 UBC Health Care Convocation Ceremony. Joining them are three Master of Science research candidates and four Master of Rehabilitation Science candidates. The graduates include:

Ph.D.
Michael Bodner, Vancouver, BC
Jill Zwicker, Victoria, BC
Marie Westby, Vancouver, BC

M.Sc.
Joy Teo, Singapore, Singapore
Jeanne Yiu, Surrey, BC
Alison McLean, Vancouver, BC

M.R.Sc.
Janice Duivestein, Vancouver, BC
Nancy Littke, Olds, AB
Denise Sylvest, Castlegar, BC
John Campbell, Chilliwack, BC

Sue Stanton Awarded Innovation in Education Award

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If you ask the right questions and listen carefully, you might get it right. But it takes much more to develop and deliver online graduate studies. It requires leadership, innovation, determination and perseverance — qualities that Sue has in abundance and encourages in others.

When the news broke that she had received the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Professional Education Award (CME/CPD Award, it was cause for great celebration. Very few Faculty of Medicine (FOM) awards are presented publicly each year and Sue will receive her award at the UBC FoM Annual Awards Ceremony on May 31st, at 5pm at the UBC Golf Course.

Upon receiving the news, Sue wrote, “I am delighted! It is an honour to receive this award from the Faculty of Medicine especially in the 5th anniversary year of the MRSc.”

The Rehabilitation Science Online Programs began in 2002 with less than 15 learners enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation and now includes the Master of Rehabilitation Science (MRSc) with over 100 learners representing 8 different health professions.

As a life long learner herself, Sue has made it her mission to support health professionals’ desire to learn. She carefully listens to and researches their needs, develops and provides courses to meet these needs, and navigates the higher educational systems to ensure access through the use of innovative technology.

Without Sue’s vision, accessing these quality programs would only be possible to those health professionals who live within commuting distance of UBC, and who have both the time and resources to study full-time. Sue has brought the programs, the research and the knowledge process to their workplaces, and her vision, now a reality, is having a positive impact on rehabilitation practice and patient outcomes.

Please join us in congratulating Sue on receiving this prestigious award.

Andrea Reid Part of 2010 Olympic Medical Team

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Andrea Reid (centre) with Sports Medicine Physician Cathy Campbell (Ontario) and Physiotherapist Shannon Morrison (Ontario) on the field of play at UBC Thunderbird Arena

Andrea Reid (centre) with Sports Medicine Physician Cathy Campbell (Ontario) and Physiotherapist Shannon Morrison (Ontario) on the field of play at UBC Thunderbird Arena

Andrea wrote:

I was honored to be selected as a member of the 2010 Host Medical Team for the Olympics. We were responsible for athlete care at UBC Thunderbird Arena. The team was composed of paramedics, sports medicine physicians and therapists who each excelled in their individual areas. The facilities were incredible including two well-stocked therapy rooms, trauma room, ambulance on site and portable X-ray and diagnostic ultrasound units. The athletes were wonderful examples of excellence in amateur sport and a pleasure to assist.
During competition the fans were incredibly supportive of all of the teams, decked out in gear from Slovakia, China, Finland, Russia, Switzerland, US, Belarus, and (of course) Canada, and cheering so loud you could hardly hear the referee’s whistle. We were privileged to be at ‘rink side’ for competition, soaking up the amazing crowd and exciting play. Certainly an experience that will resonate with us for the years to come.

Bringing Solutions to the Workplace

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On January 31 Sue Stanton and myself participated in the UBC elearning Open House which is held each year and a great opportunity for those involved in eLearning to showcase their work. Our poster: Bringing Solutions to the Workplace presented the analysis of the 18 research projects completed as of November 30, 2009 which begins to support our claim that the research conducted by our learners develops processes for transferring new knowledge to practice and/or enhances rehabilitation practice. It’s part of the program evaluation research being conducted in 2010, the program’s 5th Anniversary. A copy of the poster can be downloaded as a PDF elearningOpenHouse2010_BringingSolutions.

Tony Bates dropped by to see Sue. He had helped her to develop the program. See what he has to say about our progress in the past 5 years on his great blog which we can only aspire to.