Awards | School of Rehabilitation Therapy

Distinguished Alumni Awards

The School of Rehabilitation Therapy Distinguished Alumni Awards were established in 2013, thanks to the generous support of faculty member and Queen’s alumna, Diana Hopkins-Rosseel, MSc (Rehabilitation Science) ’92, and her husband, John Rosseel, BA (Artsci) ’81. The Awards recognize one graduate annually from each of the Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Science, and Aging and Health programs who has made exceptional contributions to their chosen profession, field and/or community. Recipients are presented with their awards at the School's annual Homecoming Event.

Award Criteria & Submit a Nomination

The award will be presented on the basis of the graduate's exceptional contributions to their chosen profession/field and/or their community. Recipients will be recognized for their contributions in one or more of the following areas:

Distinguished themselves, at home or abroad, and made a difference to the well-being of others
Provided leadership and/or advocacy within their chosen profession
Demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the education of rehabilitation students and/or graduates
Advanced rehabilitation research and/or best practice
Continued involvement with Queen's and/or the Queen's community

Submit your nomination by completing this survey by May 31

For more information on the Distinguished Alumni Award or the nomination process, please contact:

Tim Rosillo (trosillo@queensu.ca)

Recent Distinguished Alumni Award Winners

2024 Occupational Therapy Distinguished Alumni Award Winner
Gord Unsworth, MSc (OT)’07

Gord became an Occupational Therapist after receiving his MSc from Queen’s University in 2007. Gord has worked as an Occupational Therapist, Professional Practice Leader and Manager in the field of mental health since 2007 and is currently a Regional Director with Providence Care. As a clinician he has provided individual and group therapy, assessments, consultations, and education. Gord has worked in hospitals and in the community and continues to demonstrate his desire to be a leader in health care. Gord has also been an adjunct lecturer and clinical supervisor with the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University since 2008 and continues to enjoy contributing to the greater community through his work at Queen’s and Providence Care.

2024 Physical Therapy Distinguished Alumni Award Winner
Dr. Oren Cheifetz, BSc (PT)’96

Oren completed his physiotherapy degree at Queen’s University in 1996. Graduating on a Friday, the next Monday Oren started working at Chedoke McMaster Hospitals (later becoming Hamilton Health Sciences, HHS), Hamilton, Ontario. Over the years Oren has remained at HHS and worked in multiple clinical settings including inpatient orthopaedics unit, amputee rehabilitation, spinal cord rehabilitation, general surgery, out-patient orthopeadics, and more. Throughout his career at HHS, Oren also worked as a Clinical Specialist in the Hematology, Oncology program, and as an Advanced Practice Physiotherapist in the MSK CIAC Joint Assessment Center.

While continuing to work full time at HHS, Oren completed his Master’s at the University of Western Ontario (2006) and his Doctorate studies at McMaster University (2013). Oren participated in the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) Clinical Specialist pilot project, and became a certified Clinical Specialist in Oncology (2011).

Professionally, Oren was active in the Hamilton District of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association (OPA), including District President. He was instrumental in establishing the Oncology Division of CPA and the international Oncology Interest Group of WCPT. Nationally, he served on the CPA Board of Directors, Chair of the Oncology Division and executive member of the Acupuncture Division. In OPA, Oren served on the Board of Director, and as the President of OPA.

2024 Rehabilitation Science Distinguished Alumni Award Winner
Jan MacLean, BSc (OT)’77, MSc (RHBS)’97

Jan MacLean worked as an Occupational Therapist in adult rehabilitation at KGH and at Home Care (1974-2001). In 2002 she shifted her focus to children and founded The Reading Clinic in Kingston, providing 1:1 intervention for children with difficulties in reading, writing and math. She is a Certified Orton-Gillingham Practitioner and Educator as well as a Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Specialist.

When Jan retired in 2016, there were seven instructors, 40 students attending daily, and hundreds of students had come through its doors. The Boys and Girls Club Southeast took over The Reading Clinic in 2017 and has continued to run it. Jan served as a Director and Chair of the Training Committee for IDA Ontario (the Ontario branch of the International Dyslexia Association) from 2008-2013, and on the Advisory Board 2013-2023. She helped to write the position statement submitted to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal for the Right to Read Inquiry. The Commission’s ruling has spurred significant changes in the reading curriculum in Ontario schools. In 2020, she was a core participant in the development of an on-line, on-demand course for teachers: Basics of Decoding and Spelling Instruction. This course is offered through IDA Ontario at a nominal charge and is provided free of charge to full-time education students and educators working in First Nation schools. Over 4,000 participants have enrolled in the course since it started. Currently she volunteers in classrooms, working with students with reading challenges.

Previous Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

View past recipients

Occupational & Physical Therapy Clinical Education Awards

The Clinical Education Awards in Occupational and Physical Therapy were established to recognize excellence in teaching by clinical preceptors who are affiliated with the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen's University.

The Awards are granted on the basis of demonstrated excellence in clinical teaching, to therapists who have served as clinical preceptors in any type of clinical setting.

Clinical preceptors can be nominated for this award by students, clinical/fieldwork coordinators in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy, or by colleagues or supervisors at their clinical facility. All clinical community partners and students will receive a call for nominations in the fall of each year. Awards are presented annually.

For more information on the OT & PT Clinical Education Awards or the nomination process, please contact:

Amanda Hall (hall.amanda@queensu.ca) Occupational Therapy
Melanie Law (lawm@queensu.ca) Physical Therapy

Recent OT & PT Clinical Education Award Winners

2024 Occupational Therapy Award Winner
Caroline Cardoso, MSc (OT)'04

Caroline graduated from Queen’s Occupational Therapy program in 2004. After a brief period in homecare, she has spent her career working in inpatient hospital settings with experience in Rehabilitation, Complex Continuing Care, Acute Care, and Convalescent Care. She has been at The Lennox & Addington County General Hospital in Napanee for the past 14 years. Caroline is fond of small community hospital work because of the strong and supportive interprofessional culture and commitment to local residents. She finds great value in offering clinical placements and sharing her knowledge and experience with OT students; their fresh perspectives and enthusiasm are always rewarding.

2024 Physical Therapy Award Winner
Dakshan Krishnapalan, MSc (PT)’16

Dakshan graduated with a Bachelor’s in Medical Science from Western University in 2016 before earning a Master’s in Physical Therapy from Queen’s University in 2019. Since then, he has been employed at CBI Health, Kingston, where he has practiced for five years, focusing on a diverse patient caseload. As a committed educator, Dakshan has taken on over 20 students throughout his career, finding that mentoring has been invaluable to his own learning and development as both a physiotherapist and a clinical instructor. He is extremely grateful to all the students he has supervised, who have played a significant role in shaping his practice. Honored to receive the 2023-2024 Queen’s University Clinical Education Award, Dakshan looks forward to pursuing more opportunities in the field of education in the future. He also wishes to extend his heartfelt thanks to his colleagues at CBI and everyone involved in the program for fostering a supportive learning environment.

Previous OT & PT Clinical Education Award Recipients

2023
Teresa Broers, MSc (OT)’09 - Occupational Therapy
Nicole Mills, MSc (PT)’13 - Physical Therapy
2022
Teresa Broers, MSc (OT)’09 - Occupational Therapy
Megan Sharkey, MSc (PT)’15 - Physical Therapy
2021
Sarah Thompson, MSc (OT)’95 - Occupational Therapy
Christopher Pawliuk, MSc (PT)’08 - Physical Therapy
2020
Lisa Moses, OT - Occupational Therapy
Latif Khoja, MSc (RHBS) - Physical Therapy
2019
Zanna Farmer, MSc (OT)’09 - Occupational Therapy
Timothy Burgess, PT - Physical Therapy
2018
Shannon Mills, MSc (OT)’08 - Occupational Therapy
Ashish Bharti, MSc (PT)’07 - Physical Therapy
2017
Adriana Farcas - Occupational Therapy
Karen Parks, MSc (PT)’07 - Physical Therapy
2016
Kathy Sparrow - Occupational Therapy
Stephanie Brian - Physical Therapy
2015
Dave Carmichael - Occupational Therapy
Hussein Karim - Physical Therapy
2014
Carrie Marshal - Occupational Therapy
Phil Edmunds - Physical Therapy

Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence

Each year, the occupational therapy program at Queen's University is able to nominate one preceptor for the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) - Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence. Nominations for this award are sought in the fall of each academic year. To be eligible for the award nominees must be a member of CAOT. The purpose of this award is to acknowledge excellence in clinical teaching, student mentorship and inspirational leadership in professional practice. The nominee is presented to CAOT and is approved by the Board of Directors. Award winners are announced annually at the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists' Awards Ceremony, published in Occupational Therapy Now and posted on the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists' website.

Recent CAOT Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence Winner

2024 CAOT Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence Winner
Katelyn Bridge

Katelyn graduated from the Queen's Occupational Therapy program in 2016. Katelyn has worked for Modern OT Occupational Therapy Services since 2018, where she provides services to clients through a variety of referral streams, including auto insurance, the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Workplace Insurance Safety Board (WSIB). In addition to her clinical work, Katelyn has also been involved with the School of Rehabilitation Therapy as a Teaching Fellow and Term Adjunct Lecturer in the Occupational Therapy program. She is also a Doctoral Candidate at Queen's in the Doctor of Science, Rehabilitation and Health Leadership Program. Katelyn is passionate about mentorship and fostering the development of students and new graduate OTs as they navigate the opportunities and complexities of working in community-based private practice.

Previous CAOT Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellent Recipients

Blue Star Award for Teaching Excellence

The purpose for this award is to honour faculty members of the School of Rehabilitation Therapy who by their teaching ability and concern have earned the admiration of their students. The award is considered to be the highest tribute the Society can pay to an individual for teaching excellence.

Recent Blue Star Award for Teaching Excellence Winner

2024
Sandra Fucile & Nicole Bobbette - Occupational Therapy
Avery Michels - Physical Therapy