Dr. Dawson is a senior scientist with the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest in Toronto, an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto and a member of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario Centre for Stroke Recovery. Dr. Dawson's research combines her training in rehabilitation science, epidemiology and neuropsychology in order to best understand how cognitive processes in healthy aging, stroke and other acquired brain disorders impact on people's abilities to be autonomous in community living and to develop effective interventions that promote optimal participation in every-day life.  Her work spans from ecologically valid assessment of cognitive impairments to occupationally based cognitive rehabilitation approaches to music-supported rehabilitation approaches to investigating the benefits of community support programs. (Retrieved on March 18, 2015 from http://www.ot.utoronto.ca/faculty/faculty_directory/dawson_d.asp.)

Q and A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.
I asked my graduate students to assist with this first question!  Supportive, thoughtful, collaborative.

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
My research is ultimately about enabling people to engage in the occupations they care about - those that they need to do and/or want to do.  In 2012, Dr. Liz Townsend wrote about occupation as a "central force in human existence and the organisation of societies." Research that inspires and guides practice to enable occupational performance at individual, community and systems levels will make a profound and positive difference in the world.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
I encourage people at the 'considering' stage to talk to as many scientists and researchers as possible so that they find a good home for their ideas and who they are in their supervisor's lab.  One's supervisor is foundational in so many ways - as a role model, mentor, support, constructive critic and as someone who can provide opportunities.  The lab environment is also very important - having a good fit between one's self, one's supervisor and their lab will provide great start in a research career.

Beside your own areas of inquiry, what is one research priority that you believe is important for the future of occupational science and occupational therapy?
I believe we have essential work to do in the area of occupational justice -- broadening and deepening our understanding of the role our profession of occupational therapy play and can play in relation to issues of social justice and human rights as it intersects with issues of human rights seems to me a critical research priority. I'd love to do post-doctoral fellowship in this area!

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.
One of my key mentors taught me by example not to lose sight of the people - that is the why of the research - this person is always extraordinarily respectful and deeply cares about the difficulties faced by individuals whom we encounter as research participants. This attitude is woven throughout their grants, papers and day to day work - a tremendous example for me.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work.
My favorite occupation outside my work is being a mother! I have 14-year-old twins (a boy and a girl) - the ideal is when we can as a family being cross-country skiing or wilderness camping -- being in nature, off-line is something I find amazingly renewing.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
The most surprising and rewarding aspect of my career is that I have developed wonderful, dynamic, stimulating and engaging collaborations with other scientists with whom I've also developed great friendships -- I am enormously grateful for these relationships.

Selected References

Bottari, C, Wai, Shun PL, Dorze, GL, Gosselin, N & Dawson D. (2014). Self-generated strategic behavior in an ecological shopping task. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68, 67-76.

Dawson, DR, Anderson, ND, Binns. MA, Bottari, C, Damianakis, T, Hunt, A, Polatajko, HJ & Zwarenstein. M.   (2013). Managing executive dysfunction following acquired brain injury and stroke using an ecologically valid rehabilitation approach: a study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial. Trials. 22;14:306.

Skidmore, ER, Dawson, DR, Butters, MA, Grattan, ES, Juengst, SB, Whyte, EM, Begley. A, Holm, MB & Becker JT. (2014 Dec 11). Strategy training shows promise for addressing disability in the first 6 months after stroke. Neurorehabililitation and Neural Repair, pii: 1545968314562113. [Epub ahead of print] 

Dr. Nelson is Professor Emeritus (retired), Occupational Therapy Program, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.  Retrieved on August 7, 2015 from https://www.utoledo.edu/healthsciences/depts/rehab_sciences/ot/davidpage.html.

Dr. Nelson devoted much of his career to theoretical work involving definitions of key concepts in occupational therapy.  He is a leader in experimental research demonstrating how different occupational forms affect various populations. His current research addresses the problems that older persons often experience when living at home while at risk for disabilities. Retrieved on August 7, 2015 from http://www.utoledo.edu/healthsciences/saved_files/rehabsci/ot/faclty.html.

In 1995, Dr, Nelson was the recipient of the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship.

References 

Nelson, DL. Why the profession of occupational therapy will flourish in the 21st century.  The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 51, 11-24. 

Bauerschmidt, B & Nelson, DL. (2011). The terms occupation and activity over the history of Official occupational therapy publications. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65, (3), 338-345.

Korp, KE, Taylor, J.M, & Nelson, DL. (2012). Bathing area safety and lower extremity function in community-dwelling older adults. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 32, (2), 22-29.

Misko, AN, Nelson, DL & Duggan, JM.  (2015). Three case studies of community occupational therapy for individuals with human immunodeficiency virus. Occupational Therapy in Health Care. 29(1):11-26.   

Dr. Davies is a Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy with a joint appointment with the Department of Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University (CSU). She is also a faculty member in the Molecular, Cellular and Integrated Neuroscience Program at CSU.

Dr. Davies is Director of the Brainwaves Research Laboratory at CSU. The focus of her research is to understand the development of neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie cognitive and motor behaviors in children with and without disorders. By using electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs), and behavioral testing, she is able to relate brain activity to sensory and cognitive functional performance. (Retrieved on March 17, 2015 from http://www.ot.chhs.colostate.edu/faculty-staff/patricia_davies.aspx.)

Selected References

Bellows, LL, Davies, PL, Anderson, J & Kennedy, C. (2013). Effectiveness of a physical activity intervention for Head Start preschoolers: A randomized intervention study. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, 28-36.  

Chang, WP, Gavin, WJ & Davies, PL.  (2012). Bandpass filter settings differentially affect measurement of P50 sensory gating in children and adults. Clinical Neurophysiolology, 123, 2264-2272.  

Gavin, WJ, Dotseth, A, Roush, KK, Smith, CA, Spain, HD & Davies PL.  (2011). Electroencephalography in children with and without sensory processing disorders during auditory perception. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65, 370-377. 

Dr. Coster is Professor and Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy, Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston as well as Director, Behavior and Health Program, and Director, Patient/Clinic Reported Outcomes Core, Boston Rehabilitation Outcomes Center.  Dr. Coster is a recipient of the AOTF A. Jean Ayres Award.  In 2007, she received the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship, AOTA's highest academic honor.  Currently, Dr. Coster is chair of the AOTF Scientific Advisory Council. She was named one of the 100 Influential People in Occupational Therapy by AOTA.

Dr. Coster's description of her scholarly, research and/or practice interests from The Sargent College website: (Retrieved on January 29, 2015 from http://www.bu.edu/sargent/profile/wendy-coster/.)

The primary focus of my research program is the development of conceptually grounded, psychometrically sound measures of activity, participation, and environment.  My overarching concern is to create measures for the field of rehabilitation that appropriately reflect individuals' ability to engage in activities and participate in situations that are important for their satisfaction and well-being.  Some of these measures are directed to practice, i.e. to provide assessment that gather information on the issues of greatest relevance to consumers.  Others are designed to support outcomes measurement purposes (either research or program evaluation).  Although my primary clinical work has been with children, my work extends to adult populations as well.  The long term goal of this work is the development of a series of measures that help to advance rehabilitation science and support best practice.

Q and A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.
Organized, patient, a listener.

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
I hope that my work enables others to look at people with disabilities and to see what they can do and to think creatively about how to enable meaningful participation.

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
Network! You never know when one of those connections turns out to be the key that opens a new door for you.

Beside your own areas of inquiry, what is one research priority that you believe is important for the future of occupational science and occupational therapy?
Understanding more about the cognitive and emotional underpinnings of everyday life activities.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.
Mentors taught me "the ropes" - the things you need to do to build a successful career that you don't learn in courses or by reading books.

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work.
I love walking in the woods with my dogs, in all seasons - although not in the rain.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
I never expected to find measurement so fascinating and I've been gratified to see the measures I've worked on really change both practice and research.  

Selected References

Chang, FH, Coster, WJ & Helfrich, CA. (2013). Community participation measures for people with disabilities: a systematic review of content from an international classification of functioning, disability and health perspective. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 94(4):771-781.

Chang, FH, Helfrich, CA & Coster, WJ. (2013). Psychometric properties of the Practical Skills Test (PST). The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, (2), 246-253.

Coster, WJ. (2013). Making the best match: Selecting outcome measures for clinical trials and outcome studies. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, (2), 162-170.

Coster, WJ.  (2008). Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture: Embracing ambiguity: facing the challenge of measurement.  The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62, 743-752. 

Dr. Murphy is an Assistant Professor in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan's Institute of Gerontology, and a Research Health Science Specialist at the VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, GRECC. Her primary research interest is to create and test interventions to manage chronic pain symptoms and promote physical activity in adults . . .  Her use of mobile technology over the last several years has served to examine how symptoms are associated with physical activity levels in samples with osteoarthritis and low back pain and how mobile technology can be used as a tool in interventions."  (Retrieved on July 14, 2015 from https://community.isr.umich.edu/public/Portals/11/Docs/Bios/murphysl.pdf.)

Q AND A

Identify three words that others have used to describe you.
Dedicated, generous, thoughtful.

How do you hope to make a difference in the world through research?
I hope to contribute to improvements in the quality of non-pharmacological chronic disease management in clinical care settings. For example, there is a large body of research supporting physical activity as a successful strategy to lessen the impact and prevent chronic disease, however physical activity programs are often disconnected from the health care system. Rehabilitation can play a big role in these types of programs since patients with chronic diseases often have multiple health issues that make sustaining a health behavior difficult.     

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals considering a career in science and research?
Make sure you are passionate about research and the potential career path. The passion and drive to find out an answer or reach a goal is a key to success in this career.

Beside your own areas of inquiry, what is one research priority that you believe is important for the future of occupational science and occupational therapy?
A few years ago I would have said effectiveness research, but now I think one fundamental element that would advance our field is theory development. I am struck by limitations in theories I draw from in my own work and think we have much to contribute for our own research as well as to other disciplines.

Describe the most important role that mentors played in your professional journey.  
Mentors provide support and it is ideal to have different mentors for different needs. Early on, it was important to have strong research mentors who could advise me on research design or teach me skills. I also had mentors who were great at providing guidance on career development and ones that were great at providing encouragement. I still have mentors, but these aren't always senior people, these are colleagues and even students. Anyone that teaches me something or makes me see something in a way I hadn't before is a mentor. The most important role all mentors have played is being invested in me and caring about my career path.  

Identify a favorite occupation that renews you outside of your work.
I love to exercise, particularly I am addicted to Zumba.

What has been the most surprising or rewarding aspects of a career in science and research?
The people I get to meet and work with in the US and around the world has been a wonderful aspect of this job. There are many smart, talented people out there who want to improve the lives of others. It has been great to meet so many different people and to be connected by this bigger cause.

REFERENCES

Murphy, SL & Kratz, AL.  (2014). Activity pacing in daily life: A within-day analysis.  Pain. 155, 2630-2637.

Murphy, SL, Alexander, NB, Levoska, M & Smith, DM.  (2013). Relationship between fatigue and subsequent physical activity among older adults with symptomatic osteoarthritis. Arthritis Care and Research (Hoboken), 65, 1617-1624.

Murphy, SL, Kratz, AL, Williams, DA & Geisse, ME.  (2012 Sep 3). The association between symptoms, pain coping strategies, and physical activity among people with symptomatic knee and hip osteoarthritis. Frontiers in Psychology, 3:326. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00326. eCollection 2012