Page 3 - ACOTUP Spring 2012 Issue 12 v8_Layout 1

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T he teaching of

occupational therapy at the University of Alberta began 50 years ago in 1960 with just five students; by 2007, the entry-level OT program had completely transitioned into the MSc in OT.

The University of Alberta OT program is the only one offered in the province and is unique in that the department is within a faculty dedicated to rehabilitation medicine. The faculty encompasses three departments: occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech pathology and audiology. As a result the department has a higher profile on campus than if it was in a larger faculty. Today, Dr. Lili Liu is at the helm of the occupational therapy department which is one of the largest in the country and includes a quota for Saskatchewan residents. As an immigrant to Canada at the age of eight, Dr. Liu saw the move from Taiwan to Toronto with her parents and four younger siblings as an adventure which has allowed her to appreciate challenges and the positives that can come from taking risks.

“In hindsight all I remember is that it was exciting,” says Dr. Liu. “My parents created an environment where we felt like it was one big adventure. I think I have inherited or certainly embraced taking risks even to this day in everything that I do. I am not as fearful as perhaps I might have been if I had not had that upbringing or those early unknowns in my life.”

Dr. Liu knew she wanted to work with people and was very interested in health sciences so chose to pursue occupational therapy at McGill University, a decision she has never regretted.

“I chose OT because not only was it health sciences but I am also a creative person and OT just resonated with me. The modalities, the holistic approach of OT, not just focusing on the physical, the messiness of working with people and the unpredictability of personalities attracted me.”

After university Dr. Liu headed east to Dartmouth to work in mental health before moving to Hamilton, Ontario to work in acute adult psychiatry at the Henderson General Hospital.

“That setting renewed my love and my passion for working with seniors and older adults. Back in those days the dementia population would be treated alongside acute psychiatry, so a lot of my work load

was actually older adults with dementia.”

The frustrations of a lot of unanswered questions drove her back to McGill where she completed her master’s degree and then received her PhD before moving to Alberta.

“Martha Piper, former director of the McGill School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, had come to the University of Alberta to

take on the dean’s position. She talked me into coming to Alberta, even though I thought there was nothing out here. It really was the last place on my mind, I had my heart set on Boston, but agreed to come and try it out and see what it was like. My husband and I fell in love with it right away and decided to stay here.

“I took the position of program chair because of the support team and staff that I have. I am really here to serve them. I am here to provide the environment to allow the department to grow and to also mentor and succession plan for future leaders of all sorts within the unit. It sure is a lot easier when you come in and there are people who have the expertise. It sure has been fun! It is probably my dream job. I can do research, develop leadership skills and facilitate the research of other people too,” she says.

Research is a key focus for Dr. Liu with three themes: technology and aging, universal design and aging and rehabilitation outcome measures and interventions for older adults with cognitive impairment. “The kind of work I am doing now is just fantastic. Not only do I get to do work relevant to occupational therapy but also work that is relevant to any health professional involved in home care. Not just for people with dementia but also clients who have chronic conditions of all kinds and having an impact on how technology is rolled out, evaluated, implemented and even designed and the roles of health professionals in these kinds of endeavors.”

She is also working in collaboration with the Division of Industrial Design and the Departments of Computing Science Pharmacy and Mechanical and Civil Engineering to design the “Smart Condo™,” a project supported by the Health Sciences Education and Research Common (HSERC) at the University of Alberta.*

And while there are many challenges facing occupational therapy education today, Dr. Liu sees these challenges as opportunities. The master’s entry program is one such example bringing with it a unique set of problems as the students coming into the program do so with much more experience, explains Dr. Liu.

Meet the Program Chair

Meet the Program Chair con’t on page 4...