Gayle Restall 

Gayle has been a trailblazer in research and is recognized as an expert qualitative researcher. Her investigations have focused on social participation and equity in several contexts: for children and youth with disabilities, individuals with mental illness and those living with a chronic health condition that results in episodic disability (i.e., people with HIV and people with inflammatory bowel disease). Gayle’s research has highlighted unmet long-term needs and limited access to rehabilitation supports for people with episodic disability where rehabilitation in general, and occupational therapy, in particular have not had a significant role. Through teaching, research, mentorship, and advocacy, Gayle Restall has made and continues to make an outstanding contribution to the body of knowledge of occupational therapy. 

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Debra Cooper

Debra's exceptional contributions have significantly benefited the profession and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. Her dedication to promoting collaboration, mentorship, and professional development among occupational therapists and assistants has profoundly impacted the occupational therapist and the OTA & PTA communities. Her passion, leadership, and tireless commitment to advancing occupational therapy make her an exemplary candidate for this esteemed award.

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Marnie Courage

Marnie is a passionate advocate for protecting and promoting the occupational therapist’s role in conducting home assessments, particularly in accessible home modifications. Through her role as Accessibility and Inclusion Strategist at Incluzia, she is leading and developing courses that will assist in the advancement of occupational therapy clinical practice in this area. She created and conducted a home modifications course, available through CAOT, which is quickly becoming a highly desired area for additional training due to an aging Canadian population and advancements for Aging in Place policies and planning. 

Marnie’s work on assessment tool development, accessibility policy, education for a wide variety of stakeholders, and her long-standing respected position at both local and national levels, demonstrate her commitment to innovation in the role of occupational therapists.

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Sarabjeet Charchun

Sarabjeet is a positive force in the profession to ensure the well-being and success of everyone around her: providing encouragement, guidance, or being a sounding board. She is kind, approachable, and fair in her interactions and has made a significant impact by creating a genuinely collaborative work culture at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Her influence transcends the boundaries of her department and hospital as her dedication and contributions to practice, teaching, leading, and promoting occupational therapy leave a lasting impression throughout the professional community.

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Corinne Clyne

Corrine is a proud Cree woman from Norway House Cree Nation in what is now know as Manitoba on Turtle Island. Corrine’s demonstrated leadership and dedication to improving the health of First Nations people and communities are exemplary of excellence in contribution to occupational therapy clinical activities, education, and community service. She has worked within and beyond the occupational therapy community to increase knowledge and understanding of the importance of enhancing cross cultural understanding and cultural safety for First Nations people in our health and educational systems. Corrine does this work with utmost humility and respect.

Catherine Vallée

Thanks to her tremendous leadership skills, she was able to ensure that the education of occupational therapists across Canada has continued. Her work behind the scenes was pivotal in keeping academic education and the accreditation program running through difficult times.  Because of Dr Vallée’s dedication and leadership, Canadian occupational therapy accreditation, and by extension occupational therapy education nationally, has weathered some difficult storms and is navigating forward with strong proposals to ensure students, faculty, funders, decision-makers, and employers have confidence that the educational programs meet the standards of quality as determined by the profession.

The Home Modification Task Force (HMTF): Marnie Courage, Lesya Dyk, Janet Craik, Tanya Fawkes 

The task force is recognized for their significant accomplishment and contribution in Home Modification advocacy and promoting, building occupational therapy capacity and partnerships and collaborations. They also represented CAOT in different committees and with media. Their contributions have been remarkable. The team’s effort to promote occupational therapy has a key to the national effort. They have made significant progress in all areas including clinical activities, education, publications, research, and advocacy.  

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Sandra Moll   

Sandra is recognized for her accomplishments which include clinical, education, publications and research contributions that have led our profession in important directions and demonstrated the important work of occupational therapists in mental health and health promotion. She has served our profession for 35 years, making contributions to post secondary education, policy, health promotion, and delivery of health services.

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Marie Eason Klatt

Marie has greatly influenced the Occupational Therapy profession and the Hand Therapy specialization in Canada and beyond through her innovative clinical practice and generous and collaborative leadership in rehabilitation settings and professional organizations and her dissemination of knowledge. Her vast experience and contributions to the profession would make her a deserving recipient of this award.    

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Skye Barbic 

As a role model for many of us, Skye has worked tirelessly to champion the patient experience and has successfully led a culture shift towards a health service where success is measured and driven according to what is important to patients, rather than basing success on clinical measurements alone.

In light of her dedication to this cause, and the wide application of her research – not to mention the direct impact that her work with Foundry is having on the lives of young people in BC – Dr. Skye Barbic is most deserving of the CAOT-BC Outstanding Occupational Therapist Award for 2024.

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Nathalie Bier  

Nathalie is recognized for her exceptional contribution to the profession, both in terms of her commitment to the profession and her dedication to the training of occupational therapy students, make her an outstanding candidate for the CAOT-Qc Occupational Therapist of the Year award. Bier has made a name for herself in Quebec and internationally with her research program dedicated to home support for elderly people with pathological cognitive aging, as well as her significant contribution to occupational therapy teaching.

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Janna MacLachlan 

Janna’s research focuses on supporting Inuit knowledge to be foregrounded in health and social services offered to Inuit. Janna was awarded a two-year Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2023, through which she is working with Qaujigiartiit on the Ikajurniq Project, a program focused on reconnecting Inuit women and child victims of violence with Inuit knowledge.  

Janna is an advocate for occupational therapists across the north and has worked with Ongomiizwin Health Services and the Government of Nunavut as an OT.

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Ashley is recognized for her proactive efforts in establishing partnerships with community settings that may not traditionally employ an occupational therapist as part of their team. Ashley goes above and beyond to impart not just knowledge but also a genuine enthusiasm for the field of occupational therapy. Her dedication to cultivating the next generation of occupational therapists is evident in the meaningful and practical experiences she provides, fostering a positive learning environment for her students.

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April Vander Veen and Debbie Laliberte Rudman 

The recipients of the Golden Quill Award for their article titled: Rethinking Driving Against Medical Advice: The Situated Nature of Driving After Stroke

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Past Recipients  

Christine Hsin - University of British Columbia
Courtney Schneider - University of Alberta
Ulyana Omelchenko- University of Manitoba
Bradley Wilson - University of Toronto
Christian Chong Joshua Lim - Western University
Joelle Chandler - McMaster University
Estelle Dube - Queen's University
Kayla Dudas - University of Ottawa

Mathilde Charron - Université de Montreal
Kinza Hart - McGill University
Marie-Noëlle Pilon - Université Laval
Nellie D'Astous - Université de Sherbrooke
Mégane Prévost-Breault - Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Elizabeth Coish - Dalhousie University

Samira Omar

Samira is recognized for her outstanding contributions to the profession of occupational therapy nationally and internationally, even though she is not an occupational therapist. She is a strong supporter and advocate for our profession and a leader in addressing change within the profession.

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Agency, program and/or individual Award Recipient

Provincial/Chapter Nominator

Art Studio

CAOT & CAOT-BC

Montreal Lake Child & Family Agency

CAOT & CAOT-SK

Carina Blumgrund

CAOT & MSOT

Journey Home Hospice, (Matthew Durham Executive Director)

CAOT & OSOT

Dawn-Marie Buck

CAOT & NBAOT

Don Brebner

CAOT & NBAOT

Vicky Levack

CAOT & NSSOT

Dalhousie University Office of Environmental Health & Safety- Liane Sandula & Jerry Aguinaga

CAOT & NSSOT

End Homelessness St. John's

CAOT & NLAOT

Exceptional Connections NL

CAOT & NLAOT

Western Arctic Youth Collective (WAYC)

CAOT & CAOT-North 

Past Recipients   

Sarah Mills - University of British Columbia
Ellie Lambert - Queen's University
Stacey Zammit - University of Toronto
Anne-Julie N'Goran -  Université de Montréal
Bianca Abbate - McGill University
Chantal Doré - Université de Sherbrooke
Angelina Alex - University of Alberta
Kirsten Smith - Western University

Kayla Maubert-Hyde - University of Manitoba
Nicholas Morrison - McMaster University
Anne-Marie Synnott - Université Laval
Alexandra Jean - Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Darene Toal-Sullivan - Ottawa University
Adrean Ojoleck - Dalhousie University