Adjunct Faculty Members

Research Interests

• Children's health
• Physical activity
• Early childhood education
• Implementation science

Research Interests

• Critical Disability studies and Occupational Science
• Inclusion
• Universal Design and inclusion
• Services, systems and policies shaping disabled people’s participation/inclusion in society

Interests

• Interface of clinical practice and academia
• Leadership
• Integration of research in clinical practice

Expertise (research/clinical/teaching)

• Health systems
• Leadership
• Stroke
• Participation
• Learning and adaptive approaches
• Cognition
• Health policy
• System evaluation

Michael’s research focuses on exploring how innovative technologies can be used to explore mechanisms of spinal pain, challenging measures used in spinal pain measurement (e.g., recovery), and critical theorization of health discipline practice. He is also interested in role clarity across the health disciplines and improving access to health disciplines service delivery across a wider healthcare lens.

• Clinical Expertise: Mild-moderate traumatic brain Injury, mental health (anxiety, depression, trauma, adjustment disorder, etc.), cognitive impairments (e.g., long-covid, post-cancer), neurodevelopmental (adult ADHD, late-diagnosis autism), return to work, physical and cognitive functional capacity evaluations, psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioural therapies), and physician health
• Teaching Areas: Cognitive rehabilitation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults, and multi-context approach

Research Interests

• Health and wellbeing in Nunavut
• Bridging Inuit and Western ways of knowing
• Community-based, participatory action and Inuit research methodologies
• Qualitative research
• Youth mental health
• Structural determinants of health

Research Interests

• Social occupational therapy
• Critical perspectives in occupational therapy and occupational science
• Social participation, social transformation, and social inclusion
• Theoretical fundamentals in occupational therapy and occupational science
• Citizienship, social policies, and rights informing professional practices

Research Interests

• Reflective Practice
• Professional Practice
• Fieldwork Education

Teaching/Research Areas

• Integrated Care Design and Delivery
• Student Fieldwork
• Innovative LEAP Placements for Occupational Therapy Students (Group Cohorts, Hybrid Models)
• Student Fieldwork Representative
• Western Curriculum Review Committee

Dr. Tara Pride is of mixed Mi’kmaw and settler ancestry, member of Sipekne’katik First Nation, and an Assistant Professor in the School of Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University. Her research areas include Indigenous health, mentorship, colonialism, and health professions education and practice.

Rachel Stack is an accomplished healthcare professional with over 25 years of experience in occupational therapy, quality improvement, and strategic leadership. She holds a Master of Clinical Science in Occupational Therapy and a Bachelor of Science in Physiology from Western University. Rachel's career is marked by her dedication to enhancing healthcare systems and patient experience and outcomes. She has ten years of experience leading organizational and system-level quality and patient engagement strategies, as well as project management and change management initiatives. Her expertise extends to coaching health service providers on performance and quality improvement methodologies.

Currently, Rachel is the Director of Wellness and Well-being at Western University, where she leads health and wellness programs. Previously, she was the Director of Strategy and Quality at the Lead Agency for Children and Youth Mental Health Services for London Middlesex and held senior roles at Ontario Health and Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). Her work has focused on leading health system planning, integration, and patient engagement.

In addition, Rachel has a strong academic background, having taught in the graduate Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy program at the University of Toronto. She has also been involved in numerous research projects, publications, and presentations, contributing to the advancement of occupational therapy and healthcare quality.

Research focus

• Fieldwork
• Mentorship
• Student wellness and well-being

Research Interests

• Paediatric movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary time, screen use)
• Childcare environment
• Cardiometabolic risk
• Health promotion and behaviour change theory
• Knowledge translation and mobilization