2018 conference presentations

It was a busy spring! Katerina was part of a group of occupational therapists based in Canada, Australia and the USA presenting on women's health to occupational therapists from around the globe.

Katerina collaborated with women's health OTs Jocelyn Rich, Lindsay Kaupp, Melissa LaPointe, Janelle Gullan, Sarah Rheinberger, Brooke Reilly and Kimberly Aiello to present A Natural Fit: Occupational Therapy and Women's Health at the CAOT Conference in Vancouver, Canada on June 23, 2018.  The presentation highlighted the natural fit of occupational therapy in program development and service provision related to women's health across the lifespan. Strengths and barriers regarding the inclusion of, awareness of and access to occupational therapy in a Canadian healthcare setting were identified, and they provided an opportunity to engage a diverse group of occupational therapists as a stakeholder group regarding their role, or potential role, in women's health by sharing their voice and nurturing innovative practitioners. 

Katerina also collaborated on a similar women's health presentation for the 2018 VICTAS Occupational Therapy conference in Melbourne, Australia with Janelle Gullan, Sarah Rheinberger, Lindsay Kaupp and Brooke Reilly, entitled Enabling the Woman: Occupational Therapy Engagement in Women’s Health. This presentation explored the wide range of person, environment and task-related interventions that can be used when working with women to help them participate in the daily activities they need or want to do. The presentation highlighted the diverse scope of occupational therapy knowledge and skill currently being used to support women in areas such as pelvic health, posture and movement, pain and scar tissue, birth preparation and recovery, role and identity transitions, stress and exhaustion, building social supports, environmental adaptations and mental health.