I’m an Assistant professor, Teaching stream in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a PhD student in Health Professions Education Research in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. My undergraduate degree was in psychology from York University, followed by my occupational therapy degree at UofT. Following 18 years of clinical work, I returned to do an intensive 14-month master’s degree at UofT with my research focused on student mental health in post-secondary education. Having transitioned into academic life following 18 months of clinical research management work, I decided to pursue my PhD and plan to explore the phenomenon of student failure in clinical learning settings.

I love to read and thankfully so do my husband and two awesome kids (now teens). I never listen to podcasts, though this admission may raise some concerns in ExCEL lab. My favourite book is The Myths of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky which incorporates my love for the human brain and psychology – perhaps the same things that drew me to this lab. I rarely read fiction and am currently reading Newfoundland travel books in preparation for a family trip.

In my spare time, I like to see family and friends and you can find me playing basketball with my son, who used to be a much worse player but can now outshoot, outrun, outjump and outplay me. I enjoy cooking, creative plating and table scaping, but have passed most baking duties on to my daughter who is far more patient than I with finicky desserts. I would love to travel the world, but that may have to wait until I’m done my PhD. My goal is to graduate before my kids are done university.