Caroline Storr, MBA, OT, erg, Associate Professor (Professional) and Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education – Occupational Therapy, is the 2021 recipient of the Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year Award. The award, given by the Quebec chapter of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists recognizes the exceptional contribution of members residing in Quebec who have devoted themselves to the profession throughout their career.
“I am so honoured to receive this recognition and to have been nominated amongst such an outstanding group of passionate professionals,” says Prof. Storr. “My commitment to community outreach both locally and internationally continues to inspire me to create and collaborate on rich learning environments for our occupational therapy students, and also for interprofessional teams. It is a privilege to be learning every day!”
Professor Storr has been contributing to the professions of occupational therapy at a local, provincial, national and international level for more than 40 years. During her career as an occupational therapist she has worked clinically in pediatrics, as an educator, as a clinical coordinator of fieldwork, and as a collaborator on research projects. She has directly impacted hundreds of trainees, clinical preceptors, as well as health care and non-governmental organizations to achieve the high-quality learning experiences that she has provided for McGill University’s occupational therapy students.
During an academic career at McGill that spans more than two decades, Prof. Storr’s clinical experience, combined with her business acumen, has allowed her to develop partnerships locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. These partnerships, and the activities developed as a result, have increased the richness of many occupational therapy students’ clinical education while enhancing the occupational therapy services provided to a wide variety of clients. Collaborators over the years include the Papillon Foundation (formerly Quebec Society for Disabled Children), the Cree Board of Health and Social Services at Bay James, the AIDS Community Care in Montreal, Agence Ometz and Amar Seva Sangam in Ayikudy, India (ASSA), to list just a few. She has worked extensively with health care facilities and non-governmental organizations in 28 different countries.
Since 2014, Prof. Storr has successfully grown and maintained a leadership role in education within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, as the Director of Education Programs for the Dialogue Project, a project designed for the training and retention of healthcare professionals at McGill’s Institute of Health and Social Policy.
Within the community, she is an active member of the Board of Directors of the CIUSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Ile-de-Montreal, member of two of the Board’s sub-committees: University Affairs and the Vigilance and Quality Committees as well as an advisory committee member for the Lethbridge-Layton-MacKay Rehabilitation Centre, a major rehabilitation institution in Montreal.
As an Occupational Therapist, Prof. Storr has also worked closely with the Ordre des Ergothérapeutes du Quebéc, most recently as a member of the sub-committee on Equivalency for Foreign Trained Occupational Therapists.
As a student supervisor and collaborator, she has made substantial contributions to occupational therapy research, having obtained project funding as a principal applicant, from agencies including the Edith Strauss Foundation Grants and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. As a result, she has co-authored several publications and has contributed to numerous international conference presentations. She served as the monthly clinical Educator Bulletin Coordinator for OT Now from 2014-2019 and more recently served as a reviewer for the OT Now COVID-19 special edition.
Caroline Storr’s contribution to clinical education at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, rehabilitation services near and far, promoting the profession of occupational therapy, and persistent efforts to support current students and clinical supervisors continues to be tireless, collaborative, and graceful.
Congratulations Professor Storr!
By Monica Slanik
May 20, 2021