A message from Roger Wong, Vice Dean, Education and Robert McMaster, Vice Dean, Research.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Susan Forwell as the Associate Dean pro tem, Graduate and Postdoctoral Education effective to December 31, 2026.
Dr. Forwell is a professor in the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy and a principal investigator at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD). She previously served as Head, Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, during which time she oversaw the significant growth of the department and the expansion of the Master of Occupational Therapy program in the North and Fraser regions, raising the Department’s profile at UBC, locally, provincially and nationally.
Dr. Forwell’s research focuses on providing patients with chronic neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, with programs and strategies to manage physical and cognitive changes so they can participate in their life roles. For her contributions to the field of occupational therapy, she has received numerous awards, including Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year and the Muriel Driver Memorial Lectureship Award from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists.
As Associate Dean pro tem, Dr. Forwell will provide strategic leadership for graduate and postdoctoral education programs within the Faculty of Medicine, collaborating closely with department and program leadership to ensure continuity of and advancement of graduate and postdoctoral education across British Columbia. We appreciate Dr. Forwell’s leadership to serve in this capacity and look forward to working with her to further the strategic priorities of both the Faculty of Medicine and UBC.
Dr. Forwell’s appointment follows the leadership of Dr. Miriam Spering, to whom we extend our gratitude for her service.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Forwell on her appointment.
