School of Rehabilitation Therapy announces 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award winners

News & Announcements | 19 Sep 2024

The School of Rehabilitation Therapy (SRT) Distinguished Alumni Awards have recognized three graduates.

The 2024 honourees, who will be officially recognized at the annual SRT Homecoming brunch on Oct. 19, are Gord Unsworth (Occupational Therapy), Dr. Oren Cheifetz (Physical Therapy), and Jan MacLean (Rehabilitation Science). 

The awards were established in 2013 thanks to the generous support of faculty member and Queen’s alumna, Diana Hopkins-Rosseel, MSc (Rehabilitation Science) ’92, and her husband, John Rosseel, BA (Artsci) ’81. The Awards annually recognize graduates who have made exceptional contributions to their chosen profession, field and/or community.

Learn more about this year’s nominees:

Gord Unsworth (Occupational Therapy): Unsworth became an Occupational Therapist after receiving his MSc from Queen’s University in 2007. Unsworth has worked as an Occupational Therapist, Professional Practice Leader and Manager in the field of mental health since 2007 and is currently a Regional Director with Providence Care. Unsworth has also been an adjunct lecturer and clinical supervisor with SRT since 2008 and continues to enjoy contributing to the greater community through his work at Queen’s and Providence Care.

Dr. Oren Cheifetz (Physical Therapy): Cheifetz completed his physiotherapy degree at Queen’s University in 1996 and has spent his career at Chedoke McMaster Hospitals (later becoming Hamilton Health Sciences, HHS). Throughout his career at HHS, Cheifetz also worked as a Clinical Specialist in the Hematology and Oncology programs, and as an Advanced Practice Physiotherapist. Professionally, Cheifetz was active in the the Ontario Physiotherapy Association (OPA), including serving as President, on the Board of Directors, and as District President.  Nationally, he served on the Canadian Physiotherapy Association’s Board of Directors, as Chair of the CPA’s Oncology Division – which he helped establish – and as executive member of the Acupuncture Division.

Jan MacLean (Rehabilitation Science). MacLean worked as an Occupational Therapist in adult rehabilitation at Kington General Hospital and at Home Care (1974-2001). In 2002 she shifted her focus to children and founded The Reading Clinic in Kingston, providing 1:1 intervention for children with difficulties in reading, writing and math. She is a Certified Orton-Gillingham Practitioner and Educator as well as a Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Specialist. When she retired in 2016, there were seven instructors, 40 students attending daily, and hundreds of students had come through its doors. Provincially, MacLean served as a Director and Chair of the Training Committee for IDA Ontario (the Ontario branch of the International Dyslexia Association) from 2008-2013, and on the Advisory Board 2013-2023.

Read the award winners full bios here.

SRT alumni are invited to attend the SRT Homecoming Brunch on Saturday, October 19 and honour the outstanding achievements of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients. Visit Homecoming Registration for more details.

School of Rehabilitation Therapy announces 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award winners

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