CSOS

Townsend & Polatajko Lectureship

Call for Nominations for the 2026 Townsend & Polatajko Lectureship

The Canadian Society for Occupational Science is extremely pleased to present this call for nominations for the Townsend & Polatajko Lectureship for 2026. Information on the criteria for this lectureship as well as the nomination process can be found on the nomination form.

Please CLICK HERE to access the nomination form.

The recipient will deliver their lecture at the 2026 OS Day in Canada! The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, May 2, 2025. We look forward to receiving nominations for this prestigious lectureship, and thank you in advance for submission!

CSOS is delighted to announce that Dr. Catherine Vallée, Ph.D., erg., is the 2024 recipient of the Townsend & Polatajko Lectureship. Her lecture, titled “Against the Winds: Storms, Fog, Silence, and Light,” will be presented soon. Stay tuned for details!

On we hosted the 2023 CSOS Occupational Science Symposium: Innovations in research inquiry and methodologies in Occupational Science (OS): A CSOS Symposium for Researchers, Graduate Students and Educators.

The event kicked off with an enlightening keynote address by  Dr. Rebecca Aldrich, who delivered the Townsend & Polatajko Lectureship “Uncertainty and Occupation.” Dr. Aldrich’s thought-provoking insights set the stage for a day filled with intellectual stimulation and collaborative discussions.

Throughout the day, attendees were treated to a diverse array of 16 presentations, each delving into different facets of Occupational Science. The symposium provided a platform for the exchange of ideas that promised to shape the future of the field.

CSOS saw 43 dedicated professionals participating both in person and virtually from around the world in this event.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Western University School of Occupational Therapy for hosting this remarkable event, providing a nurturing environment for intellectual growth and collaboration.

 

A Prestigious Award

The Townsend & Polatajko Lectureship is awarded to recognize the efforts of the founders of CSOS to establish a body that would foster occupational science in Canada, and link it with other occupational science developments nationally and internationally. 

Criteria for Nomination

The nominee will have made :

  1. A significant contribution to scholarship of relevance to occupational science, including key papers and conference presentations; and/or

  2. A significant contribution to education of relevance to occupational science; and/or

  3. A significant contribution to the development of the occupational science community in Canada.

Details