Terry Krupa, PhD, OT Reg (Ont), FCAOT is a Professor in the Occupational Therapy Program of the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen's University, Canada. She holds cross appointments in the Department of Psychiatry and the School of Nursing. She has practiced in the mental health field for over 30 years, as a clinician, educator, and researcher/scholar. Terry has been involved in the development and evaluation of a range of services and intervention approaches focused on improving the health, well-being, and full community participation of people living with mental illness. Terry has been the recipient of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapist's Muriel Driver and Leadership Awards. She was the inaugural recipient of the Pioneer Award for Recovery Research presented by Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada. Bonnie Kirsh, PhD, OT Reg (Ont) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, with cross appointments to the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Prior to becoming an academic, she was a clinician and an administrator in the field of occupational therapy and mental health. Her work focuses on community engagement for people experiencing mental illnesses, with a focus on systems, services, and interventions that enable people to obtain and maintain meaningful and productive roles. Bonnie was appointed to the Mental Health Commission of Canada and has participated on boards of community mental health agencies. She has also been the recipient of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapist's Muriel Driver Award. Deborah Pitts, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH, CPRP is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy in the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. She has developed an expertise in the philosophy and practice of psychiatric rehabilitation with a particular interest in how occupation influences the "lived experience" of recovery for persons labeled with psychiatric disabilities. Deborah has served as an occupational therapy clinician, educator, scholar, and consultant, and as a surveyor for behavioral health facilities in the United States. Deborah has worked actively to advance the mental health knowledge and practice in occupational therapy, through her leadership in the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Mental Health Special Interest Section and in the development of the competencies for AOTA Board Certification in Mental Health. She was the 2011 recipient of Occupational Therapy Association of California's Annual Practice Award in acknowledgment of her long-standing commitment to advocating for the role of occupational therapy in mental health Ellie Fossey, PhD, MSc, DipCOT (UK) has conducted occupational therapy research and taught in occupational therapy undergraduate and postgraduate programs at La Trobe University in Melbourne for over 20 years, as well as in Singapore, and previous positions in South Australia and Coventry, England. Ellie is a member of La Trobe University's Living with Disability Research Centre and an Honorary Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne. Her research and teaching focus on frameworks for understanding people's everyday lives and occupations, the ways in which these may be affected by health conditions and changing life circumstances, and on occupation-focused practices. Ellie's research has predominantly attended to time use, education, and work-related issues faced by people whose lives are disrupted by mental health issues. She is widely published in occupational therapy, disability, and mental health journals and has particular interests in using qualitative and collaborative approaches to research within these fields.
