Credentials
Post-Doctoral Fellow: Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Project: Opening Minds, Mental Health Commission of Canada. 2012-2015.
PhD: School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 2012.
MA: Department of Occupational Therapy, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, New York, NY, USA, 1995.
BSc.OT: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, 1991.
Background Information
- Graduated with a BSc in Occupational Therapy from National Taiwan University and a Masters of Arts in Occupational Therapy from New York University.
- Practiced as an OT Director in a Psychiatric hospital for over 10 years.
- Practiced as an OT educator in universities in the areas of mental health for over 10 years.
- Completed a PhD in Rehabilitation Science, focusing on recovery from serious mental illnesses.
- Completed post-doctoral fellowship in Mental Health Commission of Canada, focusing on stigma reduction among youth populations.
- Joined the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta in July, 2015.
Professional Interests
Dr. Chen’s current teaching and research focuses on people with mental health issues, including two main themes: social inclusion for individuals with mental illnesses and mental health promotion. She has expertise in research related to stigma reduction, recovery, psychiatric disability, campus mental health, and campus substance misuse. She is the author of “Recovery Education Program for Inpatient Mental Health Providers” published by Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists 2018. Her research aims to enable people the freedom to engage in occupations they value and are expected to do. Based on change theories underlying the health needs and priorities of people with mental illness, Dr. Chen’s research addresses people’s activity limitations to engender hope, develop identity separate from illness, reduce stigma, play meaningful roles, and promote self-determination.