Neil Squire is thrilled to share the news that Occupational Therapist, Katrina Tilley, has been named the CAOT-BC’s Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year.

Katrina has been recognized for her passion and championing of the occupational therapy profession through her work with the Neil Squire Society. She has been an advocate for clients, sought ways to educate funders and decision makers, and is recognized as a driving influence amongst her co-workers, students and clients.

Katrina has been with the Neil Squire Society since November 1985. She worked with Neil himself, as he learned how to manage with a high-level spinal cord injury. While working with people with disabilities at the George Pearson Centre from 1983-85, she became a consultant to the now famous Creekview 202 project which saw six individuals with high level tetraplegia (five of them relying on ventilators for breathing support) moved from George Pearson Centre to independent apartment living

Katrina has managed two hallmark Neil Squire provincial programs. Computer and Assistive Technology Services (CATS), with a total budget of $3M, ran from 2011 to 2015 and was funded by the Province of British Columbia/WorkSafeBC. Technology@Work, which had a total budget of $12M, ran from 2015 to 2019 and was funded by the Provincial Government of British Columbia/ Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation (now Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction).

Katrina has been a driving force behind the development of Neil Squire Solutions. As manager of Neil Squire Solutions, she works in close collaboration with a talented team of Occupational Therapists and Assistive Technology Specialists who perform detailed assessments on clients with varying and complex disabilities.

Katrina is a registered member of the College of Occupational Therapists of BC, and a member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. She is a clinical faculty member and clinical instructor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of BC, and an instructor and advisory committee member for the Rehabilitation and Disability Management Diploma, Simon Fraser University. Katrina is a member of the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, and a member of the OT/PT USA Spinal Cord Injury Leadership Forum, which meets annually in a model spinal cord injury centre in USA. Katrina has obtained Assistive Technology Professional Certification from RESNA, a designation which requires recertification every 2 years.

Congratulations, Katrina, on receiving CAOT-BC’s Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year award. We could not be more proud of you and the legacy you have built over the past 35 years at Neil Squire