The Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a new award — one that recognizes a simple but powerful idea: that some of the most important insights about leadership, innovation, and systems change come from learning beyond the boundaries of our own field.
The Innovation & Leadership Award is a new $5,000 annual award supporting occupational therapists who are pursuing educational pathways outside of traditional healthcare and research streams. This includes areas like leadership, design, artificial intelligence, data and informatics, policy, and entrepreneurship.
A gift born from personal experience
The award is made possible through the generous commitment of Mary Konkin, an occupational therapist and leader whose career has spanned clinical practice, professional development, and educational leadership in British Columbia.
Mary’s decision to create this award was shaped by her own experience. In 1996, she pursued graduate studies in business at a time when virtually no funding existed for occupational therapists seeking that kind of interdisciplinary education. She saw an opportunity — and a gap.
“As occupational therapists, we are, by nature, lateral thinkers. As our world continues to evolve — particularly with the emergence of artificial intelligence and other transformative forces — our profession must continue to adapt in order to remain relevant and impactful.”
– Mary Konkin
Her gift reflects a belief that expanding how our profession thinks about itself, while remaining firmly grounded in occupational therapy’s core values, makes us stronger.
“Mary’s generosity reflects exactly the kind of forward-thinking leadership our profession needs. Her gift recognizes that innovation in our profession doesn’t only happen in a traditional setting, but when OTs are empowered to learn broadly, think differently, and bring new ideas back to the communities they serve.”
– Sylvia Davidson, Vice-President at COTF
Is this award for you?
If you’re an occupational therapist pursuing or planning to pursue education in a non-traditional field, we encourage you to apply. Eligible areas of study include, but are not limited to, business, design, technology, AI, health policy, and entrepreneurship.
Applications are open May 14 – July 1, 2026. Visit this link to learn more about eligibility and to apply.