Receiving the COTF Doctoral Scholarship in 2024 marked an important milestone for Dr. April Vander Veen as she completed her PhD at Western University. Throughout her doctoral studies, April remained closely connected to clinical practice, balancing academic research with part-time work as an occupational therapist to ensure her research stayed grounded in real-world care and experiences.
Today, April works as an Occupational Therapist, Adjunct Instructor, and Research Associate in the School of Occupational Therapy at Western University, where her work spans clinical care, research, and education.
The impact of the COTF Doctoral Scholarship
The scholarship provided meaningful support during one of the busiest stages of April’s doctoral journey, helping her create more time to focus on completing her dissertation.
“While I was pursuing my PhD, I continued to practice part-time as an OT—it was (and is) important to me to remain grounded in practice to inform my research. However, receiving this scholarship helped me to reduce some of my clinical hours at a critical time in my degree to finish writing my thesis.”
For April, maintaining a connection to practice while completing advanced research was an important part of her academic journey, and the scholarship helped make that balance more manageable.
Current areas of focus
April continues to practice in acute care settings while also expanding her involvement in occupational therapy education and research. At the same time, her professional interests are evolving to include teaching and supporting future occupational therapists through her work at Western University.
Encouragement for future scholarship applicants
Having applied multiple times before receiving the award, April encourages students and researchers not to get discouraged during the application process.
“I applied each year of my PhD for this scholarship, and was not successful until my last year.”
She also highlights the value of reviewer feedback and the importance of persistence.
“My advice is to keep applying if you are not successful the first (second, or third) time! I always got helpful feedback from the reviewers that informed subsequent scholarship applications at COTF and beyond.”
What she values most about occupational therapy
For April, occupational therapy offers endless opportunities for creativity, learning, and innovation. She appreciates the diversity of experiences that come with working alongside clients and families, and the opportunity to develop individualized approaches that support meaningful goals.
“With the broad scope of practice for OT, each client/family have unique needs and experiences so you can always learn new assessments, interventions, and develop creative solutions to support client goals.
Life outside of work
Outside of her professional roles, April enjoys travelling and spending quality time with her husband and children. One of her family’s most recent adventures included a whale-watching trip in Quebec!