School of Rehabilitation Therapy Distinguished Alumni Award

Dr. Oren Cheifetz, PT’96 

Oren completed his physiotherapy degree at Queen’s University in 1996.  Graduating on a Friday, the next Monday Oren started working at Chedoke McMaster Hospitals (later becoming Hamilton Health Sciences, HHS), Hamilton, Ontario.  Over the years, Oren has remained at HHS and worked in multiple clinical settings, including inpatient orthopaedics unit, amputee rehabilitation, spinal cord rehabilitation, general surgery, outpatient orthopeadics, and more.  Throughout his career at HHS, Oren worked as a Clinical Specialist in the Hematology and Oncology program and as an Advanced Practice Physiotherapist in the MSK CIAC Joint Assessment Center.

While continuing to work full-time at HHS, Oren completed his Master’s at the University of Western Ontario (2006) and his Doctorate studies at McMaster University (2013).  Oren participated in the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) Clinical Specialist pilot project, and became a certified Clinical Specialist in Oncology (2011).  

Professionally, Oren was active in the Hamilton District of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association (OPA), including as District President. He was instrumental in establishing the Oncology Division of CPA and the international Oncology Interest Group of WCPT. Nationally, he served on the CPA Board of Directors, Chair of the Oncology Division, and executive member of the Acupuncture Division.  In OPA, Oren served as a member on the Board of Directors, and as the President of OPA. 

Gord Unsworth, OT'07

Gord became an Occupational Therapist after receiving his Master of Science from Queen’s University in 2007. Gord has worked as an occupational therapist, professional practice leader, and manager in the mental health field since 2007 and is currently a regional director at Providence Care. He has provided individual and group therapy, assessments, consultations, and education as a clinician. Gord has worked in hospitals and in the community and continues to demonstrate his desire to be a leader in health care. Gord has also been an adjunct lecturer and clinical supervisor with the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University since 2008 and continues to enjoy contributing to the greater community through his work at Queen’s and Providence Care.

Jan MacLean, OT’77, RHBS’97

Jan MacLean worked as an Occupational Therapist in adult rehabilitation at Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and at Home Care from 1974-2001. In 2002, she shifted her focus to children and founded The Reading Clinic in Kingston, providing one-to-one intervention for children with reading, writing, and math difficulties. She is a certified Orton-Gillingham Practitioner and Educator and a Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Specialist.  

When Jan retired in 2016, seven instructors and 40 students attended daily, and hundreds of students had come through its doors. The Boys and Girls Club Southeast took over The Reading Clinic in 2017 and has continued to run it. Jan served as a Director and Chair of the Training Committee for IDA Ontario (the Ontario branch of the International Dyslexia Association) from 2008-2013 and on the Advisory Board from 2013-2023. She helped to write the position statement submitted to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal for the Right to Read Inquiry. The Commission’s ruling has spurred significant changes in the reading curriculum in Ontario schools.

In 2020, she was a core participant in developing an online, on-demand course for teachers: Basics of Decoding and Spelling Instruction. This course is offered through IDA Ontario at a nominal charge and is provided free of charge to full-time education students and educators working in First Nation schools. Over 4,000 participants have enrolled in the course since it started. Currently, she volunteers in classrooms, working with students with reading challenges.