2025 HEALTH CARE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

Kristen Wood

Nominated For: HEALTH CARE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

I am honoured to receive this nomination and humbled to be recognized by my clients, colleagues, and community. I have been providing occupational therapy services to brain injury survivors who have been involved in auto collisions since graduating from Western University in 2014. I do what I do because I’m passionate about helping people build their capacity through meaningful occupational engagement. I believe every person has inherent value, and I’m driven to ensure that individuals with different abilities are respected, supported, and able to enjoy a high quality of life. Working with clients who have experienced brain injuries requires flexibility and creativity as no two injuries are alike, and I embrace this challenge wholeheartedly. It brings me genuine joy to bring joy to others, and my compassionate nature fuels my commitment to holistic, person-centred care. As a philosophy of practice, I see each client as far more than a compilation of their injuries and struggles; I see their strengths, potential, and humanity.

I am deeply committed to lifelong learning and building upon my knowledge to better serve individuals with brain injuries. At KW Rehabilitation, I am fortunate to collaborate with an extraordinary team of therapists whose shared experiential knowledge enriches my practice and serves my clients. I’ve completed specialised training through Brock University/OBIA in brain injury rehabilitation for both youth and adults, as well as in concussion management and assessment for catastrophic impairment determination. My current pursuit of certification in life care planning has fostered a deeper understanding of the long-term impacts of injury, which has changed how I approach helping clients achieve meaningful immediate goals to reduce future challenges. My recent focus has been on pursuing education in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), exposure therapy, and anxiety management, which is a reflection of my holistic approach and also having heard my clients describe their complex emotional needs accompanying brain injury. I’ve also had the privilege of mentoring master’s level student occupational therapists, where I help them build on values related to the importance of client-driven, strengths-based rehabilitation, and they, in turn, provide my clients the opportunity to share their stories to contribute to teaching the healthcare providers of tomorrow.

I have been a director on the board for the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington (BIAWW) for three years and have recently taken on the role of Chairperson. Here, I work with a fabulous group of directors to implement the strategic plan of the organization to best serve the needs of our community. Advocacy is a large part of this role and extends to listening to what current members and the community find beneficial and working with the survivors, staff, and volunteers to secure services and resources to meet identified gaps. Part of my involvement with the BIAWW includes meeting the needs of the professional community as well, and we recently launched a “Speaker Series”, brief in-service education aimed at bringing together our local professionals working with survivors of brain injury to provide them with free education relevant to serving our community. As well, I am fortunate to work with other local service providers to co-host an Oktoberfest event, where community members and industry professionals alike gather to raise funds for our local BIAWW. At the risk of making a shameless plug, we’d love to see you there, October 2nd and please connect with me for details.

Like many of my clients, colleagues, and community members, I am a person outside of my vocational role, and I believe those ‘person’ variables also shape my ability to relate and connect with clients and influence my approach to professional practice. I am a proud mom of two young children who are full of energy and love attending our local BIAWW events, where survivors and staff alike teach my children that we are one community. I am an avid runner and cyclist, which has given me a deep appreciation for the privilege of being able to engage in personally joyous activities and reap the health benefits supported through movement. It has also given me an equally deep understanding of the frustration, disappointment, and sadness that comes from altered and lost engagement (oh, these knees!!) and the role of resilience, determination, and perseverance. I love reading and have been fortunate to join a book club with my fellow local colleagues working in ABI, which over time has developed into friendships and a community of practice resource, where we spend more time mining ideas to support our clients than discussing characters in books. Lastly, I have every craft hobby imaginable, which has been a tool I share with others to promote their well-being, foster creativity when faced with challenge, and as a means to cultivate social connectedness.

It has truly been my privilege to share in my client’s rehabilitation journey, getting to know them as unique individuals and supporting them to build engagement in meaningful activities, and to connect with the wonderful allied health providers and members of this community. Regardless of the outcome of this nomination, I am grateful to have been here among this undoubtedly fabulous group of healthcare providers and I appreciate your time.