Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext: 23523
Fax: (905) 524-0069
Office: Rm. 407, IAHS
Email: molls@mcmaster.ca
Curriculum Vitae: Download

Profile

Sandra is an assistant professor (part-time) within the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster. She worked clinically for over 11 years, primarily in community mental health settings with individuals who have a severe and persistent mental illness. She started teaching at McMaster following completion of her Masters of Science degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Western Ontario in 1993. 

Sandra is currently completing a PhD at the University of Toronto in Public Health Sciences, and was recipient of a CHIR fellowship designed to develop leaders in Research in Addictions and Mental Health Policy and Services. Her dissertation is an institutional ethnography exploring how the experiences of workers with mental health issues are shaped by social relations of work. She also received funding for her doctoral work from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada .

Teaching responsibilities at McMaster include coordination of the OT/PT Exploring Perspectives on Disability Experience in Term 1, as well as guest lectures and session coordination related to mental health practice in the professional masters (OT) program. She is also involved in curriculum development regarding mental health and addictions content in Year 2 of the professional Masters program.

My primary research interests relate to mental health/mental illness and disability issues, utilizing primarily qualitative research and participatory methodologies. Recent projects include working with the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation to develop knowledge translation tools for employers regarding mental illness in the workplace, and another project involving building community capacity for employment of peer support providers in community mental health programs. For the past 5 years, I have been part of the steering committee for Photovoice Hamilton, an arts-informed initiative designed to address the needs of marginalized youth and adults in the local community.

Fun Fact:

Outside of academia, Sandra transforms into a hockey mom, cheering on her boys in various obscure arenas around southwestern Ontario . Drives a mini-van, but secretly longs for a bright red Ferrari!

Taking Graduate Students:

Not at this time

Lab/Research Institute:

http://www.photovoice.ca/

Recent Research

Funding agency: Canadian Centre for Disability Studies
Amount: $5,000
Funding period: October 2006 -July 2007
Project title: Psychiatric disability and peer support: Challenging the status quo in the mental health community
Investigators: Moll, S . & Sherman, D. with the Hamilton Peer Support Working group

Funding agency: Hamilton Community Foundation, Tackling Poverty Together Initiative
Amount: $27,000
Funding period: July 2006-July 2007
Project title: Photovoice Hamilton
Investigators: Photovoice Steering Committee [Dick, R., Salwach, E., Moll, S ., Vengris, J, Sherman, D.]

Funding agency: Working Together For Change
Amount: $2,000
Funding period: July 2006- July 2007
Project title: Building partnerships: Exploring involvement of community faculty in educating rehabilitation science students about disability
Investigators: Moll, S & Mugford, S.