John Long Nguyen, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Student’s Name: John Long Nguyen
Country of Origin: Toronto, ON
Pre-MSc/PhD Education: BA in Psychology (Honours), York University
Recent Research Experience: Currently, I am a work-study research assistant in the Family Lab run by Jill Cameron. In this role, I have had the opportunity to learn a great deal about qualitative research methodology, co-created a codebook, and coded transcribed interviews using NVivo. During my undergraduate education at York University, I completed a supervised honors thesis and was the research coordinator at the Social Cognition Lab run by social psychologist Kerry Kawakami. In this particular lab, I gained valuable experience designing quantitative studies from start to finish, using eye-tracking software, as well as analyzing data using analysis software such as SPSS.
Current Research/Research Aspirations: In terms of research aspirations, I am very interested in mental health focused research. For example, I am interested in learning about the perspectives of individuals with mood disorders such as depression and how they experience navigating supported employment programs. Specifically, I hope to better understand whether supported employment programs in Canada are adequately tailored for individuals experiencing depression and who are seeking to regain meaningful employment. Another vested research interest of mine entails figuring out how mindfulness based interventions can be better practically utilized within occupational therapy practice in mental health settings. In particular, I am curious as to how often mindfulness-based interventions are being incorporated within occupational therapy interventions, as well as the reported effectiveness.
Why Faculty of Medicine? I chose UoFT’s faculty of medicine to pursue my education for several reasons. Firstly, being located in the downtown core of Toronto, UoFT has access to a wide catchment area of hospital sites, providing students with many different opportunities for fieldwork placements. Secondly, UoFT has many newly renovated buildings and sites on campus to study, do work and socialize, thus fostering a sense of community. In addition, the campus facilities and services offer a plethora of resources available to students at the faculty of medicine.
Future Education Plans and/or Career Goals: Following the completion of my MscOT degree, my aim is to work as an occupational therapist in a mental health focused institution such as the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) or at a mental health unit/ACT team within a hospital such as St. Michaels or Trillium Health Centre. My specific areas of interests that I see myself working in entail seniors’ mental health, LGBTQ mental health, addictions, schizophrenia/psychosis, and forensics. My career goals include running my own private practice in the future, practicing both as an occupational therapist and psychotherapist. Another career goal is to move into a clinical management position with a greater emphasis on student/professional education, and professional team management. After several years of clinical experience, my future education plans might entail pursuing doctoral work to take up more of a teaching role.