We were deeply saddened to learn of the untimely tragic death of Dianna Mah-Jones, a dedicated, highly-respected and caring occupational therapist at G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) for more than 35 years. She was well-known across the region, province and nationally in the field of occupational therapy for her contribution to the continuing education of rehabilitation professionals by offering courses to hone clinical reasoning skills. This year, Dianna was named the VCH and Provincial Health Care Hero at the HEABC’s annual BC Health Care Awards event.
Dianna was Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, supporting occupational therapy fieldwork students with skill, compassion and an untamed energy. With her ‘can do’ attitude, she contributed to numerous departmental activities over the years including her service on admission interview panels, facilitator of small group tutorials, and sage participant on the Community Advisory Circle during the development of the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) curriculum. As a result of that later participation, her relentless interest in lifelong learning is present in the goals of the MOT program. More recently, Dianna served as a mentor for entry level students during “clinical shadowing” days and was contributing sponsor to the annual Capstone Conference presented by our graduating students. These just some examples of her deep and sustained commitment to occupational therapy students at all levels. In recognition of her tremendous contribution to the profession of occupational therapy, in 2015 Dianna was named the the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists BC Chapter’s Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year — a well-deserved accolade for an inspiring mentor, friend, author and gifted clinician.
Our community grieves the loss of Dianna and her husband, and our deepest sympathies go out to her colleagues, family, and friends.
A tribute to Dianna Mah-Jones at Vancouver Coastal Health
BC Health Care Awards video of Dianna Mah-Jones