OPTIMIZE OT ASSOCIATES

Tara Cameron-Tilokani O.T.Reg. (MB) has worked part-time at Optimize OT as an Occupational Therapist contractor since 2010. She graduated with Masters of Occupational Therapy from the U of M in 2010 and has a background in education.  Tara practices in southwestern Manitoba working in acute, long-term, home care and rehabilitation.  Tara provides personal care, home assessments, functional assessments, worksite/ergonomic assessments, job and physical demands analysis, coordination and monitoring of return to work programs and permanent impairment assessments. Tara lives and works in the Melita area.

Ann Phung is an Occupational Therapist for Optimize OT. She graduated from the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at the University of Manitoba in 2011. Since then, she has worked in both the private and public sector in community, hospital, chronic care, and long term care settings in various areas in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. She has experience completing personal care assessments, home assessments, functional assessments, cognitive assessments, permanent impairment assessments, wheelchair assessments, job site assessments, and ergonomic assessments. Ann travels throughout Manitoba, working in rural, northern and urban areas, and has experience working in First Nation communities in the home care and personal care home programs.

Sara Brite is an Occupational Therapist for Optimize OT. She graduated from University of Manitoba in 2014 with a Master of Occupational Therapy and has a background in psychology. She has experience in a variety of areas such as PCA assessments, home assessments, ergonomic assessments, and permanent impairment assessments. She also has experience in the coordination and monitoring of return to work programs. She has experience in both Winnipeg and rural Manitoba in mental health, acute, and community settings.

Melanie Read is an Occupational Therapist for Optimize OT. She graduated from the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at the University of Manitoba in 2007 with a background in Psychology. She has experience working in community, home care, acute care, outpatient therapy, pediatric and school-based settings throughout Northern Manitoba & Saskatchewan and has supervised several OT students. She has experience working with a variety of medical conditions, completing home assessments/modifications, permanent impairment assessments, personal care assessments, seating/wheelchair assessments. She has provided lifts and transfer training in personal care home and school settings, as well presented on topics such as sensory regulation and executive functioning in school-based settings. She has enjoyed volunteering her services across the globe but her travels have always brought her back to Northern Manitoba.

Chelsey Brincheski graduated from the University of Manitoba with her Master of Occupational Therapy degree in 2015. Chelsey works and lives in rural Manitoba. Providing services in rural communities is important to her, knowing that access to care and services can be difficult in rural communities. Since graduation she has been working in acute care, long term care, home care and private practice. She has experience in personal care assessments, discharge planning, functional assessments, home assessments, cognitive assessments, permanent impairment assessments and equipment assessments. Chelsey has additional training in wheelchair and seating assessments and geriatrics.

Kyrsten Godard has been working as an Occupational Therapist for Optimize OT since 2017. She graduated from the Master of Occupational Therapy Program in 2016 and has an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from the University of Manitoba. She lives and works in rural Manitoba, working for private practice and the Prairie Mountain Health region. Kyrsten is experienced and skilled with adults and geriatrics in multiple settings including acute care, rehabilitation, community/home care, long-term care, and outpatients. She has experience with a variety of assessments including home/environmental, wheelchair/seating, functional, cognition, Personal Care and Permanent Impairment assessments.

Angela Wischnewski is an Occupational Therapist that has been working part time with Optimize Occupational Therapy for the past 2 years.  She graduated from the University of Manitoba with her Master of Occupational Therapy degree in 2016 and has a background in Psychology.   She works in the Home Care setting in the city of Winnipeg.  She has experience completing cognitive assessments, home assessments, functional assessments, and permanent impairment assessments.

Katelyn Jonsson-Lang, Graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a Kinesiology B.Sc Degree in 2010, and  from U of M Master OT program in 2014. 

She has experience working in stroke rehabilitation, as well as acute care, PCH, out-patients, and community settings, working mainly with adults and geriatrics. 

Since 2016 she has worked in rural Manitoba in the Interlake region in acute care, Out-patients, PCH and community home care programs.  She has an interest in working in First Nation communities and loves working with the geriatric and rural community populations.   

Kelley Mckimm works part time as an Occupational Therapist for Optimize OT. She graduated from the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at the University of Manitoba in 2015. She has experience working in the community as well as in acute care hospitals in Manitoba. She has experience working with a variety of medical conditions, completing home assessments/modifications, functional/cognitive assessments, permanent impairment assessments, personal care assessments, seating/wheelchair assessments as well as restorative care.

Taylor Smith graduated with a Bachelor of science ( psych major, math minor) from Brandon University, and then a Masters of Occupational Therapy U of M 2018. She has experience and works in personal care homes within First Nation communities, as well as completing work in the personal injury sector completing Permanent impairment assessments throughout Winnipeg and rural Manitoba. She has experience with teaching MSIP.

Natalie Kristjanson has been an Occupational Therapist for 27 years and has worked in many diverse areas of OT  including specializing in geriatrics, discharge planning and home care assessments and has many years of seating and wheelchair mobility assessment experience as well.  She developed the Musculosketal Injury Prevention Program in the Interlake Regional Health Authority  and trained staff in the IRHA in safe client handling techniques for many years. She continues to work part time in rural Manitoba as well as working part time for Optimize Occupational Therapy.geriatrics, discharge planning and home care assessments and has many years of seating and wheelchair mobility assessment experience as well.

Jill Stuart has worked part time at Optimize OT as an Occupational Therapist contractor since??? 2010. She graduated with a Masters of Occupational Therapy from University of Manitoba in 2008. She lives and works in southern Manitoba working in private practice, Garden Valley School Division, and Southern Health Sante Sud health region.
Jill is experienced with working in acute, community and school based settings with pediatric populations as well as community based adult services. Over the years, she has developed clinical skills in the areas of developmental assessments, environmental assessment and modification, adaptive equipment, permanent impairment assessments. She loves the challenge of working with populations ranging across the lifespan, with varying diagnoses and occupational performance issues.