Katelyn Favel MSc.OT, PhD candidate, Vanier Scholar
Assistant ProfessorResearch Area(s)
- Indigenous health and wellness
- LandBack, Indigenous sovereignty, and self-determination
- Critically examining, analyzing and addressing colonialism and racism in health professions education and practice
- Culturally relevant and safer healthcare
- Indigenous research methodologies, epistemologies and community-engaged scholarship
Bio
Katelyn is a nehiyaw iskwew and a registered member of Poundmaker Cree Nation. She is a mother, a registered occupational therapist, and a PhD candidate in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta.
Katelyn has worked in early intervention and pediatric practice, primarily in partnership with First Nations schools. Her work is grounded in relationship-building and a commitment to providing culturally relevant, safer care for Indigenous children, families, and communities. Her doctoral research explores LandBack in occupational therapy education, examining how occupational therapy can better support Indigenous self-determination, sovereignty, and resurgence for both students and communities.
Beyond her research, Katelyn also serves on the board of the Indigenous OT Collective of Canada, where she contributes to creating a more inclusive, decolonial profession rooted in Indigenous epistemologies and pedagogies. Katelyn is passionate about transforming occupational therapy education and practice to uphold Indigenous sovereignty, strengthen relationships, and support meaningful change within the profession.