Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Navi Mental Health Wayfinder

Patricia McKeever
RN, PhD

Professor Emerita

Her areas of expertise include long-term care policies, chronic illness and disability, interdisciplinary scholarship, contemporary social theory and qualitative research methods. Her research focuses on children with severe chronic illnesses and/or disabilities, their embodiment, assistive technologies, and the places where they live, attend school and/or receive care.

Dr. McKeever is a Senior Scientist at Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. From 2007 to 2012, she was the inaugural holder of the hospital foundation’s Chair in Childhood Disability Studies. Dr. McKeever is cross-appointed to U of T’s Department of Paediatrics and its Department of Family and Community Medicine. As well, she’s cross-appointed to the university’s Collaborative Program in Bioethics and Institute of Medical Science.

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  • Academic Credentials
    1992 – PhD, York University, Toronto
    1976 – MSc(A), McGill University, Montreal
    1972 – BN, McGill University, Montreal
  • Publications
    Dr. McKeever’s PubMed link is available here.

PhD Students / Trainees

Coralee Mclaren

Children’s Movement in an Integrated Kindergarten Classroom: What Can Their Bodies Do?

Contemporary neuro-scientific evidence indicates that unrestricted movement and gesture are necessary for children’s optimal cognitive and communicative development. Such movements enhance learning because they allow children to freely engage with external properties of their environments. Drawing on innovative theoretical ideas and methods, Coralee Mclaren conducted an interdisciplinary, ethnographic study to capture disabled and non-disabled children’s interactions with the physical features of an integrated kindergarten classroom. Findings could be used to optimize: i) the design of learning environments that support all children’s ability to move freely within them, ii) interventions to develop their physical, social and cognitive capacities, and iii) educational and rehabilitation strategies that encourage children to explore, navigate and shape their everyday environments.

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