Michael Iwama | |
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Born | |
Nationality |
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Known for | Kawa Method |
Title | Professor of Occupational Therapy |
Academic background | |
Education |
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Academic work | |
Institutions |
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Notable works |
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Dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, MGH Institute of Health Professions | |
In office 2018–2021 | |
Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy, August University | |
In office 1994–1998 | |
Website | https://www.kawamodel.com/v1 |
Michael K. Iwama Is an American social scientist and influential occupational therapy theorist who rose to prominence for his emphasis on culturally relevant practice. He is best known for his conceptual practice model, which is internationally known as the Kawa Model("Kawa" is the Japanese word for River which serves as the metaphor in his model.)[1] The model was originally published as a series of articles in The American Journal of Occupational Therapy by Iwama and others in the early 2000's and made clear in the publishing of his first book in 2006. The model has continued to evolve and found broader application throughout his career and is disseminated in numerous books and articles. He has lectured across all six continents, finding international acceptance. Iwama has spent his later career focused on improving Occupational Therapy degree programs and his model is used in over 600 health profession education models worldwide.[3][4]
Iwama's main theoretical contribution is his idea that different cultures, especially those who place a greater focus on collectivism[5] rather than individualism, may respond differently to methods and reasoning used in Occupational therapy models at his time. His model stands as a broad construction to be adapted to various domains within OT, and adapted differently amongst cultures globally. He expresses that the realization of his model occurred mostly by accident at first as he realized that some of his explanations the occupational frameworks he had been using in Canada and the United States were not well received on his trips to Japan. The Kawa model seeks to acknowledge all client narratives are connected to their environment and things that may exist outside of their control. The model itself originally uses the metaphor of a River, with the rocks, river walls, driftwood, and water all representative of different client centered issues.[6] Iwama's work is widely cited and his model stands among the most influential theoretical contributions in the history of occupational therapy, especially in regard to cultural occupations.
Personal life and education
editIwama was born in Okinawa, Japan, the youngest of three boys to Japanese parents. In Japan he attended an American school located near a U.S. Military base, as a teenager his family moved to Vancouver, Canada where he attended high school at Killarney Secondary School.[7]
Kawa Model
editDeveloped in Japan in the late 1990's, the Kawa (river) Model was an attempt in OT to develop a more culturally sensitive treatment model, using culture-near concepts. Doing so allows better articulation of medical concepts in broader world anthropologies. [8]
Major publications
edit- Iwama, M. K. (2006). The Kawa Model: Culturally Relevant Occupational Therapy. Switzerland: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.[9]
References
edit- ^ "The Kawa Model". individual.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ^ South Carolina Occupational Therapy Association (2019). "Keynote Speaker: Michael Iwama, PhD, MSc, BScOT Pioneer of the Kawa Method". SCOTA.Net. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ As of 2020[2]
- ^ "Michael Iwama, PhD, MSc, BScOT | Duke University School of Medicine". medschool.duke.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ^ Lovelace, Sarah; Tarnowski, Annabelle; Bass, Gail (2019). "A Life History of Dr. Michael Iwama, PhD, MSc, BScOT, BScHP". UND Scholarly Commons. Occupational Therapy Oral Histories. University of North Dakota Department of Occupational Therapy. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ "About – The Kawa Model". 2016-08-06. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ^ Iwama, Michael. "20Q-Kawa Developer". OccupationalTherapy.com. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ^ Frank, Gelya; Baum, Carolyn; Law, Mary (2010). Smith-Morris, Carolyn; Manderson, Lenore (eds.). Chronic Conditions, Fluid States: Chronicity and the Anthropology of Illness (Hardcover). United Kingdom: Rutgers University Press. pp. 244–246. ISBN 9780813547466.
- ^ Iwama, Michael K.; Thomson, Nicole A; MacDonald, Rona M. (2006). The Kawa Model: Culturally Relevant Occupational Therapy (1st ed.). Switzerland.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier (published July 25, 2006). doi:10.1080/09638280902773711. ISBN 9780443102349. PMID 19479503.
Category:19xx births Category:Occupational therapists Category:American social scientists Category:American medical writers