The Frances Rutherford Lecture Award

The Frances Rutherford Lecture Award (FRLA) honours the outstanding contribution made by Miss Frances Rutherford to the profession of occupational therapy in New Zealand. The purpose of this prestigious award is to encourage occupational therapists in their professional careers and to give recognition to those who have made a significant contribution in their specialist field of occupational therapy.

The key selection criteria include contribution to:

• Occupational therapy practice
• The occupational therapy professional body
• Occupational therapy education
• Occupational therapy knowledge base through research

Full details of Award and selection criteria

The recipient of the 2010 award will be Grace O'Sullivan and her Frances Rutherford Lecture will be presented at the 2010 Conference in Nelson.

As the Chrysalis becomes the Butterfly

Miss Rutherford wrote about her life in her 86th year - and we are privileged to share her story here: As the Chrysalis becomes the Butterfly.

"In 1983 I was honoured by the New Zealand Association of Occupational Therapists, who resolved ‘that they recognize the contribution of Frances Rutherford to occupational therapy by establishing a Frances Rutherford Lecture Award to be presented biennially at the New Zealand Association of Occupational Therapists conference’. It was my pleasure to be able to present this award in person in Auckland in 1992."

2008 FRLA Recipient

Carolyn Simmons Carlsson

Carolyn Simmons Carlsson is a very deserving recipient of the Frances Rutherford Lecture Award. She has made very significant contributions to occupational therapy, most notably in the areas of the development of occupational therapy practice in New Zealand, through her contribution to framing school-based practice in Aotearoa/New Zealand; her 'voice' on a number of NZAOT special interest groups discussion forums and the OT Insight magazine; her role in building a culture of supervision both within and without the profession and her contribution to professional development opportunities.