Senior Scientist, KITE- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network
Associate Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Adjunct Scientist, Baycrest Health Sciences, Rotman Research Institute
KITE- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network
550 University Avenue
Toronto, ON M5G 2A2
Phone: 416-597-3422 x7609
Email: pia.kontos@uhn.ca
Websites
http://www.uhnres.utoronto.ca/researchers/profile.php?lookup=56403
http://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/faculty-profile/kontos-pia/
Biosketch
Pia Kontos’ research program represents a convergence of several key interests: 1) the use of critical social theory and qualitative research methods (participant observation, interviews, focus groups) to examine the norms and assumptions underpinning care practices in long-term care; 2) the development of a relational model of citizenship which integrates insights from the fields of embodiment and dementia, citizenship, and human rights to address issues of social justice and state responsibility regarding the recognition and entitlements of individuals living with dementia; and 3) the development, implementation, and evaluation of arts-based approaches (e.g. research-based theatre, film) to bridging her research on relationality, embodiment, and selfhood, with the practice and ethics of dementia care.
Pia obtained her PhD in Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto in 2003. She is a Senior Scientist at KITE- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, and an Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, where she teaches Theory and Method for Qualitative Researchers: An Introduction (JRP 1000). She is cross appointed to the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute and the Institute of Medical Science, and serves as an Advisory Board member of the International Journal of the Creative Arts in Interdisciplinary Practice and Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice, and serves as an Advisory Board member of the International Journal of the Creative Arts in Interdisciplinary Practice, Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice, and The Gerontologist.
Research Interests
- Critical social theory applied to health, illness, and disability
- Embodiment theory
- Ethics
- Dementia and dementia care
- Qualitative and arts-based methodologies and practice
CQ Teaching
Pia’s course, “Theory and Method for Qualitative Researchers: An Introduction” (JRP1000), is offered at CQ.
“Pia Kontos is a very good teacher: incorporating her own experience to help students develop a better understanding of the material. Her caring, empathetic nature shows in her work, yet demonstrates rigour in her research and academic work.” – Student Evaluation, Winter 2009
“Pia was a fantastic instructor – probably the most committed instructor I’ve had in grad school. She has gone out of her way on several occasions to make sure I was understanding important concepts. I really appreciated her openness about her research experiences.” – Student Evaluation, Summer 2012
Sample Publications
Kontos, P., Grigorovich, A., Colobong, R. Towards a critical understanding of creativity and dementia: New directions for practice change. International Practice Development Journal (Special Issue: Critical perspectives on person, care and aging) 2020; 10(Suppl, Article 3). DOI.org/10.19043/ipdj.10Suppl.003.
Kontos, P., Grigorovich, A., Dupuis, S., Jonas-Simpson, C., Mitchell, G., Gray, J. Raising the curtain on stigma associated with dementia: Fostering a new cultural imaginary for a more inclusive society. Critical Public Health 2020; 30(1): 91-102. DOI: 10.1080/09581596.2018.1508822.
Gray, J., Kontos, P. Working at the margins: Theatre, social science and radical political engagement. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance 2019, 24(3): 402-407. DOI: 10.1080/13569783.2019.1604125.
Kontos, P., Grigorovich, A. Integrating citizenship, embodiment, and relationality: Towards a reconceptualization of dance and dementia in long-term care. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (Special Issue: Perspectives on Alzheimer’s Disease: Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues) 2018; 46(3): 717-723.
Kontos, P., Grigorovich, A. Rethinking musicality in dementia as embodied and relational. Journal of Aging Studies (Special Issue: Ageing Body and Society – Critical Perspectives, Future Challenges)2018; 45:39-48.
Kontos, P., Grigorovich, A. ‘Sleight of hand’ or ‘selling our soul’? Surviving as critical qualitative health researchers in a positivist world. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research 2018; 19(2), Art. 25.
Kontos, P., Miller, K-L., Kontos, A.P. Relational citizenship: Supporting embodied selfhood and relationality in dementia care. Sociology of Health and Illness (Special Issue: Ageing, Dementia and the Social Mind) 2017; 39(2): 182-198.
Kontos, P., Miller, K.L., Mitchell, G., Stirling-Twist, J. Presence redefined: The reciprocal nature of engagement between elder-clowns and persons with dementia. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice. 2017; 16(1):46-66.
