Dr. Leah Taylor
OT Reg. (Ont.) & Post-Doctoral Associate
Dr. Leah Taylor is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Child Health & Physical Activity Lab at Western University. Leah completed her PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Health Promotion; 2026), alongside a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (2025), both through Western University's School of Occupational Therapy. She also holds a MSc in Geography (2018) and a BHSc (Honours Health Promotion, 2016), both from Western University. Leah's research interests centre on supporting 24-Hour Movement Behaviours for children in the early years with diverse disabilities. Her doctoral work, the Early Movers study, examined practical applications of the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines in early intervention occupational therapy, leading to the co-design of a clinician's guide to support OTs in applying the guidelines in practice — work for which she received the Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation's Barb Worth Emergent Leader Award. As a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the lab, Leah leads the TEACH-Ability Project and co-leads the Active Beginnings study. Alongside her research, Leah works clinically as an Occupational Therapist at the Parkwood Institute with the Transitional Lifelong Care Program and Stroke Rehabilitation teams, and has previously worked with the school therapy team at Thames Valley Children's Centre. Outside of work, Leah enjoys spending her free time outdoors — hiking, camping, gardening, and running.
Funding: Western Postdoctoral Fellowship. Previous funding: Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award (Canadian Institutes of Health Research), Ontario Graduate Scholarship.
