Niki Kiepek
Biographic Data
| ID | 1151945 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Niki Kiepek |
| GIVEN NAMES | Niki |
| FAMILY NAME | Kiepek |
| SIGNATURE | KIEPEK N |
| AFFILIATIONS | Dalhousie University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2053-5080 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 35 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Alcohol in Context
While extensive research has examined alcohol-related harms in university residences, few studies have explored how specific drinking contexts—such as physical location, policies, and broader socio-cultural factors—shape student alcohol use. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with 25 first-year residential students and 16 staff across two Canadian universities (University of Calgary, Alberta, and Dalhousie University, Nova…
Discursively Embedded Institutionalized Stigma in Canadian Judicial Decisions
The aim of this research was to explore how the concept of harm is constituted in case law judicial decisions pertaining to the importation, production, possession, and trafficking of drugs in Canada using critical discourse analysis methodology. The research was designed to uncover taken-for-granted assumptions about drugs and associated harms. The data source for this study is judicial decisions. These are published texts where judge(s) summari…
Accessing drug treatment programs in Atlantic Canada
People who use substances (PWUS) (e.g. inject substances) are at risk of many harms. Various services help reduce risks including drug treatment programs such as withdrawal management and opioid agonist treatment. Much of the research on PWUS’ experiences of treatment programs is set in large urban centers creating a knowledge gap of experiences in other places. Our study helps address this gap by exploring PWUS’ experiences of treatment programs…
Socially Situated Experiences of Substance Use
Our study was designed to pilot a photo elicitation methodology and undertake preliminary examination of substance use from the perspectives of two potentially disparate groups. Photo elicitation methodology involved participant generated photos and elicitation interviews to purposefully explore (i) how people who use substances depict and discuss their own substance use, and (ii) how professionals who prescribe/dispense pharmaceuticals depict an…
Criminalization of occupation
Occupational science literature increasingly addresses occupations classified as illegal. We examine legal sanctioning, globally and locally, of two occupations: i) search and rescue activities to aid asylum seekers and ii) sex work. We draw on comparative legal research and critical historical legal methodologies to explore how occupations become framed as criminal in certain places and certain points in time, but not in others. Relying on compa…
You Are You, But You Are Also Your Profession”
This paper explores Canadian professionals’ engagement in licit, illicit, and pharmaceutical substance use, their perspectives on what constitutes professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming in relation to substance use, and the dilemmas they face around self-disclosure in the context of professional regulation and social expectations. The study involved semi-structured, dialogical interviews with n = 52 professionals. Key findings are: (i) pr…
Exploring care of hospital inpatients with substance involvement
Methamphetamine use among gay men
Introduction. Attending to the nuanced meanings of non-sanctioned occupations holds the potential to better grasp the influences of occupational contexts at multiple levels. We examined the recreational use of methamphetamine (meth) by gay men, attending to potential benefits without undermining potential risks for harm. Our intention was to broaden current knowledge about meth use by gay men and to understand the many motivations and contexts, a…
Innocent observers? Discursive choices and the construction of “occupation”
As scholars engaged in processes of knowledge production and knowledge sharing, occupational scientists are afforded a degree of social privilege, authority, and legitimacy and are therefore accountable for the ways in which constructs of occupation are produced. As the concept of ‘occupation’ broadens to encompass a wider range of lived experiences, an opportunity to critically reflect on how discursive choices shape epistemic knowledges is pres…
Seeking legitimacy for broad understandings of substance use
Articulating the form, function, and meaning of drug using in the Philippines from the lens of morality and work ethics
The Philippine War on Drugs policies of “neutralization” of drug-related activity has resulted in the deaths of over 9,000 people suspected of drug-related crime. These measures are claimed to be necessary for the sake of productivity, peace, and order. Drawing on concepts of occupational justice, this paper examines distinct historical, social, and cultural values underlying notions of productivity and work ethic, and the influence of these valu…
Silences around occupations framed as unhealthy, illegal, and deviant
Occupational science has made tremendous strides in establishing a theoretical and empirical knowledge base grounded in the study of occupation. Yet given its origins in occupational therapy, a health profession aimed at enhancing health and well-being through engagement in meaningful and purposeful occupation, there has been sustained focus on the health-enhancing qualities of occupation. This has effectively silenced a significant realm of huma…
Substance Use and Professional Identity
Processes of professional socialization influence types of substances used, patterns of use, and estimation of normalization. This project explores psychoactive substance use among professionals and students in professional programs in Canada, rationales for use, strategies to manage use and potential consequences, and factors within professional education and culture that influence decisions about use. The intent of this study is to uncover soci…
Introducing a Critical Analysis of the Figured World of Occupation
This critical analysis of occupational science examines the figured world of occupation. Figured worlds are 'typical' representations of a particular construct based on taken-for-granted theories and stories developed through experience and "guided, shaped, and normed" though social interactions (Gee, 2011, p. 76). Drawing on theoretical articles published primarily in the Journal of Occupational Science, a discussion regarding the values and ass…
Addictions and Impulse-Control Disorders as Occupation
Objective. The question addressed in this paper is: "Are activities that are classified as 'addictions' and 'impulse-control disorders' occupations?" Background. Current conceptualisations of occupation focus on positive contributions to health and well-being. We suggest that occupations are neither inherently healthy nor unhealthy but are associated with positive and/or negative consequences. Methods. Integrative and interpretative literature sy…
Introducing a Critical Analysis of the Figured World of Occupation
This critical analysis of occupational science examines the figured world of occupation. Figured worlds are 'typical' representations of a particular construct based on taken-for-granted theories and stories developed through experience and "guided, shaped, and normed" though social interactions (Gee, 2011, p. 76). Drawing on theoretical articles published primarily in the Journal of Occupational Science, a discussion regarding the values and ass…
Silences around occupations framed as unhealthy, illegal, and deviant
Occupational science has made tremendous strides in establishing a theoretical and empirical knowledge base grounded in the study of occupation. Yet given its origins in occupational therapy, a health profession aimed at enhancing health and well-being through engagement in meaningful and purposeful occupation, there has been sustained focus on the health-enhancing qualities of occupation. This has effectively silenced a significant realm of huma…
Innocent observers? Discursive choices and the construction of “occupation”
As scholars engaged in processes of knowledge production and knowledge sharing, occupational scientists are afforded a degree of social privilege, authority, and legitimacy and are therefore accountable for the ways in which constructs of occupation are produced. As the concept of ‘occupation’ broadens to encompass a wider range of lived experiences, an opportunity to critically reflect on how discursive choices shape epistemic knowledges is pres…
Substance Use and Professional Identity
Processes of professional socialization influence types of substances used, patterns of use, and estimation of normalization. This project explores psychoactive substance use among professionals and students in professional programs in Canada, rationales for use, strategies to manage use and potential consequences, and factors within professional education and culture that influence decisions about use. The intent of this study is to uncover soci…
Addictions and Impulse-Control Disorders as Occupation
Objective. The question addressed in this paper is: "Are activities that are classified as 'addictions' and 'impulse-control disorders' occupations?" Background. Current conceptualisations of occupation focus on positive contributions to health and well-being. We suggest that occupations are neither inherently healthy nor unhealthy but are associated with positive and/or negative consequences. Methods. Integrative and interpretative literature sy…
Discursively Embedded Institutionalized Stigma in Canadian Judicial Decisions
The aim of this research was to explore how the concept of harm is constituted in case law judicial decisions pertaining to the importation, production, possession, and trafficking of drugs in Canada using critical discourse analysis methodology. The research was designed to uncover taken-for-granted assumptions about drugs and associated harms. The data source for this study is judicial decisions. These are published texts where judge(s) summari…
Addictions and Impulse-Control Disorders as Occupation
Objective. The question addressed in this paper is: "Are activities that are classified as 'addictions' and 'impulse-control disorders' occupations?" Background. Current conceptualisations of occupation focus on positive contributions to health and well-being. We suggest that occupations are neither inherently healthy nor unhealthy but are associated with positive and/or negative consequences. Methods. Integrative and interpretative literature sy…
Introducing a Critical Analysis of the Figured World of Occupation
This critical analysis of occupational science examines the figured world of occupation. Figured worlds are 'typical' representations of a particular construct based on taken-for-granted theories and stories developed through experience and "guided, shaped, and normed" though social interactions (Gee, 2011, p. 76). Drawing on theoretical articles published primarily in the Journal of Occupational Science, a discussion regarding the values and ass…
Silences around occupations framed as unhealthy, illegal, and deviant
Occupational science has made tremendous strides in establishing a theoretical and empirical knowledge base grounded in the study of occupation. Yet given its origins in occupational therapy, a health profession aimed at enhancing health and well-being through engagement in meaningful and purposeful occupation, there has been sustained focus on the health-enhancing qualities of occupation. This has effectively silenced a significant realm of huma…
Substance Use and Professional Identity
Processes of professional socialization influence types of substances used, patterns of use, and estimation of normalization. This project explores psychoactive substance use among professionals and students in professional programs in Canada, rationales for use, strategies to manage use and potential consequences, and factors within professional education and culture that influence decisions about use. The intent of this study is to uncover soci…
Seeking legitimacy for broad understandings of substance use
Articulating the form, function, and meaning of drug using in the Philippines from the lens of morality and work ethics
The Philippine War on Drugs policies of “neutralization” of drug-related activity has resulted in the deaths of over 9,000 people suspected of drug-related crime. These measures are claimed to be necessary for the sake of productivity, peace, and order. Drawing on concepts of occupational justice, this paper examines distinct historical, social, and cultural values underlying notions of productivity and work ethic, and the influence of these valu…
Methamphetamine use among gay men
Introduction. Attending to the nuanced meanings of non-sanctioned occupations holds the potential to better grasp the influences of occupational contexts at multiple levels. We examined the recreational use of methamphetamine (meth) by gay men, attending to potential benefits without undermining potential risks for harm. Our intention was to broaden current knowledge about meth use by gay men and to understand the many motivations and contexts, a…
Innocent observers? Discursive choices and the construction of “occupation”
As scholars engaged in processes of knowledge production and knowledge sharing, occupational scientists are afforded a degree of social privilege, authority, and legitimacy and are therefore accountable for the ways in which constructs of occupation are produced. As the concept of ‘occupation’ broadens to encompass a wider range of lived experiences, an opportunity to critically reflect on how discursive choices shape epistemic knowledges is pres…
Exploring care of hospital inpatients with substance involvement
Accessing drug treatment programs in Atlantic Canada
People who use substances (PWUS) (e.g. inject substances) are at risk of many harms. Various services help reduce risks including drug treatment programs such as withdrawal management and opioid agonist treatment. Much of the research on PWUS’ experiences of treatment programs is set in large urban centers creating a knowledge gap of experiences in other places. Our study helps address this gap by exploring PWUS’ experiences of treatment programs…
Socially Situated Experiences of Substance Use
Our study was designed to pilot a photo elicitation methodology and undertake preliminary examination of substance use from the perspectives of two potentially disparate groups. Photo elicitation methodology involved participant generated photos and elicitation interviews to purposefully explore (i) how people who use substances depict and discuss their own substance use, and (ii) how professionals who prescribe/dispense pharmaceuticals depict an…
Criminalization of occupation
Occupational science literature increasingly addresses occupations classified as illegal. We examine legal sanctioning, globally and locally, of two occupations: i) search and rescue activities to aid asylum seekers and ii) sex work. We draw on comparative legal research and critical historical legal methodologies to explore how occupations become framed as criminal in certain places and certain points in time, but not in others. Relying on compa…
You Are You, But You Are Also Your Profession”
This paper explores Canadian professionals’ engagement in licit, illicit, and pharmaceutical substance use, their perspectives on what constitutes professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming in relation to substance use, and the dilemmas they face around self-disclosure in the context of professional regulation and social expectations. The study involved semi-structured, dialogical interviews with n = 52 professionals. Key findings are: (i) pr…
Alcohol in Context
While extensive research has examined alcohol-related harms in university residences, few studies have explored how specific drinking contexts—such as physical location, policies, and broader socio-cultural factors—shape student alcohol use. This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with 25 first-year residential students and 16 staff across two Canadian universities (University of Calgary, Alberta, and Dalhousie University, Nova…
Discursively Embedded Institutionalized Stigma in Canadian Judicial Decisions
The aim of this research was to explore how the concept of harm is constituted in case law judicial decisions pertaining to the importation, production, possession, and trafficking of drugs in Canada using critical discourse analysis methodology. The research was designed to uncover taken-for-granted assumptions about drugs and associated harms. The data source for this study is judicial decisions. These are published texts where judge(s) summari…
Psychology (12 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Political science (9 works) · Law (6 works) · Occupational science (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Occupational Therapy (5 works) · Occupational Therapy Practice and Research (5 works)