Welcome to the eleventh edition of the School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, email newsletter.

Although winter has been fairly mild to date, activities within the School have been steaming along since we returned on January 2, 2006. We are part way through the 2006 application cycle for the occupational therapy and physiotherapy professional master's programs. We are looking forward to interviewing the applicants during the Admissions Interview Weekend, April 28 – 30, 2006.

Preparations for the 10 and 5 year class reunions are almost complete. The major reunion dinner will be held on June 10, 2006, and we hope to see many of our alumni from the 2001 and 1996 classes join us for this very special event. The Alumni office will be mailing the formal invitations soon, and in collaboration with the SRS, has planned a great event.

Several of our faculty have received grants for respective research proposals, further advancing our leadership in rehabilitation research. Examples include grants from the Physician Services Incorporated Foundation, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and CIHR.

With hope for an early spring around the corner, I hope that many of you will drop us a line and let us share your stories in the summer newsletter.

As always, we welcome your feedback and ... stories - send them to collinsh@mcmaster.ca

With Warmest Regards,

Mary Law, Associate Dean, School of Rehabilitation Science

UPCOMING EVENTS

CELEBRATION APPROACHES! 10 AND 5 YR. CLASS REUNIONS!

Less than 3 months to go and the festivities begin! 2001 and 1996 Alumni, we hope you have saved the date of Saturday, June 10, 2006, to celebrate the 10yr and 5yr class reunions. This is a very special year for you. A time to reconnect with your former classmates and instructors. Events planned for the 10 and 5 year reunion include: the annual Helen Saarinen Fun Run, Family picnic lunch, Tours of the McMaster-Mohawk Institute for Applied Health Sciences (IAHS), and the Reunion Dinner on campus. You are welcome to bring your spouse, partner and family for an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon, reminiscing with friends and creating new ‘networks', while enjoying great food, fun and company!

A special thank you to the reunion coordinators, Marisa Loduca, FHS Alumni Officer, Helena Collins, OT/PT Program Administrator, Susan Brandon (PT'01), Iona MacRitchie (OT'01), Liliana Coman (PT'96), Pam Kjertinge (OT'96), Sarah Brunetti (OT'06), Laura Stewart (PT'06), Amanda Singh (OT'07) and Swapnil Rege ( PT'07). Be sure to read the details in your respective class invitations, that will be arriving at your home any day now, so that you may plan your travel and itinerary accordingly. Wanting more details - feel free to contact the Alumni Office via email: mailto:alumni@mcmaster.ca or by phone: (905) 525-9140, Ext. 23900. For those living out of town, you may also dial the alumni office toll free at 1-888-217-6003.

2006 CAREER NIGHT AND JOB FAIR...

Coordinated by the OT and PT students, this year, the annual Career Night will be held on May 2, 2006, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., in the IAHS - B102. The evening will include a question and answer session with recent graduates concerning issues that every graduate should know before entering professional practice. The annual Job Fair will be held on May 17, 2006, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the CIBC Hall, McMaster University Student Centre. Students will meet representatives from various health care venues to discuss job possibilities.

ACTIVITIES

2006 CHARITY BALL

On February 4, 2006, the McMaster OT and PT students held their 12 th annual Charity Ball at the Hamilton Convention Centre. Approximately $5000 was raised and donated to Cancer Rehab Inc. the not-for-profit clinic in Hamilton. Cancer Rehab Inc. is one of the first of its kind in Canada. It was established in January 2005 by McMaster graduate, Jodi Steele, PT'99 to help cancer patients recuperate after chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. Cancer Rehab Inc. is grateful for the generous donation. The funds will help support the services of the clinic. The 2006 Charity Ball committee would like to thank all students, faculty, staff and the community for their generous donations and helping to make this event a huge success.

AWARDS

Congratulations and Best wishes to the respective recipients on their achievements!

2006 Friends of Distinction Awards

Presented to Stacey Henderson, OT'06. Awarded by the McMaster Athletics and Recreation to part-time coaches, trainers, and behind and on-the-scene contributors to recognize their dedication to sport, University athletics and the pursuit of excellence.

2005-2006 Ottawa and District Post-Polio Therapy

Presented to Jonathan Burak, PT'06 and Rajan Suppiah, PT'06. The scholarship of $1000 per recipient is awarded to student(s) entering the final 2 years of a rehabilitation science program, who will advocate the promotion and awareness of the late effects of polio and the Post-polio syndrome through education, and in providing support to survivors and their families.

2006 Laura Babiski Memorial Bursary

Presented to Astrid Scholte, OT'06. Established in 2000, in loving memory of Laura Babiski, Clinical Lecturer in the Occupational Therapy Program, School of Rehabilitation Science, 1991-2000. The $100 bursary is awarded by the School of Graduate Studies on the recommendation of the School of Rehabilitation Science to a Year 2 student in the OT program who has achieved excellence in mental health practice.

2005 Outstanding Preceptor Awards

Presented to Janet Fisher (OT) and Kate Churchill (PT). The Outstanding Preceptor Award is designed to recognize preceptors' commitment to excellence and outstanding contributions to the educational development of future occupational therapists and physiotherapists at the School of Rehabilitation Science. Recipients demonstrate high standards of professionalism, commitment to students as a professional mentor and a spirit of cooperation with the School.

Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation

The Goldwin Howland Scholarship - Presented to Heather Colquhoun Master's Scholarship - Presented to Jackie Minezes

Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada

Post Entry-level Research Award - Presented to Teresa Yeung

Father Sean O'Sullivan Novice Researcher Award, St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation

Presented to Vince DePaul. The award of $10,000 will support thesis research.

Carolyn Thomas Award for the abstract:

Yeung T, Wessel J, Stratford P, Macdermid J : Validation of the lower extremity functional Scale (LEFS) on in-patients attending an orthopedic rehabilitation program. This award is given to the first author of the best scientific abstract submitted by members of the Arthritis Health Professions Association. Presented to Teresa Young at the 1 st Mexican-Canadian Congress of Rheumatology, Acapulco, February 2006.

People's Choice Student Poster Award

Presented to Teresa Yeung. Awarded for best poster at the GTA Rehab, Best Practices Day, Toronto 2006.

Honorary Membership, Canadian Physiotherapy Association

Presented to Patty Solomon. Honorary memberships are awarded to individuals who merit special recognition as a result of having significantly enhanced the profession through contributions over a period of at least 15 years. The award will be presented to Patty Solomon at the annual CPA meeting in New Brunswick, June 2006.

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHTS!

Congratulations to the following investigators:

Joy Macdermid and co-investigators, R Holtby and H Razmjou on receiving $156,000 from Physician Services Incorporated Foundation for a two-year project entitled, A "Piloting the Expertise-based Trial in Shoulder Surgery: Mini-Open versus Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair."

"Building Exam Writing Skills for Registration Success in Physiotherapy" for the study period January 2006 - July 2006. The award of $515,610 from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities was awarded to team members: Robinson J, Solomon P, Holstein S, Pond A.

Two CIHR Grants awarded to:
Macdermid, J/Law, M/Russell, D/Solomon, P/Stratford P. $100.000 per year for a study on defining the effect and mediators of two knowledge translation strategies designed to alter knowledge, intent and clinical utilization of rehabilitation outcome measures. Russell, D/Rosenbaum, P/Bartlett, D/Darrah, J/Hanna, S/Roxborough, L/Walter, Stephen. $90,952 per year. A "Moving Motor Growth Research into Clinical Practice: Do Knowledge brokers make a Difference?"

MEET OUR COMMUNITY PARTNER

Juliana Durham
Juliana graduated from the OT program at Queens University in 1980. She has worked as an occupational therapist at Hamilton Hospitals Assessment Centre/Vocational Services for approximately 10 years. Prior to this, she worked in private practice, the Hamilton Health Sciences and Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital. While working in the Rheumatic Diseases Unit at Chedoke Hospital, she became involved with researching an ADL scale (MDR Scale of Function) and had an opportunity to present about the research at a CAOT Conference.

Juliana is currently involved with assessing and treating individuals who have sustained trauma or developed a disease. She is often out of the office conducting in-home and worksite assessments. Her clients may have had workplace accidents, automobile accidents, sustained gun shot or stab wounds, developed multiple sclerosis, diabetes, psychiatric conditions, etc. Keeping up to date on the legislative changes that have affected automobile insurance and workplace programs has been challenging.

Juliana started tutoring in the OT program in Hamilton when it was offered through Mohawk College approximately thirty years ago. She has been a Part time Clinical Lecturer since 1987. Over time, she has observed the program evolve from the diploma level, to the degree completion, the bachelor's level and currently, the master's. She enjoys tutoring as it helps her keep up to date with OT theory and research developments. Working with enthusiastic students reenergizes her. Juliana always finds it interesting to run into students the next semester, during a placement or on the job and catch up on what's new in their lives!

Juliana and her husband, Gary, have a sixteen year old son named Jonathan, who is passionate about extreme sports. His idea of fun is riding a bicycle down the ski runs at Whistler, while avoiding a fall into a crevasse or running into bears. Juliana has learned to wait for Jonathan at the bottom of the hill, health card in hand! The family enjoys traveling; their last trip was to the west coast of Canada. They hope to make Spain their next stop in the not to distant future.

According to Juliana, the OT Program at McMaster University is very accommodating of tutors working in the community. She is not readily available to tutor during usual work hours and the school selects students who can attend late afternoon sessions off campus to be in her tutorial group. Course coordinators such as Mary Tremblay are always available to offer great support regarding student and tutorial group related problems. Recently, the new tutors' stipend has been welcomed by many self-employed therapists like herself. Because of her positive experiences, Juliana would like to encourage anyone thinking of becoming involved with the McMaster University's School of Rehabilitation Science to consider the opportunity of tutoring or facilitating a class or workshop.

Juliana always intended to return to school to study some more and hopes to return to school when she has determined what she would like to study and where. In the meantime, the School of Rehabilitation Science would like to thank you, Juliana, for being a regular tutor for many years. We hope that you will continue to share your experiences and enthusiasm with future students and colleagues, and be a part of our growth and development in the very near future.

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

SRS welcomes its newest member .... Linda Woodhouse will be joining the School of Rehabilitation Science in a tenure-track faculty position effective May 1, 2006. Linda has been working in the SRS for the past 1.5 years in a research funded position. Within this new position, Linda will participate educationally in the PT program, be involved in the Research Masters program on thesis committees, and will conduct research related to musculoskeletal function. Linda has taught in both traditional and self-directed, problem-based university education programs. Her background in the musculoskeletal area of physiotherapy practice and the relationship between body function and structure and person-level function will be an asset to the SRS educational programs. During the past year, she has been very involved in the development of the CIHR funded training program and the courses attached to it. Her research has focussed on evaluating physical and functional capacity, specifically investigating the relationship between structure (cellular level), function (whole body level), and quality of life in adults with musculoskeletal (work injuries, low back pain, ACL deficiency, total hip and knee replacements), endocrine (GH deficiency or excell, hypogonadism) and immune (HIV) disease. Linda spent the past few years working in California, gaining experience in the development and implementation of NIH-funded research. Her work to date has demonstrated that the morphological and biochemical changes that occur at the cellular level with anabolic therapies (e.g. testosterone, growth hormone) are consistent with improvements in whole body physical function and quality of life. Linda, Congratulations and welcome to the SRS family!

Phd Program in Rehabilitation Science... Pending OCGS approval, the School of Rehabilitation Science is planning to start a PhD Program in September 2006. The purpose of the program is to educate rehabilitation scientists who will become experts in rehabilitation science, advance rehabilitation research and transfer new knowledge into practice and policy. This competency based program trains students in research design and methods, grantsmanship, scientific writing, knowledge exchange and translation, and teaching/learning strategies. The 5 research foci include: childhood disability, aging, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, work and participation in society, and knowledge transfer/professional/ethics research. For additional information, please consult http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/grad/rehab/index.htm.

THE COLOR OF CHAMPIONS!

GOLD AGAIN - a personal journey by Doug Stacey, PT’94, Feb. 22, 2006

“I know that I have been through it a few times already but it does not get old. Winning a gold medal at an Olympic games is incredible but doing it with an amazing group of athletes who really are just one big family is even more amazing. I am thankful every day that the girls and Hockey Canada want me to be their physiotherapist and I am given these opportunities to share. It is currently 3:20 am 2 days after the gold medal game and I finally have time to write. After the buzzer sounded, and the celebrations on the ice were completed we all joined together to sing O Canada and watch our flag rise to the roof of the arena. I may have mentioned my pride during the raising of the flag in the village a week back, but it does not compare to the feelings of hugging those around you and celebrating the success of your team and the whole of Canada. Needless to say the festivities continued into the dressing room and on to Hockey Canada House with our families. It even continued into the next day with celebrations at Canada House in the center of downtown Torino. All I can say is it has been an incredible ride and I am happy to share some of it with you. When you work with a staff and group of athletes for such a long time (8 months) it is fantastic to see your hard work come to a succesful ending.

I look forward to seeing you all on my return to Canada and home in the near future - and sharing more of these incredible stories. Ciao from Torino, Doug”

Doug, this is not Ciao, but Saluti di Hamilton! Congratulations and chi vediamo doppo (see you soon)!

The Medal Ceremony, photo courtesy of Doug Stacey

MEET OUR FACULTY

Bonny Jung

Bonny joined the School of Rehabilitation Science (SRS) in 1990, having worked previously as a clinical instructor with the Mohawk College Occupational Therapy Program. Her clinical background includes working with adults with physical health and mental health concerns, however, her primary clinical focus is in community practice. In 2003, Bonny returned to school part time to pursue her PhD in Educational Studies at the University of Western Ontario, and continues working part time with the SRS as an assistant professor. Her working title for her dissertation is “The professional master's educated occupational therapist: The development of an emerging identity and profile.” Bonny is in a unique position in her life. She is a university student along with her 2 sons, Matthew and Daniel. Mother and sons share resources, conduct literature searches together and critique one another's work. Husband, Jack, is working hard to support the family through school and is anxiously looking forward to January 2007 when Bonny hopes to finish her PhD.

Bonny has been involved in two primary educational and research capacities over the years: One study involves students in the Occupational Therapy (OT) Program, in both the academic and practicum courses; and the other involves many clinical educators who provide teaching and supervision to the students in the regional, national and international community. Her research focusses on the learning issues of the student, clinical educator, and the tutor, the latter being a unique educational role within a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum.

From July 2003 to August 2005, on behalf of the Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Programs and McMaster University, Bonny assumed the role of manager of the national OT Fieldwork Placement Service. Within this role, she supervised a national OT educational service that maintained a database of approved fieldwork sites across Canada, coordinated the placement needs of 11 OT university programs throughout the academic year, and coordinated placements for international students.

In the area of role emerging placements, Bonny has co-authored two recent publications on this topic: Solomon, P., & Jung, B . (2006). An interdisciplinary role-emerging placement in HIV Rehabilitation. International Journal of Therapy Rehabilitation, 13, 59-64; and Jung, B. , Solomon, P., & Cole, B. (2005). Role-emerging placements in rehabilitation sciences in P. Solomon & S. Baptiste (Eds.), Innovations in Rehabilitation Sciences Education: Educating Leaders for the Future. Germany: Springer-Verlag.

Recently, Bonny has collaborated with Seanne Wilkins and Sue Baptiste on thedevelopment of a Community Partnership Model, which addresses the development of partnerships between community agencies and the McMaster University occupational therapy program. This model provides a framework for the integration of educational (research and practicum) and clinical service needs and builds on a previously published study, Wilkins, S., & Jung, B. (2002). Establishing research, fieldwork and service partnerships. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 19, 65-78. A manuscript is under review with the American Journal of OT entitled “Enhancing partnerships: A model to support research, service, and education”.

Bonny is also working with the Mohawk College OTA/PTA Program exploring intraprofessional student education particularly in the area of fieldwork education as evidenced in the publication, Jung, B., Sainsbury, S., Grum, R., Wilkins, S. & Tryssenaar, J.(2002). Collaborative fieldwork education with student occupational therapists and student occupational therapists assistant. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69, 95-104. Along with Adele Martin and Penny Salvatori, Bonny has completed a study that explored the effectiveness of the tutorial as a teaching strategy in fieldwork education to facilitate enhanced student learning about respective roles; sharing knowledge and work collaboratively to deliver comprehensive OT services; and working effectively in a team by providing health care in the practice setting. This important area of research will contribute to the development of professional relationships between occupational therapists and occupational therapist assistants.

In partnership with the World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) Bonny and co-investigators, Mary Tremblay, Penny Salvatori, Sue Baptiste, Magda Mouneimne and Elizabeth Buhler, are working on a study that will investigate the current level of inclusive education practised by occupational therapy schools affiliated with WFOT. The team is currently piloting the survey that will be used to collect the data later this year.

JOY MACDERMID

Joy Macdermid attended St. Mary's University in Halifax from 1979 to1981 because it had the best program in accounting in the province. Having decided that she was not ‘accountant material', she completed a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Upon graduation, Joy worked as a research assistant in an applied physiology laboratory. After conducting muscle physiology experiments on rats for a year, she discovered that she loved working in research but with people. With her newfound niche, Joy decided to combine her love for research with another area. She investigated a variety of health professions and settled for occupational therapy and physiotherapy. The philosophy of these professions were in line with her own priorities. Intent on becoming a physiotherapist and a researcher, Joy attended the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, from 1979 - 1999. Joy recalls that “Western was so fabulous” that the university became her home for several years, as she completed her 3 degrees: the entry-level BScPT (1987), an MScPT (1992), and a PhD in Epidemiology(1999).

During her undergraduate training, Joy was placed in 5 different units at the Victoria Hospital in London. Having exhausted almost every service, she signed up for “Plastics” without any prior knowledge in this area. On her first day of this placement, her supervising therapist had to take an unexpected extended health leave. Joy showed up on a clinic day and faced a crowded hallway of acutely injured patients with hand fractures and tendon injuries. These patients were waiting their turn to see the lone remaining hand therapist, Sigita Huys. She indicated that “I immediately knew that hand therapy was perfect for me.”

Subsequent to graduation, she sent one job application to the Victoria Hospital and was pleased to spend the next 10 years working there with a cadre of great surgeons and therapists. Working with patients whose lives were changed as a result of hand injuries motivated Joy to advance her clinical and research skills.

In 1992, She transferred to the new Hand program started by Drs. McFarlane and Roth at St. Joseph's Health Centre, and started in a half clinical/half research position in the Hand and Upper Limb Program. Whilst completing her PhD, Joy developed a clinical research program on upper extremity disability. The Hand and Upper Limb Centre is a research-intensive clinical unit comprising 3 research labs. She is currently the Co-director of the Clinical Research Lab. The other two labs focus on biomechanics (Drs. King and Johnson) and cellular physiology (Dr. Gan); both are funded by CIHR. The commitment to excellence at the Hand and Upper Limb Centre has afforded her the opportunity to advance clinical research issues in a supportive environment.

In 2001, Joy joined the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University. She considers herself fortunate to have a faculty position that allows her to continue in her role as Co-director of the Hand and Upper Limb Centre's Clinical Research Lab, while working with excellent faculty who share her research interests and approaches. Joy is the recipient of a CIHR New Investigator Award supporting her research in upper extremity disability.

Joy has published over 90 articles in peer-reviewed articles, authored textbook chapters in “Rehabilitation of the Hand” and presented widely on upper extremity clinical topics and outcome measurement.

Joy has been influenced by a number of mentors throughout her career. They include Sigita Huys, Dr. Robert McFarlane, John Kramer and Jim Roth. All played a key role in her early years as a junior therapist and researcher respectively. As a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT), Joy was inspired by Evelyn Mackin, a PT and one of the 6 original founders of ASHT. Joy was impressed with Macklin's dignity and humility during the founding years of ASHT, and her unflailing energy to remain active even though she is 15 years past retirement age. Joy credits her success and happiness at McMaster to “the mentorship and friendship provided by Mary Law” Associate Dean of the SRS at McMaster. Although Mary's interest is in pediatrics and Joy “gets enough of that at home” with her 6 children, she said that they are “remarkably similar in our approaches and interests to applying research to advance practice.” Joy feels that she is very fortunate to work at something that makes a positive contribution to others and to do so in collaboration with many people who have a similar commitment.

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