Rehab Impact Summer 2010

HONOURING David Magee

ISSUE 24 º VOLUME 12 º SPRING/SUMMER 2010

FACULTY OF REHABILITATION MEDICINE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

REHAB IMPACT is published by the

University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation

Medicine. It’s distributed to more than 4,500

rehabilitation students, staff and alumni in

physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech

language pathology, plus universities and

friends of the Faculty.

Communications & External RelationsFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine3-48 Corbett HallUniversity of AlbertaEdmonton, Alberta CANADA T6G 2G4T 780.492.2903 F 780.492.1626 [email protected]

ISSUE 24 | SPRING/SUMMER 2010

DEAN Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell

ASSOCIATE DEAN Dr. Joanne Volden GRADUATE STUDIES & RESEARCH

ASSOCIATE DEAN Dr. David Magee & Dr. Liz Taylor PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS & TEACHING

ASSISTANT DEAN Anita Yates EXTERNAL RELATIONS & ADMINISTRATION

CHAIR, PHYSICAL THERAPY Dr. Robert Haennel

CHAIR, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Dr. Lili Liu

CHAIR, SPEECH PATHOLOGY Dr. Karen Pollock AND AUDIOLOGY

MANAGING EDITOR Laurie Wang T 780.492.9403 laurie.wang @ualberta.ca

DESIGN Helix Design Communications 2001 Inc. James Shrimpton T 780.413.1822 [email protected]

WRITING Gen Handley Yonathan Sumamo Laurie Wang Ian Weetman

PHOTOGRAPHY University of Alberta, Creative Services Michael Holly Richard Siemens Jimmy Jeong Calvin Sun

PRINTING Dejong Printing Michael Chesworth T 780.983.7701 [email protected]

Cover: The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s first research chair is named after David Magee.

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WHAT’S Inside

4 Dean’s Message Pursuing your best

5 Rehab Impact Survey Results

6 Faculty Awards in Brief

8 New Faces

10 EDUCATION Synchronized distance learning technology brings physical therapy training to Camrose

12 ALUMNI PROFILE Leslie Wellman: Moving speech forward

14 ALUMNI PROFILE Wendy Coombs: Big baby steps for entrepreneur

16 EDUCATION Celebrating 50 years: The evolution of the occupational therapy program

19 RESEARCH Detecting patterns in the brain to help patients with aphasia

20 REHAB IN THE COMMUNITY Deb Esau: The problem with pain

22 RESEARCH Rehab Dialogue – Arthritis: A pain in the joints and the health-care system

24 YOUR IMPACT First endowed chair named after one of the world’s foremost physical therapists

28 ALUMNI PROFILE Charles Chan: Earthquake relief in Sichuan, China

32 RESEARCH Mental health: Putting the sibling back into the family

34 EDUCATION Then and now: Humble beginnings for speech language pathology program

426 10 34

Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell4

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DEAN’S Message

Pursuing your best. That’s the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s new statement. It is what rehabilitation is about and it is what our students, alumni, faculty and staff do; not only in our own careers but also for the patient.

We are helping the patient or client pursue their best, whether it is in communication through speech language pathology, participation and work through occupational therapy, or mobility and movement through physical therapy.

Charles Chan’s work (BScOT 1990) in bringing earthquake relief to Sichuan, China, by establishing rehabilitation stations demonstrates this (p. 28). Jacqueline Cummine’s research is helping the estimated 100,000 Canadians affected by aphasia find new hope (p. 19). Liz Taylor’s study shows the importance of siblings in providing family support for patients with schizophrenia (p. 32).

There is much to celebrate here at the Faculty and a wide diversity of accomplishments and leadership. Our first research chair was established this spring. Harold and Cathy Roozen donated $1.5 million to create the Dr. David Magee Endowed Chair in Musculoskeletal Research (p. 24). Recruitment for the founding chair-holder begins this summer.

Our speech language pathology program celebrated 40 years (p. 34). Today it is the largest SLP program in Canada. The occupational therapy program is now 50 years old (p. 16). The Department of OT is hosting an event for all OT alumni in spring 2011. Be sure to look out for more details to come and join our celebration! This September, 10 of the 76 students enrolled in our physical therapy program will be completing most of their program in Camrose, Alberta, helping increase PT capacity in rural Alberta and using our new synchronized distance learning technology (p. 10).

I am pleased to tell you that the strategic plan for the Faculty has been published and is currently available in hardcopy and electronic versions. Extensive consultations throughout the faculty, university, Alberta Health Services and the community helped develop the plan. The role of this strategic plan is to highlight the Faculty’s commitments and initiatives and provide a framework for the direction and goals of the Faculty. Visit www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca for Strategic Plan 2010-2014.

As well, we’ve introduced Rehab Dialogue, a series of interactive articles written by experts from the Faculty (p. 22). This series invites government, health-care professionals and the community to engage in a discussion on various health-care topics where rehabilitation could or should play a greater role, improving function, reducing pain and maximizing potential for Albertans. I invite you to join the conversation and take part in the dialogue on rehabilitation at rehabdialogue.blogspot.com.

I am proud of these recent accomplishments by our faculty and students. I promise you that this is just the beginning of all the exciting things to come! I hope you enjoy reading our stories as much as we enjoy telling them.

Martin Ferguson-Pell, PhDDean, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

Pursuing your best

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SURVEY Results

This past winter, we conducted a survey to find out what you, our readers, thought of Rehab Impact. More than 220 people responded (thanks for your feedback!) and here’s what you told us:Age

43% 29-45 years old29% 18-28 years old22% 46-65 years old6% over 65 years old

Gender

85% Female15% Male

Association with the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

74% Alumni19% Student3% Staff1% Donor3% Other

Other includes retired faculty members, clinical supervisors, friends of the faculty, etc.

Content

11% read Research Feature11% read Research News10% read Special Feature10% read Alumni Feature 11% read News in Brief

All other sections are about 5 to 8%.

Format

37% would like to see the magazine in print, as is 27% would like it sent as a PDF17% would like to see a web-based only version 19% would like to see an online version, in addition to print

Comments:

“Well it is a very very nicely done magazine...However it seems somewhat wasteful and I would think very costly to print in color and have such big pages. I would be happy to read it online and have all the money spent on other things....grants, funds etc.”

“Print format too big...”

“Rehab Impact allows me to maintain a connection with the University. I enjoy reading the whole thing and it keeps me up to date with what is happening in Rehab. I appreciate the hard copy as I would likely not read it if it was only online.”

Editor’s note: We received many comments from readers who are concerned about the monetary and environmental cost of having a glossy print version. To reduce costs, we’ve made the format smaller and changed the type of stock used to an economical recycled paper. It is available in flip format and as a PDF online at www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca. We hope to improve the online version in the future and make it more user-friendly.

Reputation

37% use “A leader in rehabilitation research” to describe the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine 23% use “A partner in meeting the community’s health and rehabilitation needs” to describe the Faculty14% use “Excellence in clinical teaching” to describe the Faculty 14% use “Defining rehabilitation” to describe the Faculty7% use “Average” to describe the Faculty

Comments:

“I think that all the areas listed above are so very well addressed at the U of A Rehab Med. The faculty continues to grow and challenge those within in, whether faculty or student.”

“A good mix of quality teaching and research.”

“After reading Rehab Impact, I am more motivated to be a better OT.”

Editor’s note: There were many sections (12) in the magazine and a majority of readers weren’t specifically reading certain sections or all of the sections, though many enjoy the research stories. As well, we received many comments asking for stories on clinicians in the workplace so we added a section called “Rehab in the Community.” This current version has eight sections that reflect the core activities and commitments of our faculty: Dean’s Message, New Faces, Awards in Brief, Alumni Profile, Research News, Education Feature, Rehab in the Community and Your Impact (a section to highlight and thank our generous donors).

We asked. You responded.

Tamie Heisler-Schafer, Academic Assistant, Department of Physical Therapy Tamie Heisler-Schafer is the Academic Assistant for the Department of Physical Therapy, a new position within the department. In this role, Heisler-Schafer is responsible for curriculum and instructor support, student advisory services and accreditation planning. Along with her enthusiasm and organizational skills, Heisler-Schafer brings a wealth of experience to her new position. She has worked on campus since 1982, 17 years with the Office of Public Affairs and the last 10 as the Clinical Education Assistant in Physical Therapy.

“I’m happy I get to continue to work with such a great team. It truly is an exciting place to be.”

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Please join us in

welcoming

NEW Faces

Jutta Hinrichs, Calgary Clinical Education Coordinator, Occupational Therapy Jutta Hinrichs is the new Calgary Clinical Education Coordinator for the Department of Occupational Therapy. This position is an 18-month pilot project from April 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011, designated at a 0.5 FTE. Hinrichs will be working with the Clinical Education Team, including the full-time Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education (ACCE), to oversee all activities related to clinical education of MScOT students in the Calgary area.

For this pilot position, Hinrichs has been seconded from her role as professional practice leader – OT (Adults) with Alberta Health Services, Calgary Zone, which she held for six years. She is retaining her part-time clinical duties as Coordinator of the Out-Patient Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation Program named OPTIMUS.

“I am very much looking forward to working collaboratively with the Calgary OT community to promote clinical education—supporting OT staff in Calgary to take students, developing independent community placement sites—as well as strengthening the relationship between the Calgary clinical community and the University of Alberta.”

Esther Kim, Assistant Professor, Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology Esther Kim, PhD, is a new Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. She joined the department in December 2009. After completing her BSc in Psychology at the University of Alberta, she went to the “other” U of A (University of Arizona) for graduate studies. There she completed her MS, PhD and postdoctoral studies in speech-language pathology, focusing on the nature and treatment of adult neurogenic communication disorders.

Kim’s research program investigates cognitive processes affecting written language comprehension, aimed at developing evidence-based treatments for impaired reading/writing in individuals with aphasia. She teaches SPA 520 (Adult Neurological Disorders I) and will be supervising thesis and SPA 900 capstone projects starting this fall.

“I feel so fortunate to have been hired here. The environment here in terms of supporting junior faculty is unparalleled. The staff and students are top-notch. It’s been wonderful to ‘come home’ to the U of A!”

Elizabeth Taylor, Associate Dean, Professional Programs and Teaching (shared position) Elizabeth (Liz) Taylor, PhD, is sharing the position of Associate Dean, Professional Programs and Teaching, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, with David Magee, PhD. Taylor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy. She holds a doctorate degree in education—her research was entitled, “Siblings growing up with a sibling with schizophrenia.” A community advocate, Taylor has developed programs for those who live with mental illness; woman and children leaving abusive situations, and “Streetworks,” a harm reduction program. She has been recognized with various teaching and service awards including the Alan Blizzard Teaching Award for Interprofessional Work, Dr. Helen P. LeVesconte Award for Professional Service and a Fellowship in the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists for developing the current national educational accreditation program. She is a consultant in education for the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing, Canadian Physical Therapy Association and the Ontario Government Graduate School Council. She is President of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists.

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FACULTY AWARDS in BriefLili Liu, PhD, received funding from Alberta Health Services (AHS) for a study entitled, “Role of technology in therapeutic environments for seniors with mental health and other complex needs.” This arises from a Collaborative Research Grant Initiative launched by AHS in the area of Mental Wellness in Seniors and Persons with Disabilities.

David McConnell, PhD, and Sandy Hodgetts, PhD, have been awarded funding from the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research (ACCFCR) for their proposal, “Impact of Triple P on family efficacy and service needs for families of children with ASD.”

Johanna Darrah, PhD, along with Doreen Bartlett (UWO, she received her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences from the U of A), Bob Avison (Sociology, UWO) and Thierry Lacaze-Masmonteil (Medicine, U of A) have been awarded a new CIHR grant for their three and a half year longitudinal study entitled, “Canadian infants’ motor abilities: A validation of the Alberta infant motor scale normative data.”

Kim Adams has just received a grant from the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies for her project, “Robot control via augmentative communication devices by children with disabilities for performing math curriuclum activities,” in collaboration with Al Cook, PhD, and the I Can Centre at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.

Two Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) projects have been awarded to teams in our faculty. Trish Manns, PhD, Johanna Darrah, PhD, and colleagues have received funding for a three-year proposal called “Validation of the CORxE Models in physical therapy: Influence of educational curriculum on clinical practice.” Geoff Bostick, Bernadette Martin, and Iain Muir’s project, “Development of authentic video case studies to enhance clinical reasoning in physical therapy students,” was also funded.

Marilyn Langevin, PhD, Yagesh Bhambhani, PhD, and Deborah Kully were awarded a grant to study the “Relationship between cerebral oxygenation and reading fluency in stuttering and non-stuttering adults: A near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS) pilot study.” Collaborating with Dr. Luc De Nil from the University of Toronto, this team will investigate the usefulness of NIRS as a technique to study neurological differences in adults who stutter.

Bill Hodgetts, PhD, was awarded funds for a grant entitled, “Comparison of presciptive procedures for bone anchored hearing aids.”

Judy Chepeha, PhD, has been awarded funding to investigate shoulder dysfunction in adults. She will establish the reliability and validity of a measurement system for shoulder disability, assess differences in shoulder flexibility between groups of athletes involved in overhead vs non-overhead sports and determine the effectiveness of a stretching program to increase flexibility.

Cary Brown, PhD, received a grant from the Canadian Dementia Knowledge Translation Network and the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada for a study entitled, “Sleep: a critical but overlooked aspect of dementia management.”

Lester Lim from the Rehabilitation Medicine Technology Group received the U of A Information Technology Unsung Hero Award.

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Mark Haykowsky, PhD, and his cardio-oncology research group have received bridge funding from the CIHR Strategy on Patient Oriented Research to examine “A multidisciplinary approach to novel therapies in cardiology-oncology research.” Haykowsky along with colleagues from Biomedical Engineering also received a grant from the Heart and Stroke Foundation for a three-year project entitled, “Imaging the mechanisms of diastolic dysfunction and their role in cardiovascular performance.”

Jana Rieger, PhD, received a CIHR Catalyst grant for a Head and Neck Research Network that will develop a research collaboration among experts to prevent and reduce the adverse functional, psychological and economic outcomes that traditionally have been associated with treatment for head and neck cancer.

Teresa Paslawski, PhD, has received funding from the Alberta Centre on Aging for “Resilience in aging: Identifying factors that contribute to resilience in the elderly following stroke.” Along with Jennifer Klein, a post-doctoral fellow in Rehabilitation Science, Teresa will investigate factors that contribute to better outcomes following stroke.

Bazilia DaSilva and Carrie Gotzke, PhD, received the 2009 Sessional Teaching and Graduate Student Teaching Awards respectively.

Sharon Warren, PhD, has been awarded two grants, one for “Multiple sclerosis as a compensable consequence,” funded by WorkSafe BC and the other, “Epidemiology and impact of co-morbidity on multiple sclerosis,” funded via a CIHR New Emerging Team grant. Partners on this project are from the Universities of Manitoba and British Columbia, and Dalhousie University.

Iain Muir received the Faculty Teaching Award for 2009. Muir is now with the College of Physical Therapists of Alberta as the new director of professional practice.

Order of the dayRehab Med professor emeritus named Officer of the Order of Canada

By Laurie Wang

Shrawan Kumar remembers standing in a crowd of 100,000 people in Allahabad, India, when he was only eight years old. Everyone was there to listen to India’s first Prime Minister’s speech.

“He (Jawaharlal Nehru) talked about how each individual can contribute to the nation and to humanity. It made a very significant impact on my impressionable

young psyche,” says Kumar, PhD, professor emeritus of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta.

Years later, it is obvious Kumar took the message to heart. Named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his pioneering research on workplace injury and the spine, Kumar’s work has contributed to the nation and improved care for citizens. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour and Officers are named for demonstrating a superior level of talent and service to Canadians.

Kumar joined the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine in 1977 and spent three decades researching, teaching and publishing on rehabilitation ergonomics, occupational health and lower back pain. He is now a professor and director of research at the University of Northern Texas.

Kumar’s idea of marrying rehabilitation with ergonomics in the late 70s was revolutionary.

“I began to recognize that rehabilitation is not entirely medical rehabilitation. People do not necessarily go back to their previous healthy and ‘normal’ state after they are afflicted by a disease or an injury. They are left to cope with the residual problem,” he explains. “My approach was to combine ergonomics and rehabilitation to help patients.”

Kumar found that both rehabilitation and ergonomics were useful in helping people restore function and improve mobility. “I was surprised at first at how similar the two fields are, yet they don’t talk to each other.”

In 1979, he offered rehabilitation ergonomics as a graduate course at the University of Alberta. He later edited and published many books in this field, including Perspectives in Rehabilitation Ergonomics, Multidisciplinary Approach to Rehabilitation and Ergonomics for Rehabilitation Professionals. Kumar received several awards for creating the field of rehabilitation ergonomics, including an innovation award from the International Ergonomics Association. He has also been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada.

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EDUCATION Feature

There is a shortage of rehabilitation professionals in Alberta’s rural communities and the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine is doing something about it.

They call it synchronized distance learning. It’s high definition, real-time and interactive.

This September, 10 of the 76 students enrolled in the Master of Science in Physical Therapy program will be completing most of their program at the University of Alberta’s Augustana

Campus in Camrose, Alberta, using new satellite teaching technology.

“State-of-the-art technology is used to ensure that students will have real-time communication with lecturers based in Edmonton and vice versa. Labs are also taught using this technology, so instructors in Edmonton can see what the students in Camrose are doing and effectively teach the lab component,” explains Chris Zarski, physical therapy instructor and coordinator for the pilot project.

An instructor or teaching assistant will be present at all lectures, seminars and course-based work at the Augustana Campus. Faculty from Edmonton will travel to the Augustana Campus on a regular basis so some lectures and labs will be taught from Camrose and beamed back to Edmonton.

Synchronized distance learning By Laurie Wang

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Physical TherapyStudents in Camrose will be able to view, interact and

experience the same learning experience as their classmates in Edmonton. Course instructors will do everything possible to ensure that the Augustana students are learning the same concepts, critical thinking and clinical skills as their Edmonton counterparts.

“I thought being able to study in a new, smaller location to obtain a U of A degree would be a wonderful opportunity,” says Kaitlan Braden who has recently been accepted into the physical therapy program as an Augustana Campus student. “I grew up in a farming community in Southern Alberta with a population of about 1,700. I absolutely loved the sense of community and the rural setting in general. My dream job is to be a physical therapist at a pediatric clinic in a rural community.”

“Offering opportunities to learn and practice clinical skills in a rural setting will encourage our students to work there as health-care professionals in the future.”

Braden’s interest in practicing rehabilitation in a rural community came from her first-hand experience of the shortage of health-care professionals outside urban centres.

“Due to shortages in certain health-care fields or unwillingness by some professionals to move out of the big cities, many people living in rural communities are forced to drive three to six hours to get to a major center like Calgary or Edmonton in order to see a specialist.”

Forty per cent of the province’s population lives outside of Edmonton and Calgary yet only 10 per cent of physical therapists work in rural communities.

“We know there is a need for more rehabilitation professionals in rural Alberta. We decided to launch this pilot project in partnership with Dean Roger Epp from Augustana Campus. We developed the technology in order to deliver the program in a rural setting,” says Martin Ferguson-Pell, PhD, dean, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. “Offering opportunities to learn and practice clinical skills in a rural setting will encourage our students to work there as health-care professionals in the future.”

Braden agrees. “If you provide people with the opportunity to experience what it is like to actually live and learn in a rural environment, I believe that it is easier to highlight the positives of such areas that are otherwise missed.

“In terms of meeting the needs of Albertans more specifically, I do believe that such programs will help to service smaller rural communities throughout the province which in turn will provide more convenient and affordable access to such vital care. By encouraging more physiotherapists to practice in a rural area, it becomes a win-win situation for everyone.”

Students at the Augustana Campus will follow the same timetable as the students in Edmonton. Approximately 70 to 80 per cent of the classes will use real time, high definition video conferencing, allowing the Camrose students to listen and interact with the students in Edmonton. The other 20 to 30 per cent will be via traditional in-person instruction. At times during their program these students will travel to Edmonton for certain laboratory classes such as Anatomy. Transportation will be provided and travel would be a maximum of one day per week.

Labs and seminars will be a combination of video conferencing using the synchronized distance learning technology and in-person learning. There will be open video and voice communication with both campuses during the demonstrations, lecture periods and presentations. Assessment and treatment techniques will be demonstrated in-person by the coordinator in Augustana (Zarski).

“We’ve been testing the technology with our present physical therapy students all year. Everything will be ready to go for September and we look forward to seeing more physical therapists practice in rural communities in the near future!” says Zarski.

Publication Mail Agreement No. 40064303 Return

Undeliverable addresses to the Faculty of Rehabilitation

Medicine, 3-48 Corbett Hall, University of Alberta,

Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G4

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Moving speech forward By Ian Weetman

“Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of children with language-learning issues and disabilities,” the speech language pathology graduate explains. “Just knowing what the school expectations were for my own kids provided me with very valuable information to help my younger patients move forward.”

Wellman herself has undoubtedly moved forward in her career since completing her BSc in speech language pathology (1974) and her MSc (1991) at the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. She is a professional practice leader at both the Royal Alexandra and U of A Hospitals. In this important position, she coordinates practicum placements for speech pathology students and consults and collaborates with hospital staff about developing clinical skills consistent with standards in speech pathology practice. Wellman also acts as a liaison with educational institutions, regulatory boards and other groups to make sure that the appropriate structures are in place to maintain high standards in professional practice.

“I think there’s been real growth in the role of the speech pathologist. There are so many more areas of specialized work that we can do and there is a public need for this work,” she says. “I like working with children and adults and having a sense of helping them succeed in their ability to communicate.”

Wellman is dedicated to moving the field forward and feels that there is a growing demand for speech pathologists. She’s kept a strong relationship with the Faculty along the way.

“I have a great interest in professional development and the opportunity to participate in research-based activities,” Wellman says from her office at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. “The U of A has absolutely allowed me to do that—ever since graduation.

“My relationship with the faculty has definitely continued,” she adds.

And it has continued on a multitude of different levels. Wellman has been involved in research projects at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, taught as a sessional instructor for the speech department, volunteered many hours for the Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (ACSLPA), and supervised university students in practicum placements, acting as a mentor for the up-and-coming generations of speech pathologists.

“It’s always exciting to work with students and see how they grow professionally,” Wellman says. “These people are ultimately going to be my colleagues so I want to support them in every way I can.”

“I think there’s been real growth in the role of the speech pathologist.”

It is her broad experience working with both children and adults with speech, language and swallowing difficulties that Wellman feels she can offer to the students.

“For me, it’s a professional obligation to support the Faculty and to share the knowledge and experience that I have,” she says. “And it’s a lot of fun too.”

It is for these reasons that Wellman continues to stay incredibly involved in speech language pathology and with the school that brought her to this field.

“There have been so many connections that the U of A has given me—the students, the programs and the research,” she says. “It’s allowed me to network and grow.”

As a mother-of-three and grandmother-of-one (soon to be two), Leslie Wellman says lessons from life at home have definitely been applicable to life in speech pathology

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“I was terrified,” she says with a laugh. “But the professors cared so much. After graduating, I’ve learned how hard they worked for us—to prepare us. I am forever grateful to the entire department because they really exposed us to a great cross-section of the profession. Although you didn’t feel ready, they made sure you were ready.”

Coombs has since made a solid name for herself in the physiotherapy world. She has started a successful chain of clinics under the name Advantage Health and has opened 10 clinics in Calgary, Alberta, showing no signs of slowing down.

“We’re merging with PT Health, a national physiotherapy organization,” she says. “We’re still going to be the same clinic, but the next page is turned and we’re looking to grow on a national level.”

This year, Coombs received national recognition as one of three finalists for the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Bell Trailblazer Award category—a competition that sees more than 1,500 applications from across the country.

“I hit the floor I was so surprised,” she recalls when she first found out. “Mostly because people don’t usually perceive the medical profession the same way they see the business world. It’s exciting to have a medical business be recognized and also for a health professional to be seen as an entrepreneur.”

Big baby steps By Gen Handley

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Though Wendy Coombs (née Neidhardt) graduated from the physical therapy program in 1996,

she remembers her time at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine as if it were just yesterday.

Coombs started the first Advantage Health clinic in 1998 after she saw a need for quality and affordable PT services in the private sector. She also anticipated the opportunity to provide not only PT services, but other health services as well, with all the different disciplines provided under one roof and all working together for the benefit of the patient. While the focus in her clinics is physiotherapy, they also offer services such as massage therapy, psychology, naturopathic medicine, personal training and acupuncture.

Wendy Coombs

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Coombs and her rehabilitation team are also dedicated to the up-and-coming generations of physical therapists. Advantage Health regularly takes physical therapy students as well as U of A kinesiology students. “I consider our sites teaching facilities,” says Coombs, who also offers prep courses to students for the national physiotherapy exam. “When we do interviews with grads, we try to determine what their ideal situation is—what their expectations are coming out of school—and we try to exceed those expectations. I love creating a work environment that’s comfortable, fun and stimulating.”

In addition to building clinics that are great for staff and students, a lot of thought is also given to the clients.“We’re not cookie-cutter clinics,” the entrepreneur explains. “Each clinic is customized to the surrounding community and culture—we really try to meet individual community needs.”Coombs, who also received a psychology degree from the U of A in 1992, credits her success to having a solid education while knowing what her goals were.

“The combination of psych and physio degrees provided me with some strong, core fundamentals even though I had no formal business training,” Coombs says.

She pauses to think for a couple of seconds.“You don’t have to wake up and have this massive vision of

what you want to do,” she explains. “It’s okay to take baby steps along the way as long as you know where you want to end up. You don’t have to know how you’re going to get there—if you know the ‘why’ and ‘what,’ the ‘how’ will figure itself out along the way.”

“You don’t have to wake up and have this massive vision of what you want to do,” she explains. “It’s okay to take baby steps along the way as long as you know where you want to end up. You don’t have to know how you’re going to get there—if you know the ‘why’ and ‘what,’ the ‘how’ will figure itself out along the way.”

Wendy Coombs and Jonathan Reimer (BScPT 1997), clinic director at Advantage Health Aspen.

EDUCATION Feature

When Leonard Allbon arrived in Edmonton in 1960 to start the occupational therapy program at the University of Alberta, he wouldn’t have imagined the class that began with five students would grow into more than

100 Master’s students 50 years later.

Past and present: Chair of OT Lili Liu chats with Leonard Allbon, a professor who

helped start the OT program in 1960.

“I flew from Great Britain specifically for the job—and in those days, we still had propeller-driven planes!” the 89-year-old Allbon says.

Occupational therapy was offered as a diploma program at the time. A new combined physical therapy/occupational therapy program was launched in 1960. After two years, the students would choose OT or PT. Five of the 18 students who chose OT made up the first official OT class, graduating in 1963.

First U of A OT Graduate Class – 1963

L > R: Rhea Strawson, May Strong, Professor Leonard Allbon, Carol Schmidt,

Sandra Sundset, Enid Derdall.

“It was a great program, very practical. OT concentrated on day-to-day living for patients,” Allbon says. “We used crafts, sewing, carpentry and basketry to help patients get moving. They became exercises to help people move their arms and get mobility in their shoulders.

“The students would all go to the anatomy department for the cadaver component of the program. Class and lab time was spent in a building behind Athabasca and in Corbett Hall. We later moved entirely to the basement of Corbett,” explains the World War II air force veteran.

Allbon specialized in physical medicine and psychiatric medicine in UK. He became interested in occupational therapy and later received further training. Allbon was hired by Dr. J.R. Fowler, director of the rehabilitation school. As director of the OT program, Allbon worked closely with Elizabeth Rowand, head occupational therapist at the University of Alberta Hospital, to organize and develop the curriculum.

“At the time, there was a demand for OT because of the soldiers who returned home after the war. There were many psychiatric patients too, due to post traumatic stress disorders and depression.

Occupational Therapy

50 years of evolution By Laurie Wang

Celebrating the growth of the occupational therapy program

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EDUCATION Feature Occupational Therapy“Our lab had woodwork benches, looms, sewing machines,

and cupboards to hold our tools for carpentry, weaving, pottery, metal work and basketry. The program was heavy on using activity to train patients to use their arms and hands,” he explains.

Fast forward 50 years and occupational therapy exercises seem like they may have changed, but the basic purpose of getting people living to their fullest still remains. “Occupational therapy is about how we can help a person do the activities that are important to that person. If a person cannot do the activity in the same way most people do it, we try to find ways to help the person do it in a different way, in ‘his or her way,’” says Lili Liu, PhD, Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. “Occupational therapy has evolved. Occupational therapists use their knowledge about health sciences, and their understanding about the environments of the people they help. Over five decades, our choice of modalities have grown with the types of clients we serve. We’re informed by theory and evidence in our practice.”

“Occupational therapy is about how we can help a person do the activities that are important to that person. If a person cannot do the activity in the same way most people do it, we try to find ways to help the person do it in a different way, in his or her own way.”

Now one of the largest OT programs in Canada, the U of A graduates more than 100 MScOT’s each year. The only program in Alberta, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s OT program provides students with a range of fieldwork experience across the province, with a mandatory rural clinical placement component.

“Our program is situated within the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, the only free standing rehabilitation faculty in North America. This structure facilitates effective representation of our discipline to senior administration and gives rehabilitation an autonomous voice within the university,” Liu says. “I’m very proud of our faculty and alumni. They have received national and international recognition for their clinical service, research and teaching.”

Many faculty members hold significant positions in the world of occupational therapy. Liz Taylor, PhD, is currently the President of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT). Jutta Hinrichs is the Alberta director to the CAOT Board. Shaniff Esmail, PhD, is Chair of the CAOT Academic Credentialing Council and Sharon Brintnell, PhD, is President of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

U of A OT has also made a global impact on the profession. “In the early 1990s we trained four physical therapists from Indonesia to become the first occupational therapists in their country.

Since their return to Indonesia, they have established a program which has trained over 400 Indonesian occupational therapists,” says Liu.

Occupational therapy has evolved over the years and the University of Alberta’s OT program has much to celebrate at this year’s Alumni Weekend in September.

“We hope our graduates will come celebrate 50 years with us at Alumni Weekend and we especially invite them to the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Open House and Brunch on September 25 in Corbett Hall,” says Liu.

Visit www.alumniweekend.ualberta.ca to register for Alumni Weekend and join the celebration. A 50 year anniversary event for OTs will be held in spring of 2011.

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Calling all OTs!Do you have a story to tell? In celebration of 50 years, the Department of Occupational Therapy wants to feature alumni with interesting stories to tell! Visit www.ot.ualberta.ca/50 to submit your story.

We want to invite you to our anniversary event in spring 2011. Contact [email protected] to update your e-mail address and contact information.

RESEARCH News Speech Pathology and Audiology

Detecting patterns By Ian Weetman

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An estimated 100,000 Canadians affected by aphasia—the loss of ability to understand or express speech most commonly due to stroke—could one day find new hope for their condition thanks to new research being conducted by Jacqueline Cummine, PhD, and her team at the University of Alberta Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology.

“After a stroke or brain injury, some patients lose the ability to understand language or form words. They lose the ability to read, write and speak. Aphasia can be very debilitating for many people,” Cummine explains.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines to measure both the functional responses (changes in oxygenated blood) and structural components (underlying white matter tracts) within the brain, patients are put through a series of simple reading tests to determine their reaction times and accuracy rates while reading aloud, which Cummine says provides valuable information about the timeline in which different aspects of reading and language processing unfold.

“For example, when I have people read aloud non-words, such as bint, I am learning about the way people translate letters into sounds to pronounce unfamiliar words,” explains Cummine. “In contrast, when I have people read aloud what are known as irregular words, such as pint where the rest of the -int family is pronounced with a short ‘i’ as in mint, I am learning about how people retrieve information about the entire letter string as a whole.”

In addition, the 29-year-old assistant professor of speech pathology and audiology—who joined the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine last fall after completing her PhD in Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan—is also investigating how the brain is involved when people read words silently.

“We know for instance that reading unfamiliar words versus familiar words activates different pathways or networks in the brain. This information allows us to make more accurate predictions about language function and recovery following brain injury by understanding which areas of the brain are damaged or displaying abnormal activity.”

MRI: Edmonton—Jacqueline Cummine (middle) with her research team,

Igor Malis and Josee Amyotte.

The first results from this research are currently being analyzed with other studies. Cummine says the results will be important for not only other aphasia researchers but also for practitioners and community groups.

“Understanding how typical and atypical reading unfolds, aids in the development of programs for reading instruction, for example. When people display reading deficits, either developmental or resulting from brain injury, the knowledge gained from basic reading research will undoubtably be critical in the diagnosis, treatment and remediation of language impairments.”

In addition to this work, Cummine also spent four months in 2005 working with Chris Westbury, PhD, associate professor at the U of A’s Department of Psychology, who is developing and testing a new method of analyzing aphasia. Known as the Alberta Language Function Assessment Battery (ALFAB), the project created a series of computerized language tests that are easy for clinicians to administer and score.

“The goal of Dr. Westbury’s work on this aphasia test battery is to develop a large database of both typical and atypical scores on a variety of language measures to further our understanding of language function and dysfunction,” says Cummine.

While the project has since wrapped up, she adds that the two have continued to collaborate. “Currently, Dr. Westbury and I are developing collaborative projects that continue to investigate language processes in individuals who suffer from aphasia using both behavioural and neurobiological approaches.”

Since arriving at the University Of Alberta, Cummine says she’s been thrilled by the state-of-the-art facilities and top-notch researchers that currently reside at this institution and looks forward to the development of much collaborative research that includes researchers locally, nationally and internationally.

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REHAB In the Community Deb Esau

Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine finds solutions through certificate program

Even after 30 years as a physical therapist, Deb Esau says her job of treating people with serious chronic pain never gets easier, especially when the pain becomes so bad, that her patients begin to contemplate suicide.

“The pain affects every aspect of their life when they have chronic pain,” Esau says. “It affects their ability to be a wife, to be a mother, to be a productive member of society. So they have a lot of issues beyond the physical aspect.”

Now thanks to a new initiative from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Esau will be able to get new training and help in addressing those with serious pain.

Esau is enrolled in graduate-level credit courses this summer at the U of A to complete the Certificate in Pain Management. This interdisciplinary program allows health-care professionals from various fields such as medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, psychology and social work to learn how to manage and assess pain, and possibly provide new treatments.

Judith Hunter, PhD, is the course director for the graduate level certificate. Assistant professor in physical therapy at the Universities of Alberta and Toronto, Hunter explains that the knowledge and nature of pain is really poorly understood. Furthermore, what research has been completed on pain is not reflected in the present curriculum for health-care graduates.

“In Alberta, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine wanted to develop a certificate in pain management to help graduate students and professionals learn about best practices around pain management and to improve their ability to translate better research into better practice,” Hunter says.

The Certificate in Pain Management consists of three courses. These courses take on a blended format, with a mix of online webinars and face-to-face lectures at the University of Alberta campus. Since the certificate focuses on interdisciplinary health-care professionals, it will centre on collaboration from the students.

<< Deb Esau uses a spine model to teach her patients how to manage pain.

That means a physical therapist such as Esau registered for the program will be learning along side someone like Megan Wisnowski, a pharmacist in Medicine Hat.

Wisnowski says she is excited that health-care professionals like herself will be learning new ways to help patients deal with pain, instead of simply prescribing more medication.

“I think it’s great that the U of A Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine is focusing on an area that graduated health professionals previously didn’t have a lot of training in, “ she says. “So kudos to them for realizing that it’s an issue that needs to be dealt with and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

And after three decades as a rehabilitation professional, Esau is always looking to further educate herself as a physical therapist.

“In Alberta, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine wanted to develop a certificate in pain management to help graduate students and professionals learn about best practices around pain management and to improve their ability to translate better research into better practice.”

Although the certificate won’t enable her to completely cure her patients’ pain, she said she hopes she learns new ways of understanding chronic pain and its treatment.

“I’m really optimistic that it will not only give me information to help me do my job more effectively, but hopefully it will also give me some things to bring back to the team I work with and ideas we can perhaps implement here.”

The first class for the pain certificate program started in May and the program is now accepting applications for the second class in September. This program is also available in online format. Visit www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca/painmanagement or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

The problem with pain By Yonathan Sumamo

Arthritis: A pain in the joints and the health-care system. Excerpts from Rehab Dialogue, a series

of interactive articles published by the

Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

RESEARCH News

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We invite government, health-care professionals and the community to engage in discussion on various health-care topics where rehabilitation could and should play a greater role, improve function, reducing pain, maximizing potential and quality of life—and sharing the vision for a healthy Alberta. Join the conversation at http://rehabdialogue.blogspot.com.

Thirty-four per cent of Albertans have arthritis. Seventy per cent of Albertans over the age of 70 have symptoms of osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis.

Physical therapists can help provide direction and coordination for the conservative management of arthritis, improving function and reducing pain for the patient. Fifty per cent of arthritis patients seen by orthopedic surgeons on their first visit are not considered to be candidates for hip and knee replacement surgery. Physical therapists can be part of the “Assessment” team, a group of health professionals who

determine whether or not a patient should be referred on to a surgeon for hip or knee replacement surgery.

Arthritis is truly ‘a serious chronic disease’ in Alberta and Canada due to its impact on quality of life, mobility and the huge demand it places on heath care resources. In fact, bone and joint health conditions are leading causes of morbidity and disability worldwide, costing billions in health care expenditure and lost earnings.

In keeping with Alberta Health Service’s Quality Matrix for access, safety, effectiveness, efficiency, acceptability and appropriateness, a clinical pathway known as the “Alberta Bone and Joint Network’s Hip and Knee Care Continuum” has been recently approved for adoption across the province.

Rehab dialogueBy Lauren Beaupre, PhD, and Allyson Jones, PhD

People experiencing pain from arthritis start their journey of care with their primary care physician. When pain and difficulty doing activities related to the arthritis become too great after a period of treatment, the primary care physician refers the patient to “Assessment,” where an orthopedic surgeon will consider them for joint replacement. Those who are not yet ready or not in need of surgery may require physical therapy, medications changes, lifestyle and diet changes and more.

And there’s strong evidence, including recommendations from the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), that physical and exercise therapies are some of the most effective non-operative interventions for arthritis. Thankfully, physical therapists are trained specifically in the area of exercise prescription for improving function and reducing pain for people with this condition.

Navigating the care pathway

Even though their role in Alberta is still evolving, in several other Canadian provinces, physical therapists are now taking a central role in the Assessment process. In response to the long wait times patients experience to consult with orthopedic surgeons for joint replacement surgery, some centres in Ontario employ specialist physical therapists to assist with “triaging” patients to help streamline appropriate care. They can also make an initial assessment to determine if the patient should consider conservative management, “prehabilitation” or be recommended for surgery, directing patients to the appropriate health service providers. The role of physical therapists as part of the Assessment team would be very effective in Alberta, reducing wait times and also assisting the general practitioner by providing effective treatment when a patient is told that surgery in not yet a recommended option.

Conservative management

Currently, physical therapists are involved in the pre- and post-operative management of patients with joint replacement and play an integral role in providing conservative management when surgery is not indicated. They can assist patients as they navigate the health system and receive either conservative or surgical management. A physical therapists’ multidisciplinary skills can also help guide patients to the most effective care. They can also provide “prehabilitation” to prepare patients for surgery.

Within the Alberta Bone and Joint Network’s care pathway, patients have well-defined points of contact to start their journey for hip and knee replacement surgery. Yet no clear pathway exists for patients who are not surgical candidates and find themselves “swirling” between options of care, methods and levels of funding and the different professionals offering services. The Network is currently looking for solutions. As musculoskeletal specialists, physical therapists can provide direction and coordination for these patients by working closely with and within primary care networks. Primary care physicians need physical therapists to coordinate and connect with them.

“Prehabilitation”: rehabilitation before surgery

Another facet of the Conservative Management stage is “prehabilitation,” preparing patients for surgery. Some who are deemed surgical candidates may need a specific preparation program, provided by experienced physical therapists, to optimize their recovery and surgery outcomes. Successful recovery after joint replacement is, in part, dependent upon the patient’s level of pre-operative health and function—the patient’s condition before surgery.

One of the authors of this dialogue, Allyson Jones, has shown that patients who were in what was considered poor physical condition before undergoing hip or knee replacement didn’t fare as well as other patients. They were less mobile and experienced more pain at six months after surgery. A prehabilitation program to prepare patients is intended to help them gain more benefit from hip or knee surgery.

Future directions

Given the growing demand for arthritis treatment due to the province’s aging population, the involvement of physical therapists in the Assessment phase, to provide care and help patients navigate the care pathway, will go a long way to ensure efficient and excellent patient outcomes. Physical therapists can also help the Network establish a care pathway within the Conservative Management phase, working closely with primary care networks to allow patients with arthritis to enjoy better quality of life. When end-stage arthritis is reached, a prehabilitation program may help patients prepare for knee or hip replacements and help them recover more quickly.

The province’s aging population is growing and demand for hip and knee replacements continues to rise. Rehabilitation professionals are keen to continue to team up with other health care professionals to enhance the care continuum. They are ready and willing to play a greater role in developing the best outcomes for patients, whether they need surgery or not. Join the conversation at http://rehabdialogue.blogspot.com.

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The Yoda of Rehab Med

By Laurie Wang

It’s not every day that someone creates a research chair in their physical therapist’s name, but Harold and Cathy Roozen did just that. They recently donated $1.5 million to establish the Dr. David Magee Endowed Chair in Musculoskeletal Research, the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s first endowed research chair. Additional matching funding will be provided by the university to fully fund the chair.

“It’s just a real honour to play a role in making this happen,” says Cathy Roozen. “I have certainly benefited from his expertise, along with countless others in the city, particularly athletes who play for the major league franchises in Edmonton. He’s been an enormous asset over the years to the city and a credit to his university.”

“The Dr. David Magee Endowed Chair in Musculoskeletal Research will enable us to attract a leading researcher-clinician to build on the very strong musculoskeletal research and clinical expertise that resides within our faculty,” says Dean Martin Ferguson-Pell, PhD. “It also recognizes the pioneering work Dr. Magee has been known for in the field,” adds Ferguson-Pell, pointing out that Magee’s seminal work, Orthopedic Physical Assessment, is used by students in physical therapy programs around the world.

David Magee, PhD, is also known for his modesty. The internationally recognized physical therapist, author and associate dean and professor at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine won’t tell you, for example, that he can be credited for getting countless professional and Olympic athletes back on the ice, in the pool, on the hill and on the field, including Wayne Gretzky, Jennifer Heil and Jamie Salé. He won’t tell you that his book is considered by many of his peers to be the Bible for physical medicine and therapy professionals. Magee is a sought-after teacher and communicator, frequently invited by top universities in Canada, USA, Japan, Brazil, Korea, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Chile and Trinidad to give lectures and teach.

“He’s the Yoda of rehab med,” says Kevin Lowe, President, Hockey Operations, Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club, former NHL player and long-time patient. “I can’t tell you how many times I wouldn’t have been able to play unless he was there.”

In addition to Magee’s Grey Cup ring from his involvement with the Edmonton Eskimos and his Olympic ring from being part of the Canadian medical team at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and Atlanta, he has three Stanley Cup rings.

“Fibber (Magee)’s been a hidden treasure to the Oilers. The players treat him like one of the boys—they call him Fibber (nickname coined by Gretzky after the old-time radio show),” says Ken Lowe, former head medical trainer for the Edmonton Oilers. Ken met Magee back in the 70s when he was a student in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. He introduced Magee to the Eskimos and later to the Oilers in the 80s.

“The internationally recognized physical therapist, author and associate dean and professor at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine won’t tell you, for example, that he can be credited for getting countless professional and Olympic athletes back on the ice, in the pool, on the hill and on the field, including Wayne Gretzky, Jennifer Heil and Jamie Salé.”

Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s first endowed research chair named after one of the world’s foremost physical therapists

YOUR Impact Endowed Research Chair24

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YOUR Impact “When Mark Messier suffered a second-degree ACL sprain,

our medical team was on the road with the Oilers at the time, so Fibber treated him in Edmonton and Mark was back in action,” explains Barrie Stafford, former head equipment manager for the Oilers training team.

Magee is rumoured to wake up at 3:30 a.m. He treats the Oilers in Corbett Hall at the U of A at 6:00 a.m. or sometimes 5:30. He also has a student clinic that’s available to the public.

“That’s the thing with Magee—he doesn’t only treat athletes, he treats everybody,” says Fernando Pisani, right winger for the Edmonton Oilers. “He works with people who have injuries and need help. He’s the guy everyone recommends.”

Born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Magee moved to Edmonton in 1969. After a Diploma in Physical Therapy from the University of Alberta, he became a licensed physical therapist in 1971. Magee then completed a Bachelor of Physical Therapy degree in 1972. He received a Master of Science in Physical Education (Sports Sciences) in 1975 and then got his PhD in Physical Education (Sports Sciences) in 1980 at the University of Alberta. At the U of A, Magee authored Orthopedic Physical Assessment, now available in seven different languages.

“That’s the thing with Magee—he doesn’t only treat athletes, he treats everybody. He works with people who have injuries and need help. He’s the guy everyone recommends.”

“It is in widespread use internationally with hefty sales,” says William Quillen, PhD, associate dean, College of Medicine and director, School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of South Florida. “It’s the core textbook here. I’ve got three editions on my bookshelf in the office. My faculty devoured the other two volumes, and quickly wanted to adopt them.”

Going to its fifth edition, approximately 10,000 copies of Orthopedic Physical Assessment are sold each year to physical therapists, physicians, chiropractors, assistants and other health professionals. Magee has also published Pathology and Intervention in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation and Scientific Foundations and Principles in Practice in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. Both of these books along with Orthopedic Physical Assessment have been developed as part of a four-volume set of books in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. The latest volume, Athletic and Sports Issues in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, will be published this year.

“I’ve tried my darndest to extricate him from the cold northlands (Alberta),” Quillen grins. “I’d love for David to spend time with us again. He’s had a great influence on our students. When one class graduated, they were delighted to ask him to come back to speak.”

Ferguson-Pell is certainly very glad Magee never left to sunny and warm southern Florida. Before he came to the University of Alberta to be the dean of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, he’d already heard of the famous Magee when he was in the UK. “Magee’s known as a star in his field—a genius. I’m lucky to have him on my leadership team.”

“I wake up early and I come to work. I enjoy what I do and I’ve been doing it for 40 years,” says Magee.

The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine has already started the process to recruit a chair holder for the Dr. David Magee Endowed Chair in Musculoskeletal Research and expects to announce the successful candidate for this position by the end of the year.

Our heartfelt

thanksMany funds for bursaries, scholarships, student awards and research have been established to further rehabilitation and health education, research, and service to the community. The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s vision is: To be at the forefront of knowledge generation and scholarship in rehabilitation. Without your generous support, this would not be possible. Thank you to our donors and friends in the community for playing a vital role in achieving our vision.

For more information on giving opportunities and various donation funds, visit http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/rehabmed/community.cfm or contact:

Michael RobbDirector of DevelopmentFaculty of Rehabilitation [email protected] 780.492.0048 F 780.492.1626

Endowed Research Chair

ALUMNI Profile Charles Chan

Wang Shen Shen didn’t think she should have lived. The 60-year-old survived the 8.0 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan two years ago when she lost her husband, grandson and granddaughter in the aftermath of the deadly disaster.

“I got a glimpse of her pain and suffering as she vividly described how she got injured,” says Charles Chan, occupational therapist (OT) at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital (BScOT 1990). “She was knocked down by a concrete beam as she ran for her life toward the door. Part of the house collapsed on her and she was trapped in the rubbles for three days. She showed me the scars in her torso, thighs, head and arms. She had broken arms, amputations to her fingers, lacerations and crash injuries. She wasn’t able to hold the cleaver knife to cut vegetables or meat. Her goal for therapy was to be able to hold the cleaver firmly— a ‘very OT’ goal.”

When Chan first heard about the devastating earthquake in Sichuan, China, that killed at least 68,000 people, with almost 18,000 still missing, he wanted to do something as an occupational therapist to help. As part of an initiative with Medical Services International (MSI Professional Services International), Chan went to Mianyang city in the county of Beichuan to start the rehab station in August 2008. The station was established by the Beichuan Disabled People’s Federation. Chan spent two months there as the volunteer rehabilitation project coordinator, visiting various rehab stations and providing health services to victims. He teamed up with an orthopedic surgeon from Hong Kong and also acted as a preceptor to Chinese medical students who didn’t have previous clinical experience.

“Immediately after the earthquake, you need medical personnel to provide acute and surgical care. Afterward, much rehabilitation is needed. In one of the temporary housing complexes in Mianyang I visited, among the 7000 people, there were over 1000 injured that needed rehabilitation. We found that about 300 needed long-term rehabilitation.This was only one of the many communities that required rehabilitation.”

A patient from Lei Gu, Beichuan, using the parallel bar at the rehab station

Charles Chan and the five-year-old boy who lost all his toes >>

A young man with crushed leg injuries showing his surgical scar

Earthshaking relief By Laurie Wang

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Earthquake related injuries included bone fractures, muscle injuries, tendon injuries, crush injuries, amputations, nerve damage and complications from immobilization and prolonged traction. Many suffered from contractures in joint movement particularly in the shoulders, knees and fingers. They had chronic pain and swelling, abnormal gait, weakness in muscle strength and hypertrophic scarring.

In additional to their physical injuries, many patients also had symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

“Whenever it rained, people would be very sad and disturbed. They weren’t able to sleep. They would also be frightened by the thunderstorm as it would make them think of the earthquake,” says Chan.

Though equipment such as parallel bars, weights and various traction and upper and lower extremity devices were donated to the rehab station from another province, the team had to either purchase additional equipment necessary for treatment, or be very creative.

“I made a dynamic wrist splint with a coat hanger for a patient whose radial nerve was impinged. It allowed his wrist to be mobile and not remain static,” Chan explains. “Six months later, the patient was able to move his wrist without a brace or splint and his wrist didn’t grow stiff.”

Chan encourages other occupational therapists, physical therapists, prosthetists, orthotists and counsellors to provide earthquake relief through rehabilitation services in countries such as Haiti, China and Chile.

“There is a great need for rehabilitation services in these countries and trust me, you can make a difference in their lives.”

Chan vividly remembers a five-year-old boy who lost all his toes. One look at the boy and Chan knew he would require months of rehabilitation. The boy had an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) but refused to wear it.

The AFO (ankle-foot orthosis) was a perfect fit on the boy after it was repaired.

Parts from the AFO >>

“I saw that he also didn’t like how the AFO looked with his shoe. His shoes were very old and dirty, so I thought, ‘what if I buy him a new shoe that’s one size bigger and we can fit the AFO inside without squishing his toes?’” Chan says. “So he went with me to pick out new shoes. We fixed the straps of the AFO and put the AFO inside the shoe. Then, he was willing to wear it.”

“I made a dynamic wrist splint with a coat hanger for a patient whose radial nerve was impinged. It allowed his wrist to be mobile and not remain static,” Chan explains. “Six months later, the patient was able to move his wrist without a brace or splint and his wrist didn’t grow stiff.”

Later, Chan saw the boy again and he was jumping and clapping and very happy to see Chan. “He ran up to me and called me ‘Shu shu’, which means ‘uncle’ in Chinese. I was very proud of him, and felt like I made a small difference in his life,” he says with a grin.

Chan went back to Sichuan in July 2009. He visited the very rehab station he helped develop in 2008. He saw Wang Shen Shen again.

“She showed me how much improvement she had in tucking her thumb in with her fingers,” he smiles. “I am thankful and blessed by God to have been a part of her life.”

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1 Gigi Mak, a physiotherapist volunteer from Edmonton assessing a lady’s injuries.

2 A school building destroyed in the town of Lei Gu.

3 An elderly man with an external fixator.

4 Chan in a Qiang traditional costume— Qiang is one of the minority groups in China.

5 Rubbles, bricks….shattered dreams.

6 A finger splint made to correct Swan neck deformity.

7 A Tubigrip was brought in from overseas to help a burn victim.

8 A local restaurant destroyed beyond recognition.

The injured hand of a student from Beichuan Middle School >>

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RESEARCH News

The role of brothers and sisters is often overlooked when it comes to family

support for those with mental illness.

“When people think of family, they often think of the parents, not the siblings,” says Liz Taylor, PhD, professor of occupational therapy at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. “There’s a lifelong impact on the healthy sibling living with the ill sibling—something we often forget.”

The researcher conducted a narrative study on women who had a sibling with schizophrenia.

“The siblings wanted to be involved, but never got to be. Perhaps the parents were trying to protect them, but they told me they felt left out of the medical education the parents received,” Taylor says. “And then when they’re older, their parents are aging so they are the ones being asked to be caregivers, but they don’t have all the information.”

It is also common for the parents to focus on the child with mental illness over the others. Taylor explains that from the people she interviewed, a majority reported that they would feel left out so they’d cope by having achievements outside the home.

“Leisurely activities became a form of escape. The women in the study were highly successful and well-educated. They perceived themselves as helpers—some were health-care professionals themselves,” Taylor says. “But they always felt they had to be even more successful and needed to achieve more.”

An underlying theme was the inability to enjoy time with family.

“They felt they were unable to celebrate and that they had to put on an act that they were happy. One woman said to me, ‘I feel like a fraud with my own children,’” she explains.

All of the women in the study were willing to accept that they would need to be caregivers to their siblings.

“It wasn’t a matter of ‘I don’t want to’; it was a matter of ‘I don’t know how to.’ They just felt like they were doing it without any information,” says Taylor.

She stressed the importance of letting the healthy sibling be involved early on, even at a young age.

“Health-care professionals need to know that family is more than just mom and dad. Everyone in the family needs to learn how to give support,” she says. “As an occupational therapist working with families, I need to remind myself to include the siblings when I talk to families too.”

Taylor is teaching her occupational therapy students how to be more inclusive in their future practice and get the whole family involved.

“I’d also like to see the future generation of parents demanding that all their children are involved. Teachers should also encourage healthy siblings to take part in being part of the support and solution,” she continues.

Taylor says that the Schizophrenia Society of Canada and other organizations have played a positive role in educating people and providing information, but that teachers, parents, health-care workers and friends need to provide support for the sibling too.

“There needs to be more support groups for the siblings. We need to encourage them to get the information and education they need,” Taylor says. “The more you understand, the more you can give support and be a part of the team.”

Occupational Therapy

Dealing with Schizophrenia By Laurie Wang

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Putting the sibling back into the family

EDUCATION Feature Speech Pathology and Audiology

Forty years ago, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Speech Language Pathology program had humble beginnings, sharing a single classroom with the drama department. Today it has the best student training facilities and is the largest SLP program in Canada.

And for much of that time, Megan Hodge, PhD, has had a front row seat. As both a member of the inaugural class that started September 1969 and a current professor in the department, few have seen the program flourish as fast and as far as she has.

“When I started the first school year in 1969-70, the program only had a single classroom on the third floor of Corbett Hall, which we shared with the drama program so it wasn’t unusual to see leotard-clad instructors and students practicing their fencing skills up and down the stairwells,” reflects Hodge. “For a few students I’m sure it took a bit of getting used to, but I loved it.”

But beyond a creative study environment, being based in Corbett Hall offered few added benefits.

“In those days, our schedules were really packed with back-to-back classes. Unfortunately they were scattered across campus, so every day from 8:00 a.m. till 12:00 p.m. we did a great campus run. Of course, in -40 C it was horrible, but by the end of the year at least we were fit.”

Fortunately as the program continued to grow from a four-year Bachelor of Science degree into a two-year master’s program, extensive renovations to Corbett Hall in the mid ‘90s allowed classes to be centralized and research facilities to expand.

Yet in spite of these challenges, Hodge fondly remembers the program having a close-knit sense of community, something she says it has managed to retain despite a more than doubling in size from 25 to 56 students per year. As a result, it’s now the largest program of its kind in Canada.

And while this sense of community wasn’t the principal draw for Roxanne Robertson (SLP Class of 1993), her father John Friesenhan’s positive experiences in the first class were.

“My dad’s career choice and attendance at the University of Alberta was the main reason for choosing speech language pathology.

It seemed like a perfect fit for my background with a teaching degree and my desire to help children who were struggling with speech or language difficulties,” says Robertson.So what does the next 40 years hold for the program? While it’s too soon to say for sure, Hodge believes the further advancement of digital technology will undoubtedly play a critical role.

“Even as recently as a few years ago, we were still using analogue audio recorders and even the most portable equipment was cumbersome. Now technology has made it so that we can use a laptop for everything. From digital recording software to speech and language training programs, we can do assessments and interventions from practically anywhere,” explains Hodge. “For example, we’re now able to link up with remote clients via telehealth and Skype and offer services that would otherwise only be available in major urban centres like Edmonton.”

The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine introduced its newly renovated speech and hearing teaching lab to its SLP students this year.

“Now technology has made it so that we can use a laptop for everything. From digital recording software to speech and language training programs, we can do assessments and interventions from practically anywhere.”

The newly renovated speech pathology lab is among the best in Canada. >>

Humble beginnings By Ian Weetman

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EDUCATION Feature Speech Pathology and Audiology

• Sinceitsinceptionin1969,theSLPprogramattheUniversityof Alberta has graduated more than 1,000 speech language pathologists and has grown to become the largest program of its kind in Canada.

• Whenthefour-yearBachelorofScienceinSpeechLanguagePathology program was launched in 1969, it accepted 25 students per year. The current two-year Master of Science-Speech Language Pathology accepts 56 students per year.

• AccordingtotheAlbertaCollegeofSpeech-LanguagePathologists and Audiologists (ACSLPA) as of Dec 31, 2009, there were 1002 registered Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) in Alberta.

• AsofDec31,2009,29of49(59%)newlygraduatedSLPsregistered in the province came from the University of Alberta.

• Speech-languagepathologists(SLPs)areprofessionalswhospecialize in the assessment, diagnosis and management of communication, swallowing and feeding disorders. SLPs work with clients across the age span, from infants to the elderly.

• Speech-languagepathologistsworkinavarietyofsettings including public practice settings such as schools, preschools, hospitals, community health centers, long-term care centers and nursing homes. They may also work in private practice in both office and home environments.

• Intheirpractice,SLPsworkdirectlywithclientsandtheirfamilies/caregivers, often as a member of a team of other professionals. They may also be involved in teaching at the college or university level, in administration and in research.

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Did you know?

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Pursuing your best

Are you involved in stroke rehAbilitAtion efforts?now you cAn get A certificAte in stroke rehAbilitAtion from the university of AlbertA.

graduate level courses in:

• Stroke Rehabilitation: Best Practice and Critical Review of the Evidence

• The Stroke Survivor: Assessment and Rehabilitation across the Continuum of Care

• Advancing Practice in Stroke Rehabilitation

For professionals in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, nursing, psychology, social work, recreation therapy, medicine, and others who are involved in stroke rehabilitation.

Credits may go towards a Graduate Degree

www.rehabmed.ualberta.ca/strokerehab [email protected]

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ADVERTISING RatesThinking of advertising?REHAB IMPACT is published by the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. It’s distributed to more than 4,500 rehabilitation students, staff and alumni in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language

pathology, plus universities and friends of the Faculty.

AD SIZE:

1/4 page vertical 3.75” x 4.75”1/2 page horizontal 10.25” x 3.75”1/2 page vertical 3.7” x 10”Full page Island 7.75” x 10.25”Full page bleeds 8.5” x 11.5” (plus .125” bleeds)

RATES:

(All ads are in full colour CMYK)1/4 page $7501/2 page $1,000Full Page Island $1,500 Full Page Bleeds $2,000

ART SPECIFICATIONS:

High resolution (300dpi) PDF preferred.No JPG, EPS or TIF files. Crop and registration marks only on full-bleed, full page ads. Professionally designed ads preferred.

If providing open applications we accept Mac files only. InDesign CS 5 or QuarkXpress 6.5.

ADVERTISING QUESTIONS?

Laurie Wang T 780.492.9403 laurie.wang @ualberta.ca

PRODUCTION QUESTIONS?

Helix Design Communications 2001 Inc.T 780.413.1822 [email protected]

1/4 PAGE

1/2 PAGE

1/2 PAGE

FULL PAGE

ISLAND

Alberta Rehabilitation Coordinating Council

ARCCAWARDS

8An ARCC award honours professionals and support personnel who have provided exemplary service within their respective fields.

Get your tickets now! http://www.ualberta.ca/rehabmed/arcc_awards_dinner.cfm

Publication Mail Agreement

No. 40064303

Return Undeliverable addresses to the

Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine,

3-48 Corbett Hall, University of Alberta,

Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G4

8ighth Annual Awards DinnerSeptember 24, 2010 Camrose

Rehab Impact Summer 2010

Documents

Transcript of Rehab Impact Summer 2010