Katie Attard, MSc student in Dr. Lara Boyd’s Brain Behaviour Lab, started her training last September and is on track to finish her degree this summer. Her research currently focuses on the use of unilateral resistance exercise and its effect on neural and spinal plasticity. She hopes her research will benefit individuals who have suffered from a stroke and require unique exercise interventions to improve motor recovery.

At just one year old, my parents enrolled me into gymnastics. I quickly learned to love the sport; I could somersault before I could walk, and I was doing cartwheels and in the competitive league by three years of age. Gymnastics ended up becoming the entirety of my life and I was at the gym everyday my entire youth. For those unfamiliar with gymnastics, the sport is very physically demanding and requires strength, coordination and flexibility. In my opinion, it’s the hardest sport out there. In my career, I participated in both artistic and acrobatic gymnastics. When I was fifteen, I was doing a mock competition with my team preparing for Provincials. I fell on my head at the end of the routine and after being rushed to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto they concluded I had a blood clot in my spinal artery, also known as a spinal stroke. I was immediately placed in a neck-braced and my gymnastics career stopped there and then. I was unable to do any physical activity for a few months and had to limit movement in general. Luckily and thankfully, I made a successful recovery. Although this was a traumatic experience, this accident set up my interest in rehabilitation and set me on my path. I did my undergraduate degree at Western University in Kinesiology, graduating in June 2018. Throughout my degree I developed a passion for exercise and rehabilitation. The “Exercise is medicine” movement was gaining popularity and I jumped right on that train. I knew that I wanted to get involved in the rehabilitation sector but was intrigued specifically by rehabilitation for those with neurological impairments such as stroke, concussion, multiple sclerosis etc.

I knew that prior to starting a career in the area I wanted to contribute to the neurorehabilitation field through research so decided to pursue a Master’s degree at UBC. I joined Dr. Lara Boyd’s Brain Behaviour lab with the hopes that I would gain an appreciation for the research behind the clinical work for these populations. I was interested in exercise and specifically how it could benefit individuals who had suffered from a stroke. Our lab currently focuses on aerobic exercise interventions for this population and I thought it would be beneficial to also investigate the benefits of resistance training. I was really intrigued by the phenomenon of cross-education. Cross-education is strength training one side of the body to improve strength bilaterally. Cross-education has proven to be beneficial for neurological populations, specifically stroke. This brought me to my thesis idea. I wanted to investigate the effect of unilateral lower-limb resistance training on the brain. Specifically, how it affects inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain to influence neural plasticity. The idea and motivation for this project is for individuals who have difficulty using their impaired side of their body after a stroke. With cross-education they can still benefit from resistance exercise that they do with their unaffected side and could supplement existing exercise rehabilitation.

In the future, I hope to pursue another Master’s degree in Physical Therapy at the University of British in the hopes of pursuing a clinical career. I plan to specialize in neurorehabilitation as I think these populations are more complex and require more help and care.

As I am new to BC, when I am not in the lab, I try to make the most out of this amazing province. I go on hikes often, weekend trips, go out with friends, and try new restaurants. In my spare time, you can find me at spin class or happy hour.

The Department of Physical Therapy, in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC), is accepting applications for an Instructor, tenure track position. This position will primarily be based at the distributed Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) Program site in Prince George, BC, at one of the UBC Faculty of Medicine affiliated institutions, the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).

For more information please visit: https://www.hr.ubc.ca/jobs/faculty-s.php?job_id=35287

More information available here

Please note: our Northern Distributed Program is still pending final approval by UBC and UNBC in the fall of 2019. Successful applicants will be admitted to this program version once approved.

Write and recharge

The Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia is pleased to offer “The Inspired Academic” – an intensive writing retreat for female academics, in an stimulating environment. Dr. Pat Camp is a UBC Associate Professor with a track record in research productivity and mentorship, and has led numerous workshops and retreats on academic writing in Canada and the U.S.A. Retreat participants will learn strategies to overcome barriers to writing, will engage with colleagues, and above all, will have dedicated time to write!

The retreat is intended for pre-tenure and tenured female faculty who may feel challenged in maintaining or improving their writing productivity, want to learn strategies for increasing the amount and quality of their writing, and would like to build their community of female academics for support and scholarship.

This 5-day, 4-night retreat offers an opportunity for focused writing, reflection, creative thinking, and discussions relating to writing productivity, while surrounded by the beautiful forests and rivers of Squamish, British Columbia, Canada.

A statement from a recent retreat participant:
“…what I learned at the retreat will have a major impact on my way of working from now on… the set-up with your presentations (which were, without exception, very clear, inspiring, constructive, and easy to follow) combined with writing was the very best use of time…”

Space is limited and early-bird rates are available.

Single, shared, or ‘glamping’ accommodation is offered. Retreat fee includes accommodation and meals.

For more information on how to apply, please contact pat.camp@hli.ubc.ca

DONATE

About the Award

People across Northern BC have long been advocating for a physiotherapy program in the North to address the need for equitable access to physiotherapy services in northern and rural communities.

This bursary is being established at UNBC to financially support a student enrolled in the new full physiotherapy program in Prince George.

Recipients will have demonstrate financial need and satisfactory academic standing. First preference will be given to long-term residents of northern and rural British Columbia.

Recipients will be encouraged to consider a career in public practice in a northern, remote or rural community upon graduation.

Request for Support

The new physiotherapy program at UNBC is set to accept its first students in September 2020. Let’s show these students right from day one that local physiotherapists and like-minded community members are here to support their efforts.

We are looking to raise $30,000 to create an endowed award that will support a physiotherapy student at UNBC every year in perpetuity. And Lesley and Dennis Schwab have very generously offered to match donations to this bursary up to $15,000.

Please join us! Your gift will make a difference in the lives of these students and the patients who they will serve.

Sincerely,
Hilary Crowley, Terry Fedorkiw,
Johanna Jenkins, Elizabeth MacRitchie

Instructors: Carol Kennedy, Kate Kennedy, May Nolan, Neil Pearson, Lenerdene Levesque, Mario Zerjav, Alex Scott, Jasdeep Dhir, Erin Macri, Chuck Ratzlaff, Geoff Schneider, Deb Treloar and Travis Wolsey. Click here  for all their bios!

Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2020 – Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Location: A mixture of online and in-person. The in-person sessions will be held at the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Registration Fees: TBC

The UBC Graduate Certificate in Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapy (GCOMPT) is a specialized program for physical therapists who aim to advance their evidence-based knowledge and skills in orthopaedic manual and manipulative physical therapy. The certificate is intended to be completed over a 2-year period of part-time study. By the end of this program, students will be able to provide advanced orthopaedic manipulative physiotherapy assessment and treatment that will enhance their provision of effective, evidence-based treatment of musculoskeletal conditions.

UBC’s GCOMPT program is a new benchmark in musculoskeletal post-graduate clinical training. Renowned clinicians teach within an integrated framework to develop your expertise in musculoskeletal physiotherapy.

GCOMPT is now accepting applications for September 2020. The application deadline is Friday, May 29, 2020.

Program highlights:

• Expert clinicians and instructors, selected for their in-depth knowledge and teaching experience
• Integrated program covers musculoskeletal anatomy and biomechanics, advanced manual therapy and exercise prescription, and pain neuroscience
• Mix of online and in-person delivery for working clinicians
• Can be used for credit toward a Master of Rehabilitation Sciences

Please see our website for dates, course outlines and faculty bios.

Student testimonials:

“Great up-to-date evidence-based information.”

“Fabulous way to understand differential diagnosis, great discussion and learning platform.”

“I really appreciated learning the anatomy and physiology to this depth.”

“The summaries I have made of each section will be something I go back and re-read as there was so much good stuff in each module!”

“The small class size meant we all got to know each other quite well and could feel comfortable discussin ideas; the ration of student : instructor was superb – could always be assured that your questions were answered and that you had enough supervision of each technique.”

“Excellent practical sessions. Excellent guest lecturers.”

Please send your inquiries to GCOMPT.admin@ubc.ca.

For more information, please click here

For admission instructions, please click here 

Covid-19 has dramatically affected society, requiring changes in every aspect of how we work, learn and play. Faculty members of the Department have risen to challenges in research by adapting ongoing studies, starting new initiatives to make sure that patients receive rehabilitation services, providing information to manage chronic health conditions, assisting with diagnoses, and treating secondary health issues caused by the Corona virus.

Physical distancing mandates have led to widespread research suspensions to protect researchers and participants.  However, research continues and our faculty members are rapidly adapting their efforts to make discoveries in a new world reality.

Keeping track of symptoms and treatment is important for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to live well.  This is why Dr. Linda Li developed an online tracking tool that is now being tested in a community-based study. Dr. Li’s team has heard from patient partners and study participants about the new challenges to managing their health during the pandemic. Given the situation, she recently released a part of this online program for people with RA to track their symptoms, medication use, and self-care goals. If they use a Fitbit, they can also sync it with the online tool and view their physical activity data along side other data such as medication use and symptoms over time.  Users can use the information to inform self-care decisions and share it with their rheumatologists during telehealth consults. Dr. Li team will also use this opportunity to develop an online cohort to understand the impact on the health in this population during and after the pandemic. Dr. Li is also collaborating with a team in the U.K. to interview people with RA to study the impact of the pandemic response strategy on self-care. They will explore topics such as being physically active, managing stress, eating well, and accessing essential medication, such as hydroxychloroquine, a drug that has been touted by some as a treatment of COVID-19 despite the low quality evidence to date.

Dr. Jordan Guenette is working with Agartee Technology Inc. to develop and test a multimodal biosensor for screening, detection and monitoring covid-19 patients. Real-time and continuous monitoring of several physiological parameters related to respiratory function, blood oxygenation, and temperature among other variables, enables clinicians to optimize treatment options and assess the prognosis of the disease in each individual. This device is currently in use in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and Japan.

Dr. Pat Camp is a member of Providence Health Care/Vancouver Coastal Health’s COVID-19 post-acute clinical planning team and is working to coordinate research logistics for their COVID projects — of note, over 100 projects have been registered with BC Academic Health Network. Dr. Camp is also participating in a Fraser Health Authority initiative to research a “virtual hospital” that will provide rehab care to recently discharged patients after COVID-19. Dr.  Kristin Campbell created and posted a summary of safe exercise principles for exercise at home for people with cancer along with a list of vetted cancer specific on-line exercise videos.  In addition, her team has made public the instructional video on how to self-monitor arm size for women after surgery for breast cancer https://cepl.rehab.med.ubc.ca/how-to-measure-your-arm/.  Physios in Canada and the US are using this for tele-rehabilitation visits with clients who are at risk of developing lymphedema and who are being treated by a PT for lymphedema.

Dr.  Kristin Campbell created and posted a summary of safe exercise principles for exercise at home for people with cancer along with a list of vetted cancer specific on-line exercise videos.  In addition, her team has made public the instructional video on how to self-monitor arm size for women after surgery for breast cancer https://cepl.rehab.med.ubc.ca/how-to-measure-your-arm/.  This is being used by PTs in Canada and the US for tele-rehabilitation visits with clients who are at risk of developing lymphedema and who are being treated by a PT for lymphedema.

Rehabilitation after stroke has been severely disrupted by Covid-19 and Dr. Janice Eng and her trainees are responding to fill the gap in care.  She created and posted a 2-page handout of the “safer” exercises from her FAME program, as well as videos of each exercise, plus tips on safety and progression for physiotherapists and people with stroke to use at home. FAME is a group exercise program developed for people with stroke who have some standing and walking ability and it has been shown to improve mobility, cardiovascular fitness, and arm and hand function.

Dr. Eng also partnered with the BC Stroke Recovery Association of BC to deliver a virtual GRASP Program via zoom to improve arm and hand function after a stroke.  To evaluate the effectiveness of this delivery method, her team is developing outcome measures that can be completed through video applications such as Zoom for Healthcare. Her team is also adapting her GRASP program handbook to include items people will likely already have in the home.  They plan to survey the patients and facilitators on their experience using this delivery method.

All our research faculty are working to develop responsive functional outcome measures that can be utilized in research via video applications.  Reliability tests they will be applying to these outcome measures will be a huge advance for researchers across the globe even in the post-Covid world.

The Department of Physical Therapy recognizes the stress and uncertainty caused by COVID-19. We are doing everything we can to develop solutions that will help minimize the impact on our curriculum and admissions process.

We will be in touch with all our students as soon as we have more detailed information regarding the Fall term. In the meantime, please refer here for up-to-date information on UBC’s response to COVID-19. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Contact Admissions:
mpt.admissions@ubc.ca

Contact Clinical Placements:
Pt.placements@ubc.ca

Current students, please contact:
student.advisor@ubc.ca
________________________________________

IMPORTANT NEWS

COVID-19 — Plans for the phased resumption of on-campus research

COVID–19 — Update on UBC’s spring graduation ceremonies

Rapid responses to Covid-19 by research faculty members

Physiotherapy Management for COVID-19 in the Acute Hospital Setting: Recommendations to guide clinical practice

As a clinical educator, you might be wondering whether it is a good time to be taking a student when you are learning and adapting to new approaches and protocols in your own practice. These FAQs offer some ideas to make clinical placements meaningful and manageable during these unique and turbulent times.

Two of Dr Alex Scott’s graduate students in Rehabilitation Sciences, Elizabeth Mojaeva (MSc) and Kohle Merry (PhD), were awarded scholarships from WorksafeBC. Elizabeth’s project is “The effect of rigid tape on wrist postures during tree planting tasks” and Kohle’s is “Development of a Home-Based Physical Therapy Intervention for Individuals with Achilles Tendinopathy.”

Congratulations to both of our students on this outstanding achievement!

Elizabeth Mojaeva

Elizabeth is working on her MSc degree in Rehabilitation Science looking into musculoskeletal wrist injury management in Canadian tree planters. As a tree planter with a kinesiology background, she is both a patient and practitioner. In 2015, she started applying her clinical skills in the field, primarily using postural taping for injury rehabilitation. This technique allows injured planters to keep working either by offloading an aggravated tissue or keeping a joint out of an aggravating posture.

Injury prevention is the goal of her current project, with a focus on overuse tendon injuries of the wrist. Targeting wrist postures as a modifiable injury risk factor, she hopes to use wearable devices to train neutral wrist postures in tree planters.

Kohle Merry

Kohle was born and raised in Richmond, British Columbia. Growing up working on a farm, he was fascinated by all the machinery and developed a passion for understanding how machines can augment human capabilities. This passion continued into his post-secondary education earning a Bachelors of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering at UBC followed by a Masters of Applied Science in Mechatronic Systems Engineering at Simon Fraser University where he worked on a pressure-sensitive shoe orthotic for differentiating common workplace postures. 

After working in engineering for a few years, Kohle returned to work with Dr. Alex Scott on a new mHealth therapeutic strategy for persistent Achilles tendinopathy focusing on intervention design and implementation. Kohle is looking to pursue the MPT/PhD program with a long-term goal of working as a physical therapist with a research appointment and develop more client-oriented rehabilitation interventions.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competitions are held in over 350 universities across 59 countries worldwide. PhD Candidate, Riley Louie, (Exoskeleton for Post-stroke Recovery of Ambulation – ExSTRA trial) was the winner of the 2020 UBC 3MT, which required three rounds of judging. PhD Candidate Shannon Lim (Brain Activation during Simple and Complex Walking Post-Stroke) was selected for the People’s Choice Award. Both are supervised by Professor Janice Eng. You can view their presentations here.

Written by Robin Roots

You might be wondering how the MPT-North came about, well, pull up a chair, therein lies a story. British Columbia (BC) has the greatest number of Physiotherapists (PTs) per population of any province in Canada, however, it is clear that supply does meet demand as evidenced by the number of vacant PT positions across the province and long waitlists for physiotherapy. The shortage is compounded by a maldistribution of PTs with less than 7% of PTs working in northern and rural regions in BC where approximately 18% of the population resides (Canadian Institute of Health Information, 2018).

Research indicates that health professionals are more likely to work in rural locations after graduation if (1) they have a rural background and (2) they trained in a rural location. For decades, a dedicated group of community members in Northern BC, and leaders from UNBC and from UBC, have worked tirelessly to bring first a medical school to Northern BC and more recently physiotherapy and occupational therapy training programs to Northern BC.

My initial awareness of this effort was in 2008 when I attended a lecture given by a prospective candidate for the Chair for a Physical Therapy Program at UNBC. This unsuccessful venture was followed by a draft agreement for a Partnership for a Shared MPT program and successive proposals submitted to the government. In November 2011, the BC Government finally made an announcement to fund physiotherapy training in the North—the Northern and Rural Cohort (NRC). While many were hoping for a full academic and clinical program, the NRC supported clinical education in northern and rural communities for 20 UBC MPT students.

To build capacity for clinical education across the North, the NRC program engaged Northern Health in joint initiatives such as the Prince Rupert Interprofessional Student-led Model (PRISM) Clinic and the Prince George Cardiac Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program and added physiotherapy services to Central Interior Native Health. UNBC was designated the clinical hub for the NRC, where a Physiotherapy Plinth Lab—a state-of-the-art teaching and learning space—was constructed to support MPT students on clinical placement in Northern BC and continuing professional development for Physiotherapy clinical faculty and clinical educators. The lab was the impetus behind running a proof of concept for academic distribution connecting NRC students with their counterparts at the UBC Point Grey campus – illustrating that distributed physiotherapy curriculum could be done.

The first NRC students graduated in 2014 and while the numbers are just reaching statistical significance, approximately 43% of NRC graduates end up working in northern or rural locations after graduation as compared with 7% of graduates in the regular (non-NRC) MPT cohort. The robust evaluation of practice outcomes was added to the nearly annual submissions to the provincial government for every permutation of program expansion and program model that would see more MPT seats and a training program in Northern BC—I lost count after the eighth proposal submission.

All the while, a small but vocal group under the name Physiotherapists for Northern Communities continued to press the provincial government at every political function possible for a full academic program in the north including annual invitations to present to the Select Standing Committee on Finance.

Finally, the news came on May 24, 2019, when Minister Melanie Mark came to UNBC and announced the expansion of the UBC MPT program to 100 seats including 20 MPT seats located at UNBC starting September 2020. She also announced an incremental increase in seats for occupational therapy including a northern and rural cohort transitioning to a distributed program at UNBC by 2022. I am sure that the cheers from folks in northern and rural BC could be heard across the province! Many hours by many folks from many sectors are behind bringing the MPT North to life—it is another example of, to paraphrase Margaret Mead, how a small group of thoughtful, committed people can bring about change.

Q: Tell us about your PT background and how you came to practice in the north?

A: I was raised in Prince George, BC, and stayed here to complete my undergrad degree at UNBC before taking off to complete my Master’s in Physical Therapy at UBC. During the MPT program, I tried to get as many placements in Prince George or in the northern region as possible to gain a better understanding of my community and how I can learn and adapt to our strengths and challenges. My husband and I have established roots in Prince George, so it was an easy decision to return here to practice.

Q: What do you enjoy about working in a rural city?

A: There are so many things that I like about it! I enjoy the outdoors and exploring my surroundings. When you work in a Northern community, you have a great work-life balance as the commute times are short, which leaves more time for adventures and self-care. Our physiotherapy community is ideal for information sharing, collaborating, general support, and networking.

Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of supervising students?

A: I started taking physiotherapy students in 2016, and have enjoyed and learned from every one of them. The most rewarding aspect for me is when they have that ‘ah-ha’ moment where all the pieces of their knowledge align, and they can fluidly work with their clients with confidence. Our clients may have barriers and challenges that impede follow through with recommendations to improve their outcome, so working through this with students and their clients is also rewarding for me so we can be the most impactful as physiotherapists.

Q: How can students support your clinic operations and the community?

A: Students have been an absolute asset to our clinic operations! They arrive with the most up to date evidence-based knowledge on programs, protocols, and guidelines. They are keen to research and find evidence for conditions that they don’t know about, which will also ultimately teach you something in the process. Having students study and gain their clinical skills in our community is vital for retaining physiotherapists in our region, and therefore improving the care of our residents.

Q: What are some challenges you have experienced when supervising students?

A: The pediatric clinical setting can feel like a different world sometimes, and it’s often the student’s first time working with children. At times it can be overwhelming when they first start because most of the therapy is play-based, and they have to learn to work with children, and they also have to work with their caregivers. The placements tend to go by quickly, and the students are generally just settling into their groove near the end.

Q: What has your experience been like working with the UBC Department of Physical Therapy? (how the department has supported the northern cohort)

A: Amazing! They are always supportive and there to help you if any issues arise at any time.

There might not be a ground-breaking ceremony per se but the hammering and sawing at UNBC have been very exciting as renovations are underway to make space for the MPT North and MOT North programs! Both programs will be located on the ground floor of the UBC Teaching and Learning Centre (building 10) in the west wing.

This space was previously occupied by Continuing Studies, the Access Resource Centre (ARC), the Psychology Clinic and the Community Development Institute (CDI). These programs will be moved to other areas of Campus to make way for breakout rooms, a multi-purpose teaching space, offices, a second Physiotherapy Plinth Lab and various spaces needed for the Occupational Therapy program.

The Teaching and Learning Building also houses the UNBC School of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, and Department of Psychology; and Degrees Coffee! Many of you will remember the thrilling ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the opening of the UNBC Physiotherapy Plinth Lab in 2012.

The first Plinth Lab is located in Lab Building # 4 and will continue to be home for MPT students in their first year. We look forward to moving into our new home late Fall/Winter 2020 semester.

Written by Sue Murphy

We are starting to receive questions about how COVID is affecting us at UBC so here is a quick update:

Essentially “anything that can be done remotely will be” for the foreseeable future (at least until December and possibly longer). This includes research and educational activities, as well as administration. In practical terms, this means that the only research being carried out on campus is either related to COVID-19, or involves procedures that cannot be done remotely (e.g.: MRI or other testing). Labs are minimally staffed and there are strict protocols in place to protect faculty, staff, and study participants.

For the MPT program, the didactic portions of the curriculum will continue to be taught remotely (online) with lab classes on-site. While exact details are still being worked out, the labs will be in groups of less than 50 with students and instructors wearing PPE, socially distanced wherever possible. This will require the use of other space on campus as a temporary lab space for some classes. We hope to resume clinical placements later this month, again with strict precautions in effect to protect students, patients and preceptors. Because of the disruption to the curriculum, placement dates and length may be somewhat different than usual, however, all students will receive the usual number of clinical hours (1080) prior to graduation. The academic curriculum may also be a little different in terms of sequencing, but the content will remain unchanged.