Alumni Feature: Farrah Hasham

Finding Joy in Motion

Farrah Hasham on a Career Built Around Children

The boy had just tried an emPOWER car — a small motorized vehicle that lets young children explore independence through switches or a joystick. “He had a huge smile on his face as he navigated around our entire office,” says Farrah. “He didn’t want to stop driving. It reinforced the importance of providing children with opportunities for independence and participation as early as possible.”

Now working with Kids Included in Edmonton, providing home- and school-based therapy support for children receiving program unit funding, Farrah has spent nearly two decades in pediatric PT — and she still holds a casual position at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital where she started. She is also a volunteer with You Can Ride 2, which provides adapted bicycle loans for children with special needs, and a proud member of the U of A Alumni Council, where she represents the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Her clinical philosophy has evolved alongside her career. “When I first started, I was very impairment-focused,” she reflects. “Over time, I’ve learned that function and participation are what matter most. Every child and family is unique, and I now place much greater emphasis on understanding each family’s goals, priorities, and vision for the future.”

She credits the CPA Award for Excellence in Pediatrics — received at graduation — as an early confidence booster that nudged her firmly toward peds. But equally formative, she says, were her classmates. “Spending so much time together throughout the program created lasting bonds. Some of my closest friends today are the people I met in PT school. We truly became like family.”

It’s a foundation — in friendships, in values, in purpose — that has carried her through nearly two decades of practice. For Farrah, that’s always been the heart of rehabilitation — not fixing what’s different, but opening up what’s possible, so every child can live well in the world.