June 4 | Rehab Medicine Research Symposium
Each year, the Rehabilitation Research Symposium gives our community a dedicated space to share ideas, showcase emerging research, and learn from one another. This year's program features student and postdoctoral fellow presentations spanning occupational therapy, physical therapy, and communication sciences and disorders, alongside a keynote address and a researcher panel on rural telerehabilitation. Whether you're presenting, attending, or just curious — welcome.
Thursday, June 4, 2026 | Corbett Hall, University of Alberta
Remote viewing: Augustana Campus L1-141 | Calgary DRC 249
Register to attend
Registration is free and optional, but appreciated — it helps us plan seating and catering.
Register nowUse the tabs below to navigate the day’s program.
| Welcome & Opening Remarks | |
| 8:30–8:45 | Esther Kim, FRM Interim Dean — Welcome Ralph Makokis, FRM Indigenous Engagement Coordinator — Opening Remarks |
| Keynote | |
| 8:45–9:15 | Introduced by John Misiaszek Tim Barlott, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy “Small Moves, Side Doors, and Working Together” 9:05–9:15 — Q&A |
| Block 1 — Student & Postdoctoral Fellow Oral Presentations | |
| 9:15–9:23 | Abi Strayer, MSc The Role of V3 Interneurons in the Vestibular Control of Posture in Mice |
| 9:23–9:31 | Samuel Tsang, MSc Classifying Urban Surfaces based on Vibration for Manual Wheelchair Users |
| 9:31–9:39 | Dima Alsaigh, MSc Using fNIRS to Examine the Impact of the Comprehensive Stuttering Program on Neural Patterns in Adults who Stutter |
| 9:39–9:47 | Izhan Khan, PDF Phase-Specific Force-Time Metrics from Dual Force-Plate Countermovement Jump Testing 6 Months Following ACL Reconstruction |
| 9:47–10:00 | Question period |
| Poster Session #1 & Coffee Break | |
| 10:00–10:45 | Student & PDF Poster Presentations — see the Poster Sessions tab for details |
| Block 2 — Student & Postdoctoral Fellow Oral Presentations | |
| 10:50–10:58 | Sarah Harding, PhD GLA:D Back for Chronic Low Back Pain: Immediate and sustained effects of a 9-week combined education and exercise intervention on pain, function, and health-related quality of life in Alberta, Canada |
| 10:58–11:06 | Siming Chen, PhD How effortful is speaking? Tracking speech production load through the pupil |
| 11:06–11:14 | Sophia Pawelko, MSc Sex Differences in Movement Behaviours and Functional Outcomes After Rehabilitation for Subacute Stroke |
| 11:14–11:22 | Sarah Harding Promotion of McCabe/Young lab |
| 11:22–11:35 | Question period |
| Lunch | |
| 11:40–1:00 | Corbett Hall, room 2-44 Lunch with FRM Early Career Researchers: Pamela Filiatrault-Veilleux (CSD), Erin McCabe (PT), Victor Ezeugwu (PT), and Youran Lin (CSD) CHS Partner Info: Robin Love, Research — room 2-55 |
| Block 3 — Student & Postdoctoral Fellow Oral Presentations | |
| 1:05–1:13 | Andres Camilo Martinez Rodriguez Promotion of Neurotechnology lab (Martin Ferguson-Pell) |
| 1:13–1:21 | Hanan Madi, PhD Artificial Intelligence Use and Student Participation in Higher Education and Daily Life: A Scoping Review |
| 1:21–1:29 | Insiya Bhalloo, PDF From Survey to Speech-Language Pathologist: Exploring Awareness and Perceptions Surrounding Artificial Intelligence Use for Child Assessment in Canada |
| 1:29–1:37 | Question period |
| Poster Session #2 & Coffee Break | |
| 1:40–2:25 | Student & PDF Poster Presentations — see the Poster Sessions tab for details |
| Block 4 — Student & Postdoctoral Fellow Oral Presentations | |
| 2:30–2:38 | Sarah Kalis, MSc Co-Designing a Measurement-Based Care System within a School-Based Mental Health Classroom |
| 2:38–2:46 | Mariane Kalliny, MSc Pray It Away? Unpacking the Role of Faith and Perceived Mental Health Stigma in Coptic Orthodox Communities in Alberta |
| 2:46–2:54 | Liliane Raftus, MSc The Executive Functioning Barriers of Adult Dyslexia: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Daily Lived Experiences |
| 2:54–3:02 | Question period |
| Researcher Panel | |
| 3:10–3:55 | Rural Telerehab Distance Care Moderator: Martin Ferguson-Pell |
| Awards & Closing | |
| 4:00–4:15 | Awards for Best Oral & Poster Presentations 2026 Early Career Investigator Award: Pamela Filiatrault-Veilleux, Assistant Professor (CSD) Closing Remarks: Mary Roduta Roberts & John Misiaszek Closing: Ralph Makokis, FRM Indigenous Engagement Coordinator |
Session #1 — 10:00–10:45
Odd-numbered posters
| # | Presenter | Program | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pariya Parchini | PhD | Immersive Behavioral Assessments for Autistic Job Seekers: A Protocol of a Participatory Approach to Autism-Inclusive Hiring Practices |
| 3 | Teresita Garduno | MSc | Closing the Multilingual Gap in Child Assessments Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) |
| 5 | Olivia Cadence | BScPsyc | The Role of Working Memory in Narrative Macrostructure Abilities of Autistic Children and Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) |
| 7 | Amir Shamsi | MSc | Pathway Programs in Physiotherapy Education for Underrepresented Students: A Mixed-methods Study |
| 9 | Mitchell Holmes | PhD | Lived experiences and intervention outcomes: Dyslexic adults’ perspectives on meaningful support |
Session #1 — 1:40–2:25
Even-numbered posters
| # | Presenter | Program | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Thuy Hang Nguyen | PhD | Policy Landscape and Guidelines for Practicing Speech-Language Pathology Virtual Care in Canada: An Environmental Scan |
| 4 | Aksh Sandhu | BScPsyc | Predictors of Home-Language Narrative Skills in Linguistically-Diverse Children: Examining Contributions Across Human versus Artificial Intelligence Scoring Methods |
| 6 | Munirah Alsubaie | PhD | Utilizing an EEG-Based Brain-Computer Interface Game for Cognitive Assessment in Children with Motor Impairments |
| 8 | Snigdha Widge | MSc | A scoping review of outcome and outcome measure sets for individuals with spinal cord injury, stroke, and traumatic brain injury |
| 10 | Joy Ezeugwa | PhD | Walking capacity and movement behaviour in acute and subacute ischemic stroke |