Resilience, recovery and rehabilitation
Rehabilitation medicine has its roots in helping people recover after war or epidemic, and from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine was there to help — from bringing virtual health care across the province with telehealth technologies, to providing coping strategies to keep families and communities healthy and well. As the world gradually emerges from the challenges of the past few years, our Faculty’s team-based approach to research, teaching and community partnerships will allow us to take a leading role in this period of post-pandemic recovery. But none of these achievements would be possible without the ongoing support of our alumni and donors. Thank you for mentoring students, donating invaluable funding and strengthening our connections by sharing your experiences. A special thank you to our alumni preceptors who continued to take on clinical placement students despite the challenges of the pandemic. We are grateful for your partnership — without it, we would not be able to do what we do.
Highlights
Here are some of our biggest achievements from the past year!
Dr. Tammy Hopper was named dean of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine for a five-year term effective July 1, 2022.
The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine joined five other faculties to form the new College of Health Sciences, where exciting new opportunities abound for interdisciplinary teaching, research and service to our community.
Viewers from 30 countries watched as our Heroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC) brought Lt. Gen. (ret) Roméo Dallaire and world experts together in a series of virtual conversations about leadership and moral courage during times of conflict and crisis.
We deepened our learning through the Intersections in Rehabilitation series, where experts explored health outcomes and experiences in populations who are marginalized through the lens of critical race theory.
$3,003,715
given by donors to the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. Your generosity changes lives through education and rehabilitation!
Research Impact
The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine leads cutting-edge research in neuroscience and mental health, children’s health and wellness, and the prevention and management of chronic conditions to help improve people’s quality of life. Here are some of our research highlights from 2021-22.
$7.75M
total research revenue in the last year for the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
211
peer-reviewed research publications
On their own terms
Associate professor of occupational therapy Shu-Ping Chen uses participatory research methods to engage the communities she studies, with the goal of improving social inclusion, mental health and well-being through prevention, awareness and destigmatization. “Students are 'insiders' who know their culture, needs and concerns,” she says. “Compared to researchers (like me) — who are 'outsiders' — students are better positioned to develop action-based interventions that address their needs.”
Get to know some of our newest faculty members
Tim Barlott has worked as an occupational therapist, addictions counsellor and youth worker, and his current OT research focuses on the power of mental health allyship and fostering friendships. “I hope to advance … community-based approaches that give people space to thrive.”
Victor Ezeugwu’s research in Physical Therapy focuses on physical- and social-environment correlates and determinants of movement behaviours in people with neurological and cognitive impairments, especially the relationships between sleep, sedentary behaviour, physical activity and health.
Keith Fenrich's research in Rehabilitation Science looks at how neurons respond to injury, particularly in the spinal cord. His second love is creating the tools to support that research — “developing something that's really useful for a large number of researchers.”
Rehab Med research news
Teaching and Learning Impact
The future is bright for learners in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. With career paths in speech language pathology, physical therapy, occupational therapy and rehabilitation science, our students go forward anchored by a community of dedicated instructors. Thank you to all our educators in the classroom and in the clinic who went above and beyond their regular teaching practices to ensure our students received the best educational experience possible — even in the middle of a global pandemic.
Thank you to our wonderful clinical educators who volunteered 144,600 hours to provide our students with invaluable hands-on learning in 2021-22. Learn about mentoring a student!
Meet some of our amazing new graduates!
Emilie Lefebvre '21 MScSLP
“There’s a limited number of people who can deliver [francophone] therapies in Alberta, so it’s nice to go back to that community and work with other professionals with similar goals.”
Juanita Gnanapragasam ’19 MPH, ’22 MScOT
“What really drew me to the field [of rehabilitation] was this idea of asking people what matters to them, and using that as a way to support them in their wellness.”
Rachel Stokes ’22 MScPT
“I made some great friendships with some amazing future health-care providers and had the opportunity to hone my leadership, advocacy, communication and management skills.”
Our Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MScOT) program was granted an accreditation award of seven years from 2022 to 2029 from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT).
“How do we set the foundation for amazing learning opportunities? I think it’s simple: We all do better when we feel safe, cared for, and when we believe that we’re working toward something meaningful. And aren’t these exactly the same things we hope students ultimately do for their patients?”
“How do we set the foundation for amazing learning opportunities? I think it’s simple: We all do better when we feel safe, cared for, and when we believe that we’re working toward something meaningful. And aren’t these exactly the same things we hope students ultimately do for their patients?”
Associate teaching professor, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
Teaching award winner and keynote speaker, Rehab Med Teaching Awards Celebration 2022
Did you know the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine offers a number of popular online graduate certificates and microcredentials for current and aspiring professionals?
Learn more about continuing education courses
1,675
people participated in a Continuing Professional Education course or program in 2021-22.
Community Impact
Our community-based and student-run clinics provide rehabilitation services to patients from the surrounding community and beyond, giving students robust hands-on clinical experience. Across our clinics, programs and research, we work to support communities facing barriers to access, including military members and veterans, rural residents, Indigenous communities and Edmonton's underserved populations.
9 clinics and camps
serving the community
Corbett Hall Speech-Language Clinic (Corbett Clinic)
Corbett Hall Early Education Program (CHEEP)
Corbett Hall Student Physical Therapy Clinic
Cancer Rehabilitation Clinic / Alberta Cancer Exercise Program
Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR)
Alberta Aphasia Camp
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Camp
Corbett Aphasia Rehabilitation and Education (CARE)
Parkinson: Ability, Communication, Education (PACE)
1,274 community members benefited
from our clinics and camps
1,634 student placements in community clinics
across Alberta and beyond
Rehab Med in action
Expansion of Tele-Rehab
The Tele-Rehab 2.0 project continues to innovate ways to bring rehabilitation to rural residents who may face barriers to specialized care. This year the team received an AGE-WELL grant to develop virtual falling-risk assessments in seniors’ facilities. Tele-Rehab’s partnership with Alberta Health Services is also seeing ongoing success, with 10 new AHS sites onboarded in the past year.
Military- and Veteran-Friendly Campus Update
The Government of Alberta-funded Military- and Veteran-Friendly Campus pilot project, co-led by our Heroes in Mind Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), has been busy creating a toolkit for other universities and colleges to become military and veteran friendly, and launching a virtual hub and physical resource centre for military and veteran students with space for programming, support and mentoring.
CARE (Corbett Aphasia Rehabilitation and Education)
Created to meet community needs during the pandemic, our virtual aphasia clinic program, CARE, this year served more than 30 individuals living with aphasia throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan. CARE complements our annual Alberta Aphasia Camp, a weekend retreat with recreational and therapeutic activities located at Gull Lake.
Celebrating Our Donors and Alumni
We are excited to be able to meet again in person and look forward to seeing you at U of A Days (Alumni Weekend) this fall! In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at frmcomms@ualberta.ca or submit a class note!
9,000
total alumni
3,350 alumni live in Edmonton
1,556 live in Calgary
4,094 live all over Canada and around the world, including the U.S., U.K., Australia, China and more!
Thank you to our wonderful donors who continue to change lives through education, research and rehabilitation!
Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR)
John Carnegie’s life was transformed when he overcame a lifelong struggle with stuttering after attending a three-week intensive program at ISTAR. Moved by his experience, he became a donor to help others.
Corbett Clinic Client Assistance Program (CCCAP) Fund
Entirely donor supported, the CCCAP fund helps clients access speech and language therapy at Corbett Clinic. The fund subsidizes up to 50 per cent of the cost of service depending on the financial need of the client.
Student Emergency Bursaries
Spurred on by a generous challenge gift from alumnus Mark Cho — who remembers having to rely on scholarships and bursaries as a student — 45 donors contributed to the U of A’s Giving Day and supported emergency bursaries for rehabilitation medicine students in financial need.
Now more than ever, rehabilitation is essential to enhancing lives. Give to Rehab Med today.
Let Us Know
Did this report help you better understand the research, teaching and community impact of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine? Share your feedback
This report highlights achievements from the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s 2022 fiscal year: April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.
Contact us: frmcomms@ualberta.ca
Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
3-48 Corbett Hall
8205 114 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta
T6G 2G4