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T
echnology is everywhere
in our lives nowadays.
Under the leadership of Dr. Sara Saunders (Associate
Director of the OT Program at McGill’s SPOT) and
with Prof. Hiba Zafran, McGill OT students have a new and ex-
citing opportunity: they can apply to complete a clinical place-
ment in the McGill Community: evaluation employee
work-stations and making recommendations.
Working in pairs under the guidance of their supervisors,
they observe the work space, take
measurements of the physical en-
vironment and of the employee,
discuss work tasks with the em-
ployee, analyze the situation and
recommend possible solutions.
This is a terrific example of out-
reach in clinical education, and
promotion of OT to a population
that may not be aware of the pro-
fession and the value of a referral.
(photo credit: S.C. Marshall)
McGill’s SPOT has hired a new tenure-track faculty member
for the Fall: Dr. Marie-Brossard-Racine. She comes to McGill by
way of a post-doctoral fellowship in diagnostic imaging and ra-
diology with Drs. Catherine Limperopoulos and Adre de Plessis
at the Advanced Pediatric Brain Imaging Research Laboratory
of the Children’s National Medical Center (Washington, DC).
Dr. Brossard-Racine’s research interests are to better understand
the neural mechanisms underlying activity limitation in children
with developmental disabilities. Her focus on the combination
of outcome oriented clinical research with neuroimaging tech-
niques provides a unique under-
standing of the neural substrates of
childhood disabilities. These tech-
nologies are also crucial in evi-
dence-based
guideline
developments and uptake to im-
prove clinical practice and patient
outcome, knowledge synthesis, im-
plementation research and profes-
sional behaviour change. (photo
credit: O. Egan)
DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
Cutting-edge Research Sharpens the Focus on Stroke Rehabilitation
S
troke is the leading cause of long-term disability in
Canada. More than half of stroke survivors experience
impacts on cognitive function that affect their daily oc-
cupations. Accuracy in the assessment of these impacts is cru-
cial if intervention is to be targeted to maximize recovery.
Dr. Diane MacKenzie, Assistant Professor at Dalhousie Uni-
versity, has recently been awarded funding through the Canada
Foundation for Innovation, which will support the establishment
of the infrastructure required to advance the interdisciplinary
study of how observation actually occurs in real-world cognitive
assessments. Dr. MacKenzie will serve as the Principal Investi-
gator of the project known as iCARE (inter-professional Centre
of Attention in Real Environments).
Dr. MacKenzie noted, “clinicians routinely observe, de-
scribe and interpret visual information, but little attention has
been given to the act of observation itself. It is often assumed
that everyone either has natural (and accurate) observation skills
or that they will develop these skills. Errors in observation, either
from not seeing key features, or from misinterpreting what has
been observed, can lead to inaccurate decision-making.” This
research aims to improve clinical observation, resulting in earlier
and more accurate detection of cognitive issues, improved de-
cision-making, and overall better outcomes for survivors of
stroke.
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