Tammy Hopper Headshot
Tammy Hopper Headshot

Expanding our reach:

Celebrating rehabilitation medicine growth

As I look back on the past year in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, I am filled with deep gratitude. Our Faculty community has once again come together in so many ways to show its passion and dedication to research, teaching and partnerships that will improve the lives of the communities we serve.

A message from former Dean Tammy Hopper »

Esther Kim Headshot
Esther Kim

Looking ahead:

A message from interim dean Esther Kim

As we say farewell to Dr. Tammy Hopper and celebrate in this report so many of our Faculty’s achievements and milestones over the past year of her tenure, I am very pleased to introduce myself to those of you who may not yet know me.

A message from Interim Dean Esther Kim »

Highlights
Celebrating our impact 2024-25

We educate future physical, occupational and speech-language therapists and rehabilitation scientists, advancing fields like neuroscience and children's health. Our clinics serve the community, providing vital care and student training, especially for those facing barriers to access. We are the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

$2,467,414

This year, through gifts, grants, sponsorships, pledges and bequests, donors gave $2,467,414 to the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. Your generosity changes lives through education, research and rehabilitation!

  • 1,049 graduate students
  • 39 administrative + support staff
  • 54 excluded academic staff
  • 42 faculty members
  • 32 academic teaching staff
  • 48 research support staff
  • 3 research associates
  • 7 post-doctoral fellows
  • 6 clinicians
  • 1 Endowed Chair
  • 1 Tier 1 Canada Research Chair
  • 1 Tier 2 Canada Research Chair

EDI Teaching & Learning Framework

To advance equity, diversity and inclusion, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine created the EDI Teaching & Learning Impact Framework, which was led by Maxi Miciak, assistant teaching professor. It defines expected impacts and considers who, how and when impacts might occur. This framework can guide strategic planning, resource allocation and clear communication about EDI efforts to promote learning and accountability. The faculty aims to cultivate a respectful, inclusive learning environment for all.

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New Black Students’ Association formed in Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

Aris Sobze, a physical therapy student, co-founded the Black Students' Association (BSA) along with Eni Okelana, Semon Smartt, Lydia Aroge and Ibrahim Bakare in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine after noticing a lack of Black representation. The BSA aims to increase awareness, support current students and encourage future Black applicants to pursue careers in rehabilitation sciences, fostering a sense of belonging.

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Tammy Hopper steps down, Esther Kim appointed as interim dean

Dean Tammy Hopper stepped down from her role on March 31, 2025. Esther Kim, chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, will serve as interim dean for an 15-month term beginning April 1.

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Rehabilitation Medicine satellite program reopens at Augustana

The ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine reopened its satellite program at Augustana Campus, offering 44 spots annually in master’s programs for physical, occupational and speech therapy. Aimed at addressing rural health-care shortages, it provides students with hands-on experience outside urban areas. The program seeks to train therapists to meet the specific needs of underserved populations.

New Space of Truth and Reconciliation in Corbett Hall honours and celebrates Indigenous ways of being and knowing

A day after spring equinox, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine unveiled the Space of Truth and Reconciliation in Corbett Hall. The space supports the faculty’s commitment to meaningful relationships with Indigenous partners and communities. It was created in close collaboration with faculty, staff, students and Indigenous community members, and its design reflects the voices and input of Indigenous students and staff from rehabilitation medicine, as well as consultation with Florence Glanfield, vice-provost of Indigenous programming and research. The mural, brought to life by the creative team at pipikwan pêhtâkwan, honours Mother Earth and all, humans and more than humans, who live here.

Andrea MacLeod appointed vice-dean & associate dean, research

Andrea MacLeod, professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, was appointed as the incoming vice dean and associate dean, research, for the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine for a three-year term starting July 1, 2024.

Mark Hall appointed associate dean, teaching and learning

Mark Hall, teaching professor and associate chair in the Department of Physical Therapy, was appointed as the incoming associate dean of teaching and learning for the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine for a five-year term starting January 1, 2025.

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Research Impact

The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine drives innovative research in neuroscience and mental health, children’s health and development, language and literacy, and chronic disease prevention and management — advancing knowledge to enhance quality of life for individuals and communities.

$8.05M

total research revenue in the last year

204

peer-reviewed research publications

231

active research grants

54

new research grants in the past year

A senior woman looking back from her walk

Dementia missing incidents research could boost safety measures

"Critical wandering" in dementia poses severe risks, with disorientation leading to missing incidents. A U of A project, led by Antonio Miguel-Cruz, is analyzing diverse Canadian data to understand this phenomenon. Researchers aim to develop targeted prevention strategies for police, first responders and communities. Despite the fact that missing incidents affect nearly 40 per cent of dementia patients, data is fragmented, hindering effective responses. By consolidating information from police, rescue teams and health-care records, this study seeks to create vital tools to safeguard vulnerable individuals. This project offers a new perspective by analyzing comprehensive sets of Canadian data with the aim of developing more effective tools and strategies to prevent people with dementia from going missing.

Get to know some of our newest faculty members

Erin McCab Erin McCab

Erin McCabe, a U of A physical therapy alumna, joined the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine as an assistant professor. Building on her U of A degrees, McCabe's research focuses on outcome measurement in rehabilitation and equity in access to rehabilitation. She uses implementation science and health measurement theories to enhance the use of outcome measures within the health system to improve individual client care and for learning health systems. Her work explores innovative rehabilitation techniques and patient-centred care.

Youran Lin Youran Lin

Youran Lin is an assistant professor who has dedicated her research to multilingual speech and language development. With a PhD from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders combined program, and postdoctoral work in bilingual acquisition, she focuses on bilingual individuals in diverse linguistic settings. Lin explored the experiences of speech-language pathologists from diverse backgrounds, driven by her own journey as an international student in SLP. A Vanier Scholar, she aims to bridge cultural gaps in communication. Her work seeks to empower multilingual families and promote inclusivity, advancing the field through research and advocacy.

Pooja Gandhi Pooja Gandhi

Pooja Gandhi is an assistant professor who is shaping clinical practice. Shifting from swallowing-disorder assessment, she now crafts guidelines for improved patient care. Her research dives into Parkinson’s and neurodegenerative diseases, pinpointing swallowing impairment mechanisms. Gandhi translates evidence into bedside solutions, enhancing dysphagia management. She develops multidisciplinary guidelines, utilizing large databases to identify risk factors. Driven by her early research revelations, she tackles current challenges with excitement.

Rehab Med Research News

Young adults with cerebral palsy face a threefold higher risk of early mortality, largely due to cardiovascular disease, according to new research. In a study led by professor Lesley Pritchard and her post-doctoral fellow Nevin Hammam, found young children with cerebral palsy demonstrated arterial changes that could lead to atherosclerosis. Using arterial ultrasounds, researchers identified thicker carotid arteries and stiffer brachial arteries.

Six things to know about primary progressive aphasia

Bruce Willis's diagnosis sparked public confusion about aphasia. Esther Kim clarifies primary progressive aphasia, a rare syndrome, is distinct from stroke-induced aphasia. It is actually an atypical profile of dementia, impacting language first instead of memory. Frontotemporal degeneration is often a cause. PPA is progressive, with word-finding difficulties as an early sign. Affecting those in their 50s and 60s, it's often misdiagnosed.

Why being bilingual could help keep your mind sharp as you age

Researcher Tanya Dash suggests that being bilingual may help keep the brain sharp with age. Dash and her team found that older adults who speak two languages perform better on cognitive tasks requiring attention and flexibility. This advantage could delay cognitive decline and dementia. The findings highlight the lifelong benefits of bilingualism, reinforcing the value of language learning at any age. Dash hopes future research will further explore bilingualism’s impact on brain health.

Study reveals mental health toll of underemployment among skilled immigrants

A U of A study led by Shu-Ping Chen highlights the mental health struggles of skilled immigrants in precarious, low-wage jobs. Many face credential barriers, discrimination and a loss of professional identity, leading to stress and isolation. To help, researchers developed workplace culture and safety training modules, soon to be piloted. Chen urges stronger policies and collaboration among governments, employers and community groups to ensure fair job opportunities and prevent the deskilling of immigrant workers.

AI project aims to diagnose stroke more accurately so patients can get faster treatment

Funded by ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Innovates, a U of A team led by Greg Kawchuk employs AI to revolutionize stroke care. Their software analyzes CT scans, enabling faster diagnoses and treatment decisions. The project aims to optimize reperfusion therapy, ensuring timely access for patients. By enhancing scan interpretation, the AI prevents unnecessary transfers and improves patient outcomes.

The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine mourns the loss of Greg Kawchuk. His profound contributions to teaching, learning, and research will continue as his lasting legacy.

Exercise prescription isn’t one-size-fits-all for cancer patients

U of A researchers have developed a new framework to help clinicians integrate exercise into cancer care at the right times. Led by Kerry Courneya, a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation and Margaret McNeely, a professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, the EPiCC framework outlines six key periods where exercise plays a role. By tailoring exercise prescriptions to individual treatment plans, the framework ensures maximum benefits while minimizing risks, helping patients improve treatment outcomes and quality of life. The research offers new precision in cancer care.

Sitting less, moving more helps stroke patients recover mobility

Victor Ezeugwu is redefining stroke recovery with a precision health approach. His study found that relative to sedentary and sleep time, allocating just 30 to 40 minutes daily to walking improves mobility and gait speed. Now, Ezeugwu’s team is testing a “sit less, move more, sleep better” intervention early after stroke. Through precise activity monitoring and behavioral change strategies, they aim to create personalized recovery plans, offering stroke survivors a better chance at long-term success.

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Teaching and Learning

Education is at the heart of everything we do. Our students thrive thanks to the expertise, dedication and passion of our outstanding faculty and teaching staff.

Thank you to our wonderful clinical educators who volunteered 342,138 hours to provide our students with invaluable hands-on learning in 2024-25. Learn about mentoring a student!

Adam Parker

Can you really collaborate with a robot? This PhD grad is working on it

Adam Parker wasn’t always an A student, but his passion for technology led him from gaming to groundbreaking research in bionic limbs. Now having earned a PhD in rehabilitation science from the U of A, Parker’s work explores how artificial intelligence can help prosthetic limbs collaborate with users, improving their functionality.

Kathryn Lambert

For people with Parkinson’s, moving is a mental challenge as well as a physical one

PhD candidate Kathryn Lambert shows that Parkinson’s disease affects motor imagery — the mental planning of movement. Lambert found that individuals with Parkinson’s imagine movements less accurately when the action involves their more affected side, which may contribute to physical difficulties.

Get to know a few of our newest academic teaching staff

Shanda Duggleby Wenzel Shanda Duggleby Wenzel headshot

Shanda Duggleby Wenzel

Shanda Duggleby Wenzel joined the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at Augustana Campus, teaching in the speech-language pathology program. Passionate about child language assessment, she’s excited to support students as the MSc-SLP program expands, combining her love for linguistics with health care.

Chris Zarski Chris Zarski

Chris Zarski

Chris Zarski joined the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine as an associate teaching professor at Augustana Campus. With a passion for education and clinical practice, he brings extensive experience to the role, helping shape future rehabilitation professionals through innovative teaching and mentorship.

Teddie Buchner Teddie Buchner

Teddie Buchner

Teddie Buchner joined the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine as an instructor at North Campus, teaching in the Department of Occupational Therapy. With a background in pediatric mental health, she transitioned to teaching full time after discovering a passion for mentorship.

Meet Our Students

Aysha Khan

Rehabilitation medicine student researches new treatments for spinal cord injuries

Aysha Khan, a PhD student, left Pakistan to study spinal cord injuries at the U of A. In the Neuro-Recovery Lab under Keith Fenrich, she researches how interneurons in the cervical spine influence arm and hand movement. Experiential learning and donor support help drive her groundbreaking work forward.

Sami Al Sufi Mohammed

From lecture halls to lab coats

Sami Al Sufi Mohammed focused his research on enhancing graduate admissions in rehabilitation programs. Under Mary Roduta Roberts in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, he explored how traits such as empathy and resilience can complement academic achievements in admissions decisions, refining the selection process and fostering a more inclusive and diverse healthcare workforce.

Chloe Korade

Chloe Korade’s unique journey in speech-language pathology

Chloe Korade’s research explores alternative language assessments for bilingual children to prevent misdiagnoses of language disorders. A PhD student and speech-language pathologist, she studies how less English-dependent tests can better gauge language abilities, ensuring more accurate diagnoses for children from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Erin Morgan

Second-year MSc student in physical therapy has a plan to make physical therapy more accessible

Erin Morgan, a former national judo athlete, turned a career-ending injury into a passion for physical therapy. Now an MScPT student at the U of A, she aims to integrate technology into rehabilitation by developing apps that improve patient care, accessibility and physiotherapy equipment for better outcomes.

Maxine Oco

OT Placement Student Spotlight:
Maxine Oco

Maxine Oco, a second-year occupational therapy student, discovered her passion for OT after witnessing its impact on her stepfather’s recovery. During a placement at St. Mary’s Hospital, she gained hands-on experience in post-operative rehabilitation, stroke recovery, interdisciplinary patient care and cognitive assessments, strengthening her clinical skills.

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Continuing professional education

With a total of 3,855 registrations across credit and non-credit programming, Continuing Professional Education continues to provide accessible learning opportunities for healthcare professionals across the country and beyond. A significant highlight is the 97 per cent increase in non-credit micro-course registrations, reaching 856, demonstrating strong interest from the clinical community. For 2025-26, we are expanding our specialized offerings with new online micro-courses in Chronic Pain Management, Pediatric Wheelchair Seating, and Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing.

New Courses

Learn more about all of our professional development programs »

3,855

people participated in a Continuing Professional Education course or program in 2024-25.

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Community Impact

We offer rehabilitation services to patients close to home and offer students robust necessary clinical experience. We support communities facing barriers to access through our clinics, programs and research. Patients include military members and veterans, rural residents, Indigenous communities and Edmonton’s underserved populations.

Rehab Med In Action

Matthew Goertzen: physio to the stars

From treating rock stars and hockey players to helping his partner recover from a life-changing accident, U of A instructor and physiotherapist Matthew Goertzen has seen it all. One of his most memorable moments was working backstage at Rogers Place, preparing an aging rock star with a ruptured Achilles tendon to perform despite his injury. “From backstage, I could see him doing things I’m sure his surgeon wouldn't have been happy about, but he crushed his performance,” Goertzen recalls. Now, he’s focused on shaping future therapists.

Martin Ferguson-Pell

U of A innovators recognized with ASTech Awards

Martin Ferguson-Pell, professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, received the ASTech Award for Medical, Healthcare, and Pharmaceuticals – Application (Academic Collaboration) for his work in telerehabilitation. His team develops point-of-care technologies that connect rural patients with urban specialists, improving accessibility and reducing travel barriers for critical health care. “A major practical challenge of the project is the installation of specialized equipment in remote areas,” says Ferguson-Pell. “Once set up, these technologies allow rural patients to connect with urban specialists, creating a clinic-to-clinic model that enhances the safety and effectiveness of clinical assessments.”

Joan Loomis

Department of Physical Therapy student-turned-professor shares memories of time with the program

Joan Loomis dedicated 30 years to the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s Department of Physical Therapy — first as a student, then as faculty, and finally as associate chair until her retirement in 2008. A passionate educator, she mentored students with empathy, shaping the program’s culture of mentorship. She played a key role in developing interprofessional education and was recognized with prestigious teaching awards, including a 3M Teaching Fellowship. Today, she continues sharing her knowledge — now through quilting classes in Canmore. In September 2024, the Physical Therapy program celebrated 70 years.

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Celebrating our Rehabilitation Medicine Alumni & Donors

The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine is proud to be part of a dynamic and engaged alumni and philanthropic community. We celebrate the remarkable contributions of our graduates and committed donors, who continuously improve lives across ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and beyond. Thank you for your dedication to advancing rehabilitation medicine and making a lasting impact.

10,098

total alumni

3,772 alumni live in Edmonton
1,889 live in Calgary
4,437 live all over Canada and around the world, including the USA, U.K., Australia, China and more!

Creativity and community come together at ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Aphasia Camp

For 10 years, ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Aphasia Camp has fostered creativity and connection. Now, a collaborative art project — sparked by camper Helen Swartz’s passion — raised funds to ensure future campers can find their voices through art.

“It was, simply put, one of the most wonderful, beneficial experiences for Helen and for me to attend this camp,” says Mark Swartz, Helen’s husband. Because of the Swartz family's involvement with the camp, Mark created an endowment in Helen's memory. This ensures future campers will continue to receive the same benefits for years to come.

Karise El-Halabi

ISTAR helps teen gain confidence through speech

Struggling with a stutter, 13-year-old Karise El-Halabi once dreaded simple conversations. Thanks to therapy at ISTAR, she’s gained confidence, mastering skills to navigate speech challenges. Now, she speaks with ease — even tackling class presentations without fear.

“ISTAR has helped me get through tough times in my life, and now I feel like the best version of myself because I know what to do when I stutter. I have so much confidence voicing my opinion because I know when I do, I'm the most important person in the room, and I take my time and slow down when I'm speaking.”

As a donor-funded entity of the U of A, ISTAR thrives thanks to the support of its donors.

Linda Miller

Ergonomics entrepreneur earns accolades

Linda Miller, ’89 BSc(OT) is an occupational therapist who has improved employee wellness in the workplace by combining her expertise in rehabilitation medicine with best practices in the design of work. Her business, EWI Works, helps businesses implement ergonomic programs. In addition to her graduate-level education in occupational therapy, she also earned a degree in environmental design to understand how design (spaces and work) impacts health and wellness. Now a certified professional ergonomist, Miller is helping the field grow through her ongoing involvement with the U of A as a lecturer, mentor and the designer of new courses in ergonomics, occupational productivity and workplace health and safety. Outside of her business, Miller is a tireless community volunteer and current board chair of the Edmonton Public School Foundation.

Now more than ever, rehabilitation is essential to enhancing lives. .

Read the Impact Report PDF

Let Us Know

Did this report help you better understand the research, teaching and community impact of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine? Email: frmcomms@ualberta.ca

This report highlights achievements from the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine’s 2025 fiscal year: April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025

Contact

To support research, teaching and service in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, contact Shannon De'Aeth, Assistant Dean, Development, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at sdeaeth@ualberta.ca or 780-492-3771.

For general inquiries, contact frmcomms@ualberta.ca