The School of Physical and Occupational Therapy (SPOT) Global Health Rehabilitation Initiative (GHRI)
Researchers at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy (SPOT) are conducting innovative global health rehabilitation research. Research projects span a wide range of topics and methodologies. They include investigations of community-based stroke assessment and technology-based rehabilitation interventions, needs of persons with disabilities following natural disasters, and health and economic governance in the area of tobacco control. SPOT global health research is carried out across the globe, including in Canada, India, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Brazil, Philippines, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia. These research projects have received competitive funding from Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institutes of Health, Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use and Grand Challenges Canada. Faculty members are also providing consulting services to UNICEF in a project that will estimate the extent and range of childhood disability in low- and middle-income countries. SPOT students also contribute to global health rehabilitation research; for example, students in the professional Master’s program have undertaken research on musculoskeletal injuries in porters at Mt Kilimanjaro, outcomes of rehabilitation training programs in Haiti, and rehabilitation services in Northern Quebec (in partnership with James Bay Cree communities).
