Who we are.
Brief stories about who we are…
As the principale investigator and lead of Reachable Rehab Lab, I will start!
It all began with a passion to improve access to physiotherapy services. For several years working as a physiotherapist with wonderful people who had just experience massive life changes due to acquired brain or spinal cord injuries, I found myself wanting to have a greater impact on how physiotherapy services were delivered. I wanted to explore new ways for people to reach clinicians, ways that would consider health equity, and social justice.
So, in 2016, I decided to embark in the wonderful ups and downs or the PhD journey. Being a new mother, and feeling completely outside my confort zone as a ‘mature student’, it was not an easy return to school! However, I kept thinking of the needs and the gaps voiced by the people I provided physiotherapy service too and let these voices guide my doctorate thesis. By connecting with people outside the physiotherapy world, I listened to and learn about new ideas, new methods and fearlessly decided to jump into the ‘then’ unknown of technology, social justice, and physiotherapy.
I completed my PhD in 2021 which allowed me to investigate the use of telerehabilitation to deliver intensive home-based exercise program for people who have experienced a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury.This solidified my thirst for community-based rehabilitation and access to rehabilitation services. Taking the lessons I had learned during my PhD, I continued to pursue the main objective, but this time ‘access’ was related to having access to a primary prevention telehealth falls prevention program. Understanding the importance of receiving healthcare in your preferred language, the main equity piece I tackled in my Post-doctoral fellowship, was language. I was incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by leaders in Francophone Health Research where I learned so much about the policies, the scientific literature and truly understood the importance of receiving care in your preferred language. Between 2021 and 2023, I led a capacity building and implementation project that focused on a falls prevention program (Marche vers le Futur) delivered remotely in francophones communities across Canada.
In July 2022, I was privileged to start a tenure track position as an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, school of rehabilitation sciences. It took a year to get settled and transition from my role as a postdoctorate fellow to assistant professor. I am now happy to share the new name for my lab, a name that was discussed with my PhD students, a name that reflects my drive for access… Welcome to Reachable Rehab Lab.
Dr. Jennifer O’Neil