Please join us in congratulating this Spring’s graduates.
Receiving their Master of Rehabilitation Science degree:
Read their research abstracts and those from previous graduation classes on the program website.
Receiving their Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation:
The program professors, instructors, staff, alumni and current learners wish them all the best in pursuing excellence in rehabilitation practice.
Spring 2012 Grads: L-R: Physical Therapist Rebecca Shook, Physical Therapist Sarah Strickey and Occupational Therapist Sabrina Li
On Wednesday, May 23 these three therapists joined the growing number of Master of Rehabilitation Science graduates. Although only Vancouver-based Rebecca Shook was able to cross the stage at convocation, her colleagues Sabrina Li in Hong Kong and Sarah Strickey in Cary, North Carolina in the U.S. were in touch to share the occasion and prepare the traditional joint valedictorian speech. Please join us in congratulating these graduates and enjoy their celebratory words.
It is both thrilling and surreal to be submitting these remarks as we complete our MRSc journey! This program has followed us all through a multitude of life changes from new jobs to new babies to new countries. This program has remained the constant through all these events. It goes without saying that the nature of this program has allowed us to balance the other aspects of our lives while providing us with an invaluable way to stay current, grow as professionals, and develop practical skills to apply to our clinical practices.
Collectively, we have learned some valuable lessons throughout the course of our studies that are worth sharing.
From our first (admittedly tentative) posts to our final assignments the faculty and staff associated with the MRSc program have encouraged and motivated us to succeed. Without their unwavering support, it would not be possible to complete a program of this magnitude from afar. We would specifically like to thank our major project supervisors, Dr. Lesley Bainbridge, Alison Gerlach, and Sue Stanton, whose guidance and encouragement were instrumental to the success of our major projects. Finally, we wish to thank our families, our friends and our colleagues who supported us in countless ways throughout this experience!
While we have looked forward to completing this degree for quite some time, we also know that we will greatly miss the stimulating discussions we have shared over the years with our fellow learners. Their enthusiasm has continually pushed us to think beyond the boundaries. To all our colleagues who are considering embarking on this journey – go for it; it is a challenging, yet rewarding experience.
Best of luck to all current and future MRSc learners; may you continue to set goals that inspire you!
Sabrina Li, Hong Kong
Rebecca Shook, Vancouver, BC, Canada,
Sarah Strickey, Cary, NC, USA
After 5 years of trans-Atlantic studies Claudia Hernandez (left) and Chris Carpenter meet at Claudia’s workplace, the Toronto Rehabilitation Centre. Chris was conducting a seminar at the Centre and is currently at Coventry University in England.
Many of our graduates and their research supervisors meet for the first time at professional conferences, sometimes to present together. This summer, at the Canadian Physiotherapy Congress in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Dr. Chris Carpenter met Peter Rowe to present his research regarding: Recent Experiences and Challenges of Military Physiotherapists Deployed in Afghanistan. Maureen Duggan was unable to attend the Congress but her research, Outcome Measurement in the Total Joint Arthroplasty Patient: Identifying Barriers and Facilitators of its Use, was presented as part of a larger study led by Alison Hoens.
On November 26, 2009 over 65 people gathered at the Medical Student Alumni Centre in Vancouver to congratulate recent graduates in the Rehabilitation Science Graduate Programs. Ben Mortensen and Sharon Smith received their Doctor of Philosophy; Jenny Garden, Marylyn Horsman and Helia Sillem received their Master in Science; and Kathy Davidson, Karen Hurtubise, Kathy Hatchard, Twila Mills, Darlene Russell, and Ellie Wray received their Master of Rehabilitation Science.
From left to right: Marylyn Horsman, Ben Mortensen, Sharon Smith, Jenny Garden and Lyn Jongbloed. Missing: Helia Sillem
Susan Stanton, Coordinator of the Rehabilitation Science Online Programs was the master of ceremonies for the evening and introduced Dr. Tal Jarus who congratulated the graduates on behalf of the Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (OS&OT) Department. She warmly reminded them that they weren’t to just hang their degree on the wall and rest. Rather, with their new knowledge and skills, they now had more responsibility. “With a new lense to see the world, you must think critically — ask lots of questions and encourage others to do so as well.”
Dr. Susan Harris congratulated the graduates on behalf of Dr. Jane Garland of the Department of Physical Therapy and highlighted the history of the graduate programs. Since 1993 when the Master of Science program started, the two departments have grown from 120 undergraduate students to 335 graduate students, with the PhD program starting in 2003 and the online Master of Rehabilitation Science program in 2005. Susan has watched the Rehabilitation Science Graduate Programs become enriched due to their interprofessional focus. She explained that learners come from a variety of backgrounds including people living with disability and their supervisors as well.
The present chair of the Rehabilitation Science Research Graduate Programs Dr. Lyn Jongbloed described the event as one which celebrates change and the arrival of new times for the graduates, as they celebrate their achievements and the culmination of academic journeys. She introduced the graduates who had an opportunity to thank their supervisors, many of who were able to attend the event, their families and colleagues. They also chose to say a few words about their journeys. There were common themes of personal growth and a desire to make significant changes to their practice community.
Online Graduates Complete the Evening
Karen Hurtubise delivered the joint valedictorian speech prepared collaboratively and of course, online. Listen to the speech.
She described the gift of comradeship that emerged between the learners, the professors and the advisors, despite the online nature of their communication. “Unique challenges of building a relationship which relies solely on the written word. Despite initially longing to hear voices and see faces, we did establish wonderful relationships with our classmates and instructors. In fact, today, although many of us had not met face-to-face, we greeted each other as long lost friends.”
From left to right: Kathy Davidson, Karen Hurtubise, Ellie Wray, Kathy Hatchard, Sue Stanton and Twila Mills. Missing: Darlene Russell
The graduates were explicit in describing the ways in which they had grown while in the program. “We have become analysts and consumers of, and contributors to, the evidence that supports our practice… We have evolved into knowledge translators, skillful advocators, effective educators and evaluators, innovators, visionaries and leaders.”
Recognition and warm thanks were extended to their research supervisors, employers, agency sponsors, instructors and program staff who supported their research projects and academic journeys. “Thank you for believing in us and our ideas and commitment to bettering the services we deliver.”
Read the MRSc graduates’ research abstract on our program website.
This year’s graduate celebration was held on May 19, 2009 at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and recognized Master of Rehabilitation Science graduates as well as those graduating from the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy programs. Program heads, thesis and project supervisors, and faculty, joined colleagues, friends and family to honour the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 graduates.
Jocelyn Harris and Dana Anaby are the first Doctors of Philosophy from the graduate program. Amelia Payne, Amira Tawashy, Christina Ekegren graduated from the Master of Science program.
Master of Rehabilitation Graduates included Nancy Wellwood and Colette Widmer Leu from the Spring 2009 class, and Aylssa Barrie, Deirdre Thornton and Astrid St. Pierre from the Winter 2008 class.
From l-r: Astrid St. Pierre, MRSc Grad November 2008, Nancy Wellwood, MRSc Grad May 2009 and Sue Stanton, UBC Rehabilitation Science Online Programs Coordinator
L-r: MSc Grad Amelia Payne, PhD Grad Jocelyn Harris, MSc Grad Amira Tawashy, and Dr. Lyn Jongbloed, Coordinator of the UBC Research Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation Science