Finding Rhythm in Rehabilitation with Dr. Kara Patterson
By
Jora Flora
Dr. Kara Patterson is a physiotherapist and neurorehabilitation researcher whose work focuses on stroke recovery. Her RELEARN lab explores how neurological injuries affect walking and how dance and music can be used as holistic rehabilitation interventions. Inspired by personal and clinical experiences, she aims to improve quality of life for people with stroke. She values kindness, curiosity, and collaboration in her mentorship. Outside of research, she enjoys Latin and ballroom dance, playing piano, and reading fiction. Her latest project is a four-year study on the link between stroke-related gait impairments and secondary knee osteoarthritis.
We talked to Dr. Kara Patterson about her experience at RSI and her research experience and current projects:
Can you tell us a bit about your academic and professional background, and what brought you to RSI?
I received my physiotherapy degree from Queen’s University and worked clinically in Canada and the US for a couple of years before returning home to Canada to complete my PhD. I applied to several graduate programs in Ontario. RSI was my first choice because of my supervisor, Dr. Bill McIlroy, and because of the opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration and research infrastructure that U of T and the KITE Research Institute provided.
After my PhD, I went on to do some postdoctoral training with Dr. Joyce Fung at McGill University. My first faculty position was at Western University in the School of Physical Therapy. My time at Western is when I got my feet under me as an independent researcher and when I developed as an educator. I met colleagues there that I still collaborate with today. When a position at U of T became available, it was an opportunity for me to return home and work once again in a diverse and engaged research community that I couldn’t pass up.
What inspired you to pursue your current field of research?
My field of research is neurorehabilitation with a specific focus on stroke rehabilitation and recovery. My personal and clinical experiences influenced my current field of research. From a personal perspective, my grandmother had a stroke when I was 12 years old. Even back then, before I had the benefit of physiotherapy training, I understood the profound impact the stroke had on all aspects of my grandmother’s life. From a professional perspective, I worked with people with stroke both as a student on internship in Peterborough and as an independent practitioner in Chicago. These clinical experiences reinforced for me the important role that physiotherapy has helping people with stroke work to recover their function and independence. These experiences led to my goal as a researcher: to make contributions that help advance neurorehabilitation and ultimately improve the quality of life for Canadians living with stroke.
What’s one thing students might be surprised to learn about you?
My brain is approximately 68% song lyrics. For some reason, lyrics from songs have always just stuck in my head. Sometimes the titles for my grants and talks come from song lyrics.
Could you share a brief overview of your current research program and what excites you most about it?
The objective of my lab, called the RELEARN lab, is to advance neurorehabilitation practice to help individuals living with neurological conditions (and in particular, stroke) improve their physical and psychosocial well-being. My research program has two streams: (1) understanding how the walking pattern is altered after neurological injury, and (2) developing and testing rehabilitation interventions that improve physical function and psychosocial well-being after stroke.
Two things that excite me most about my research program are the opportunities to collaborate with people with lived experience of stroke as partners in research and exploring the power and potential of dance and music to be used as holistic, complex rehabilitation interventions.
What types of research opportunities are available in your lab or with your team?
Our lab team is made up of work-study students, research assistants, research coordinators, PhD students, and postdoctoral fellows who all contribute to the research done by RELEARN. We also have an advisory group of people with lived experience of stroke who we consult on all aspects of our studies.
How would you describe your supervisory or mentorship style?
I would say my supervisory style is democratic, transformational, and trainee centered. I strive to build and support a team that works towards common objectives while also allowing individuals to feel a sense of purpose, achieve personal goals, and develop skills that are important to them.
What advice would you give to students who are just starting their research journey?
The advice I would give is to be curious and to build professional relationships with people you respect and enjoy working with. These early relationships will be the foundation for your collaborations in your future endeavours in research, teaching, and/or industry.
Are there any upcoming projects, publications, or events you’re particularly excited about?
I am excited about a longitudinal study we are getting up and running right now. We will follow people with and without stroke for four years to characterize secondary knee osteoarthritis (OA) onset and/or progression. Studies rarely follow people with stroke longitudinally for more than 1-2 years, but changes to joints, like those observed in OA, can take longer. Our four-year study has the potential to highlight the relationship between stroke-related gait impairments and secondary knee OA. This evidence will inform priorities for post-stroke gait interventions (like improving joint loading during walking to reduce the risk for OA) and the potential need for long-term follow-up of people with stroke.
I’m also proud of a recent publication that explored how people with stroke who completed our 10-week adapted dance program viewed dance as exercise. According to the study participants, dance offers elements of traditional physical rehabilitation such as improved balance while also moving beyond to harness humanity in exercise. Dance creates a humanistic space where more intangible elements such as liberation, self-expression and personal growth are accessed organically.
