Spotlight on World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day is held on the 1st December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day, held for the first time in 1988.
In honour of World AIDS Day, RSI would like to highlight some of the research of our very own faculty who are involved in this great initiative. Take a look:
QandAforfaculty.pdfStephanie Nixon
Stephanie is a physiotherapist who has been an HIV activist, researcher and clinician for 15 years. She completed her HonBA in Kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario in 1992 and her BHSc in Physiotherapy at McMaster University in 1996. She completed her MSc in the Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science in 2000 and her PhD in Public Health and Bioethics in 2006, both at the University of Toronto. Stephanie conducted her post-doc with Prof. Alan Whiteside at the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa from 2006-2008.
Stephanie is co-founder and Director of the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation, and she leads the HIV/AIDS, Globalization and Rehabilitation Research Unit in the Department of Physical Therapy.
Current Research:
*On Tuesday, December 8th, 2015, researchers at Zambart, the University of Zambia and their partners in Canada and South Africa will release findings of the three-year Sepo II Study, which offer new insight into the ups and downs of life on ART. Click here to view the press release*
- Sepo I Study: An in-depth qualitative study of health equity issues facing people with disabilities in Zambia who are living with HIV.
- Sepo II Study: An in-depth longitudinal qualitative study using a rehabilitation framework to explore the experiences of women and men living with HIV in Zambia. Click here to view the report.
- E-Module on HIV for Rehabilitation Providers in Sub-Saharan Africa*: The development of an innovative teaching tool to promote rehabilitation in the context of HIV throughout Africa.
- The Shared Innovation Study: An analysis of research and innovation on HIV and rehabilitation between Canada and Sub-Saharan Africa.
- What Should All Health Professions Students Learn about Postcolonialism Before They Graduate? An in-depth qualitative study of the content and delivery that all Canadian clinician students should learn about postcolonialism and Aboriginal health inequities.
*See related content below.
Selected Publications:
Click here to see an extensive listing of Dr. Nixon’s publications.
The Team:
Stephanie Nixon is the Director of ICDR.
Founded in 2004, ICDR uses a critical approach to research and education in the rehabilitation sciences to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Canada and around the world. ICDR is comprised of scholars, clinicians, students, advocates and others who share interest in disability and rehabilitation in the context of global health. The lab is led by Stephanie Nixon, who is the ICDR Director and an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy.
ICDR has partnerships in 9 countries, and ICDR-related research is conducted with many partners.
Trainees:
Dr. Nixon and others in ICDR supervise PhD and MSc students in the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute and in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Master’s students also conduct ICDR-related research as part of their MScOT and MScPT programs.
Contact Info:
Stephanie Nixon can be reached by email at stephanie.nixon@utoronto.ca.
Kelly O'Brien
Kelly O’Brien is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto, cross-appointed with the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (RSI). Kelly is a physical therapist and clinical epidemiologist. She holds a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Early Researcher Award with the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.
Current Research:
Kelly’s research is focused in the areas of HIV, disability and rehabilitation.
- HIV, Health and Rehabilitation Survey (HHRS): CIHR- funded study with over 15 researchers, clinicians and community members with the aim to profile comorbidities, disability and rehabilitation services use among people with HIV in Canada.
- HIV Disability Questionnaire: Developing and assessing the measurement properties of the HIV Disability Questionnaire (HDQ), a self-reported instrument with purpose of measuring the presence, severity and episodic nature of disability experienced by adults living with HIV.
- Community-Based Exercise for Adults with HIV: Assessing the impact of a community-based exercise intervention for adults living with HIV in the community.
The Team:
Kelly collaborates with a number of researchers, clinicians and community members in Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland. She is a founding member of the the Canada-United Kingdom HIV and Rehabilitation Research Collaborative (CUHRRC) and past Board member of the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR) .
Publications:
Dr. O’Brien’s publications can be found on her faculty page.
Trainees:
Kelly is currently accepting graduate students in the IHPME and RSI. Interested students may contact Kelly with a statement of interest and CV.
Contact Information:
Kelly O’Brien can be reached at kelly.obrien@utoronto.ca.
Nancy Salbach
Nancy Salbach is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto and an Adjunct Scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network and St. John’s Rehab-Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. She is cross-appointed to the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (RSI) and holds a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Award and an Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. Nancy is a physical therapist and clinical epidemiologist.
Current Research:
Nancy conducts the following knowledge translation research in the area of HIV rehabilitation.
- An Evidence-informed Guide to HIV Rehabilitation for Healthcare Professionals: Results from this CIHR- funded qualitative study suggested that dissemination of a comprehensive guide to HIV rehabilitation combined with emailing case scenarios over a 3-month period increased the knowledge and confidence of rehabilitation professionals to apply evidence-informed practices. Results were published in the Journal of Continuing Education and Professional Development.
- Fostering Self-Management of Rehabilitation Needs Among Adults with HIV: Ongoing CIHR- funded study to develop and evaluate an evidence-informed program, delivered by AIDS Service Organizations, to promote self-management of rehabilitation needs for adults living with HIV.
The Team:
Nancy co-leads this research with Dr. Patricia Solomon from McMaster University in collaboration with the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR) and researchers and clinicians in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Publications:
Dr. Salbach’s publications can be found on her faculty page.
Trainees:
Nancy is currently accepting graduate students in RSI. Interested students may contact Nancy and provide a cover letter, CV, and an unofficial transcript.
Contact Information:
Nancy Salbach can be reached at nancy.salbach@utoronto.ca.