I am pleased to announce that Richard Preuss, PT, PhD, has accepted the position of Director of Physical Therapy (PT) at the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy (SPOT) for a three-year term, effective September 1. We have been fortunate to have him as a valued partner during his time as Associate Director, PT program, and look forward to his ongoing contributions to Director’s Council, SPOT, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and McGill University. Prof. Preuss takes over from Liliane Asseraf-Pasin, PT, PhD, whom we thank for her years of dedicated service. Liliane has stepped back into the Associate Director PT position, in order to pursue other projects in the PT program.
“Having spent the past four and a half years as the Associate Director of the PT Program, I hope to step into the Director’s role with minimal disruption to the program,” says Prof. Preuss, who is also Associate Professor (Professional) within SPOT as well as a researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal. “My immediate focus will be the completion of ongoing initiatives like the relocation and expansion of the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy; formalizing our equivalency program for internationally trained physiotherapists; and developing an evidence-informed approach to social accountability that considers the current and future needs of all segments of the population.”
Adds Prof. Preuss: “Within the PT program, I will strive to foster an environment in which students and faculty feel free to ask questions, challenge established thinking and pursue knowledge through empirical and rational processes. This will mean promoting critical thinking, strength of character, and mental resilience over emotional argumentation, while at the same time emphasizing the responsibility to treat others with empathy, kindness and dignity.”
Please join me in congratulating Richard on taking on this core leadership role.
Laurie M. Snider, erg./OT, PhD
Director and Associate Dean, School of Physical & Occupational Therapy