The School of Physical and Occupational Therapy (SPOT) recently announced that Marie Brossard-Racine and Tania Janaudis-Ferreria would join the Faculty in August 2015, while Stefanie Blain-Moraes will join in January 2016 upon completion of her maternity leave.
Marie earned her BSc in Occupational Therapy in 2004 at the Université de Montréal and has worked as a clinician occupational therapist with children with developmental disabilities for more than 7 years. She had the opportunity to fast-track to a PhD at McGill in Rehabilitations Sciences and finished her doctorate in 2011. The primary aim of her PhD project was to evaluate the effect of stimulant medication on motor skills and handwriting performance in children newly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Her research interests are to better understand the neural mechanisms underlying activity limitation in children with developmental disabilities. Her focus on the combination of outcome oriented clinical research with neuroimaging techniques provides a unique understanding of the neural substrates of childhood disabilities.
Tania earned her BSc in Physiotherapy in 1999 from the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, Brazil, followed in 2000 by a Specialization in Respiratory Physiotherapy, from the Federal University of São Paulo. She worked as a clinician for two years in São Paulo, Brazil before continuing on to earn her Master’s in Physiotherapy at the Umeå University in Sweden, followed by a PhD in Physiotherapy, also at Umeå University. The topic of her doctorate was, “Strategies for exercise assessment and training in individuals with COPD.” Tania’s main research interests lie in two patient populations: solid organ transplant recipients and individuals with chronic lung disease. Her research is aimed at improving functional abilities of these individuals to maximize their quality of life, independence and participation in daily activities.
Stefanie earned her B.A.Sc. in Engineering Science, with a specialization in biomedical engineering, in 2005 at the University of Toronto. Stefanie then stayed at U of T and completed her PhD through the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) and the Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Sciences in 2010. Her thesis was entitled “Physiologically-mediated interaction between children with profound disabilities and their environment.” Stefanie has won numerous awards and honours, including NSERC, CIHR and NIDDR ARRT fellowships and scholarships.
Welcome to our new SPOT Faculty members!