Overview
All Western PM&R department members participate in research and academic scholarship to some extent, with some members focused on leading highly productive research programs. On a per capita basis, the PM&R department is among the most academically productive departments at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry at Western University, and is recognized as one of the most successful rehabilitation research centres in Canada.
Research in the department is organized around major clinical themes. Department members participate in intra-faculty, inter-faculty, and national collaborations, with high levels of productivity in systematic reviews and clinical trials.
Dr. Robert Teasell is an internationally recognized researcher in the Department and has led the creation of world’s best evidence-based reviews in Stroke, Acquired Brain Injury, and Spinal Cord Injury.
Rehabilitation research is supported in numerous ways by the St. Joseph’s Foundation and the Lawson Research Institute, including grant funding, research administration, and space. Parkwood Research Endowment Fellowships and Studentships are available for research trainees. Lawson Research Institute, the health innovation arm of St. Joseph’s Health Care London, has identified six Research Specialties, of which Mobility and Activity is particularly related to research in the Department of PM&R.
The Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity supports individuals with various diseases and conditions affecting mobility by developing the latest rehabilitation interventions and treatments through research, teaching and partnership. Interdisciplinary approaches are emphasized in using state-of-the-art facilities including a FLOAT overhead bodyweight support system. Department researchers are heavily involved as Mobility Experts at the Gray Centre, located at Parkwood Institute.
