Festive 2024 Research Update

Dr. Derek Rutherford on behalf of the research committee

The fall term marks a busy time for our faculty in the School of Physiotherapy as we strive to move the research needle forward, boldly accelerating research and innovation in Health.
 
As the new term started, we welcomed seven new MSc Rehabilitation Research students to the School, four of whom are completing the combined MScRR /MScPT degree. Our faculty is busy getting them up to speed on coursework and degree requirements. Also, in student news, we recently celebrated the graduation of MScRR student Juliet Rowe (Dr. Boe—supervisor). Juliet's achievements during her time at the School are inspiring, and when you read her convocation feature story, you'll understand why we are excited to see where her future leads and the impact she will undoubtedly make.
 
As temperatures drop our researchers ramp up their grant submission efforts as they apply to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and others to support ongoing research programs. With the support of these funding institutions we are learning more and discovering new ways to improve how we do health.
 
In this research update, we proudly highlight the impactful research of Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity, Mobility and Health Aging, Dr. Olga Theou. We encourage you to view her short video to learn about her research and discover what she looks for in a research student - there may be a few things she discloses that might surprise you. In addition to the video, Dr. Theou will introduce you to a new initiative in Health Research at Dalhousie in which the School of Physiotherapy is intricately involved. Thanks for taking a moment to catch up on all the School's research-related activities.

Dr. Theou was awarded a Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) - John R. Evans Leaders Fund award to establish a Healthy Aging and Frailty Hub at Dalhousie University. The award, totalling $1,188,223, included funding from the CFI and a $475,000 contribution from Research Nova Scotia. Dalhousie has allocated ~5000 square feet in the Collaborative Health Education Building to house the Healthy Aging and Frailty Hub. The Healthy Aging and Frailty Hub will bring together many regional aging researchers including several from the School of Physiotherapy. Design of the space is complete and renovations underway, with occupancy planned for early fall 2025.

The Healthy Aging and Frailty Hub will be a state-of-the-art, accessible facility with six main research areas, including an open space area surrounded by a walking track. It will be the first comprehensive physical activity and sedentary behaviour intervention research program in Canada, and internationally, that specifically targets frailty.

The Hub will investigate how frailty can be identified and managed and examine whether improving physical activity levels may lead to improved health outcomes. The person-focused research program will include multi-system health assessments to explore how frailty can be identified and managed. We will conduct intervention studies to identify optimal doses of physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions tailored to individuals’ health states and disease-specific needs.

The goal of this person-focused research program is to develop and test an evidence-informed framework for scalable, feasible movement-based interventions in clinics and the community. To achieve this, we will target low-cost, time-efficient protocols that integrate into clinical pathways and community models. The research program will also include remote assessments using portable equipment. This will allow for multi-system health measurements and interventions in community and clinical settings. This research will provide guidance to both clinical and community audiences on preventing and managing frailty, thereby reducing the impact of an aging population on our healthcare system and society.

In addition to the work occurring in healthy aging and frailty, the space and equipment will eventually be available to researchers and their collaborators across the Dalhousie community as part of the DalCore research program.