2023 Rehabilitation Research Colloquium – Pushing the Boundaries of Rehabilitation Science

Ashley completed a PhD in Rehabilitation Science at Queen’s University and she has a background in psychology and occupational therapy. Her research has been focused on using qualitative methods to better understand the transition to civilian life among military Veterans as well as mental health among military and Veteran families. She is a registered occupational therapist with six years of clinical experience in team-based primary care. As a clinician-researcher, Ashley has a deep appreciation for the critical responsibility that researchers have in producing trustworthy evidence that clinicians depend on to provide effective services. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys running and indulging in a cup of tea and a good book.

Dr. Nicole Beamish is a physiotherapist and an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies. The central goal of Dr. Beamish’s research is to improve the lifelong health of women. Specifically, she is interested in the effects of pregnancy on the abdominal and lumbar spine musculature and how physical activity and exercise can manage or improve the health of women diagnosed with chronic diseases. Currently, she is working on research projects aimed at establishing guidelines for physical activity in the postpartum period.

Mulugeta Chala is an internationally trained physiotherapist by training and has over 14 years of experience teaching, mentoring, and supervising physiotherapy students in Ethiopia and Canada. He completed his PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at Queen's University School of Rehabilitation Therapy in Sept 2021. His PhD focused on building foundations for research on chronic low back pain self-management in Ethiopia. His dissertation included four main studies, all of which will help inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of a model of care for a self-management program for people with low back pain in Ethiopia. Following his doctoral training, Mulugeta joined a postdoctoral (Ontario Health Impact) fellowship at the University of Toronto (Oct 2021-March 2023). As an embedded researcher through the postdoctoral fellowship opportunity, Mulugeta supported the Middlesex London Ontario Health Team by developing and implementing an evidence-based evaluation framework, health system-level patient-reported experience measures, and other tools for the evaluation of care pathways for the local priority population. Building on his professional experience and doctoral and postdoctoral training, Mulugeta aims to improve the health outcomes and experiences of people with chronic pain in Ethiopia and globally by addressing critical challenges facing the health system.

Mulugeta is currently a Research Associate at Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario.