"Jawaharlal Nehru talked about how each individual can contribute to the nation and to humanity. It made a very significant impact on my impressionable young psyche," said Kumar, professor emeritus of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta.
Years later, it is obvious Kumar took the message to heart. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his pioneering research on workplace injury and the spine, Kumar's work has contributed to the nation and improved care for citizens. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour, and officers are named for demonstrating a superior level of talent and service to Canadians.
"It was out of nowhere," Kumar said of the honour. "I received the call from the Governor General's Office and was astounded. It was a complete surprise."
Kumar joined the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine in 1977 and spent three decades researching, teaching and publishing on rehabilitation ergonomics, occupational health and lower back pain. He is now a professor and director of research at the University of Northern Texas.
Kumar's idea of marrying rehabilitation with ergonomics in the late '70s was revolutionary.
"I began to recognize that rehabilitation is not entirely medical rehabilitation. People do not necessarily go back to their previous healthy and 'normal' state after they are afflicted by a disease or an injury. They are left to cope with the residual problem," he said. "My approach was to combine ergonomics and rehabilitation to help patients."
He added that the idea of combining rehabilitation and ergonomics at the time was very new and did not receive the most welcoming response at first. "People thought it was new and different. They were not familiar with it."
In 1979, he offered rehabilitation ergonomics as a graduate course at the U of A. He later edited and published many books in the field and received several awards for his pioneering work, including an innovation award from the International Ergonomics Association. He has also been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada.
Still, his recent honour for being named to the Order of Canada is just sinking in.
"I have been very fortunate. I'm just an ordinary person with an extraordinary honour bestowed upon me, and I'm grateful for it."
Photo supplied.
About the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
As the only free standing faculty of rehabilitation in Canada, the University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine balances its activities among learning, discovery and citizenship (including clinical practice). A research leader in musculoskeletal health, spinal cord injuries and common spinal disorders (back pain), the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine aims to improve the quality of life of citizens in our community. The three departments, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT) and Speech Pathology and Audiology (SPA) offer professional entry programs. The Faculty offers thesis-based MSc and PhD programs in Rehabilitation Science, attracting students from a variety of disciplines including OT, PT, SLP, psychology, physical education, medicine and engineering.