The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine has awarded the Music in Motion Musculoskeletal Fellowship to Susan Armijo-Olivo, PhD, with the ultimate goal of improving function for individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain, including lower back, neck, shoulder and knee pain.
"I am honoured to be the first recipient of this fellowship," says Armijo-Olivo, who received her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences from the University of Alberta under the supervision of David Magee, PhD (recently named to the Order of Canada).
Originally from Chile, Armijo-Olivo has a background in physical therapy and several research awards and publications. She surpassed the selection committee's expectations.
"Dr. Armijo-Olivo stood out in terms of her scholarly achievement, her history of numerous, prestigious scholarships, and her research productivity - she has been primary author or co-author on more than 30 papers and has 48 published abstracts from conferences, 12 of which were international. This is quite an achievement for a young scholar (Armijo-Olivo received her PhD in 2010)," says Tammy Hopper, PhD, associate dean, research and graduate studies, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.
When the Music in Motion initiative came together to improve the care and rehabilitation received by patients with bone and joint conditions across the province, they raised more than $1.5 million; $245,000 was dedicated to support bone and joint-related clinical research fellowships at the University of Alberta. The Calgary Health Trust, Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, Alberta Bone & Joint Health Institute, University of Alberta Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine and McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health teamed up on this pan-Alberta initiative and succeeded in reaching their one simple goal: To improve the care and rehabilitation that musculoskeletal patients receive across Alberta. The Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine thanks Cathy and Harold Roozen who played an instrumental role in making it all happen.
"This fellowship is unique because it started with the community coming together to raise support for bone and joint research," says Bob Hannael, PhD, acting dean, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. "Dr. Armijo Olivo will establish a program of research in MSK rehabilitation that will have implications for people with MSK conditions in our province and beyond. This is that very support at work being used to improve care and rehabilitation for those in the community."
Armijo-Olivo's research will look at Clinical Decision Support Tools (CDST) for managing disabling musculoskeletal disorders. Computerized CDST has the potential to significantly improve human clinical decisions by expediting information retrieval, identifying unique patient needs, triaging care and matching patients to the most appropriate resources and treatments. Armijo-Olivo will be working under supervisors Doug Gross, PhD, and Linda Woodhouse, PhD.
The results of this project will have a great potential to make a significant impact in the field of musculoskeletal rehabilitation as well as in the evidence-based practice area. "I will do my best to contribute to research in this area and help improve the quality of life for Albertans," says Armijo-Olivo. "In the end, that's what it's all about."