Associate Professor Kathryn Sibley, Canada Research Chair in Integrated Knowledge Translation in Rehabilitation Sciences, is looking for enthusiastic and motivated research trainees to join her dynamic and growing team at the University of Manitoba.
Dr. Sibley’s research focuses on integrating health research and health care in a new scholarly field called knowledge translation. Getting research results into everyday practices and policies is challenging. Dr. Sibley works with the end-users of aging and rehabilitation research to design and conduct research that identifies and closes gaps between research and real-world practice. Dr. Sibley’s research is transforming the nature of how rehabilitation and health research are conducted, by integrating knowledge translation and partnerships throughout the research process.
Dr. Sibley is seeking a trainee at the doctoral level to work on applied knowledge translation research on fall prevention for older adults. Falls are frequent events with complex underlying causes that are a major cause of injury and high healthcare costs. Despite established evidence that exercise is the most effective fall prevention intervention for older adults, reporting and practice guidelines have lacked specificity on the parameters of exercise that affect falls, limiting utility in practice settings. The trainee will lead the identification of specific exercises that most directly target the effective components of fall prevention exercise. A laboratory-based study will be conducted to comprehensively identify biomechanical and neuromuscular characteristics of fall prevention exercises. Then, the trainee will partner with health system and community exercise organizations to co-design and pilot a novel fall prevention exercise program. Financial support from Dr. Sibley’s existing grants is available, however, students will be expected to apply for competitive external scholarships (e.g. CIHR). The trainee will be co-supervised with Dr. Jonathan Singer (Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, UManitoba).
Qualifications
Candidates with foundational training in kinesiology, health sciences, rehabilitation or related fields will be most suited for these research opportunities. Students should be reliable, able to work independently (with guidance), and possess good interpersonal, organization and verbal/written communication skills. Previous research experience with human participants is an asset.
Work Environment
Dr. Sibley accepts graduate students through the Department of Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Applied Health Sciences doctoral program, University of Manitoba. This training opportunity will be based in the Knowledge Translation Platform of the George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation, on the Bannatyne Campus of the University of Manitoba.
Application Instructions
Interested applicants should email a cover letter, academic transcript, Curriculum Vitae or resume, and statement of research interests to Dr. Sibley at Kathryn.Sibley@umanitoba.ca. Applications will be reviewed until a suitable candidate is identified. All applicants are thanked for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
The application deadline for Fall 2022 admission is January 10, 2022 (Community Health Sciences) or March 1, 2022 (Applied Health Sciences).
Kathryn M. Sibley, PhD 