Karen Hurtubise
Postdoctoral Fellow
She/her
Biography
| I am a pediatric physiotherapist, health services manager and a clinical researcher. I received a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy (University of Ottawa), a Masters in Rehabilitation Sciences (University of British Columbia), and a Doctorate in Health Sciences Research (University of Sherbrooke). I am currently a post-doctoral fellow at the CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research (McMaster University). Funded by a Candian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, my postdoctoral study focuses on 1) identifying the needs of pediatric physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists to sustain telerehabilitation as a service option for families; 2) designing a training and support program for meeting these needs, and 3) implement and evaluate it in multiple sites across Canada. I have over 30 years of experience as a pediatric clinician, having worked in many provinces. I’ve led quality improvement and re-design initiatives targeting multiple outpatient rehabilitation intervention services. I also co-led the development of a business case for the expansion of pediatric rehabilitation services and research in Southern Alberta, which resulted in the creation of the Vi Riddell Pain and Rehabilitation Centre, Alberta Children’s Hospital. My doctoral study, funded by a Vanier Doctoral Scholarship Award, evaluated the effectiveness of one of the rehabilitation programs funded by this donation. In addition to health services development, implementation, and evaluation, my research interests have focused on better understanding client and caregiver experiences in the healthcare setting, engaging patients, caregivers, and other partners in health service (re)design and improvement, and the exploration of novel service models to improve access to pediatric services for children and families. I was recently elected the President of the International Organization of Physiotherapists in Pediatrics. I am a long-serving member of the Child Healthcare Canada Annual Conference Scientific Committee and belong to the Canadian Physiotherapy Association Past-President’s Council. |
Publications
| CIHR TEAM Grant-Training intervention and program of support
Hurtubise, K. (2022). Telehealth: Moving It Forward as an Option to Enhance Family-Centered Pediatric Rehabilitation Services. A Commentary on “‘Another Tool in Your Toolkit’: Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapists’ Perspectives of Initiating Telehealth during the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 42(5), 482-489. |
Fun Fact
| In her spare time, Trail running, cooking, painting/drawing, and travelling with her husband, Karl, and spending time with her grandson, Emerson. |