Dr. Ruth Barclay, Research Chair in Telerehabilitation, in the atrium at Riverview Health Centre.
New research chair to focus on telerehab at Riverview Health Centre
Riverview Health Centre and the College of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences have announced a new research chair focused on rehabilitation and new telerehabilitation technology.
Dr. Ruth Barclay, professor of physical therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, was appointed the centre’s inaugural Research Chair in Telerehabilitation for a five-year term starting September 2024. She will provide leadership in the creation of a rehabilitation research program with a strong emphasis on new technologies.
Barclay’s research is focused on stroke rehabilitation and community ambulation. She has been involved in several research projects with Riverview since 2009. Current projects include two telerehabilitation studies with Riverview as one of multiple Canadian sites in the CanStroke Recovery Trials platform, which supports multi-centre trials in stroke recovery across Canada.
The studies include a virtual physical activity seated exercise program and an examination of the effectiveness of virtual exercise to improve lower extremity recovery for individuals with stroke.
Barclay said telerehabilitation is becoming more common and has been continuing to grow since the COVID pandemic.
“A lot of clinics and research studies turned to telerehab during COVID and afterwards, focusing on how important that is for inclusion of people living in a variety of different locations or those who maybe aren’t comfortable coming to an in-person setting.”
Barclay will also serve as a liaison to engage faculty, Riverview staff and the community in research. She said that past research she’s done at Riverview has involved both rehabilitation staff and patients.
“I think it’s really important as a clinician to be aware of current research and to have the opportunity to play an active part in research,” she said.
Dr. Reg Urbanowski, dean of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, called the creation of the chair a logical step in fostering the relationship between the college and Riverview.
“Dr. Barclay’s research focus on health-related quality of life, community ambulation and participation after stroke – and her long history of working with the Riverview Health Centre – makes her well-suited to be a research chair,” he said. “She will work closely over the next five years with other Riverview staff and the college to ensure that advances in telerehabilitation meet the needs of Manitobans in rural, remote areas and urban centres across the province.”
Barclay is the second Rady Faculty of Health Sciences faculty member to become a research chair at Riverview. In 2023, Dr. Genevieve Thompson, professor with the College of Nursing, was announced as Research Chair in Person-Directed Living.
Kathleen Klaasen, Riverview CEO, said Barclay’s new position strengthens the relationship between the centre and the College of Rehabilitation Sciences – including an interprofessional student-run clinic that has been operating there since 2022.
“Dr. Barclay’s relationship with Riverview and her understanding of who we are and where our strategic plan is moving make her a perfect fit for this role,” she said.
Klaasen added that the research chair will also help grow other partnerships the centre has, including one with the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority that brings physiotherapy and rehabilitation access to residents of Lake Manitoba First Nation and Pinaymootang First Nation via telepresence robots and videoconferencing.
“This role will help us evaluate as we grow and find innovative ways to deliver that program. Telerehabilitation and the use of new technology improves access to care in rural and remote communities, but we need the research and evidence to support that,” Klaasen said.