Nancy Salbach
BSc, BScPT, MSc, PhD
Nancy Salbach is a physical therapist and epidemiologist. She obtained BSc degrees in Physiology and Physical Therapy at McGill University and practised clinically at the Montreal General Hospital before pursuing graduate studies. She completed an MSc degree in Rehabilitation Science and a PhD degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill University and a postdoctoral fellowship in Knowledge Translation at the University of Toronto. Nancy has received multiple research awards, including a Heart and Stroke Foundation Mid-Career Investigator Award, a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award, an Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Early Researcher Award, and a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Clinician Scientist Career Award. She currently holds the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Chair at the University of Toronto. Nancy’s research is focused on advancing stroke rehabilitation practice and increasing access to community exercise programs for adults with balance and mobility limitations from stroke and other chronic conditions. Nancy is a founding member and Chair of the Canadian Advisory Collaborative for TIMETM(CAN-ACT). CAN-ACT is a national collaborative that includes people living with balance and mobility limitations, healthcare professionals and managers, stroke network coordinators, recreation managers, fitness coordinators, and researchers, with an interest in advancing the Together in Movement and Exercise (TIMETM) program. TIMETM is a community exercise program incorporating a healthcare-recreation partnership for people with balance and mobility limitations.
Nancy is currently accepting graduate students in the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (RSI). Please forward a cover letter, writing sample, CV and unofficial transcript to nancy.salbach@utoronto.ca.
Research & Scholarly Activities
The ultimate goal of Nancy’s research program is to optimize function, mobility, and physical activity among older adults with balance and mobility limitations primarily from stroke, but also HIV and other chronic conditions. Nancy applies methodological expertise in cluster randomized trials, mixed methods research, systematic and scoping reviews, measurement, and multivariable and multi-level modeling to conduct research in the following areas:
- Elucidating the drivers of practice change in the context of implementing rehabilitation guidelines;
- Developing and evaluating knowledge tools (e.g., clinical practice guidelines, mobile applications) and implementation strategies to advance the assessment and treatment of walking post-stroke;
- Developing and assessing the properties of the Evidence-based Practice Confidence (EPIC) Scale;
- Evaluating the properties of standardized tools for the assessment of balance and mobility;
- Developing and evaluating task-oriented community exercise programs incorporating a healthcare-recreation partnership, such as Together in Movement and Exercise (TIMETM), for people with balance and mobility limitations.
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Government of Ontario, Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Teaching
Nancy teaches and co-coordinates the research module (PHT 1107H: Scholarly Practice I, and research sessions during PHT1110Y) of the renewed MScPT program in the Department of Physical Therapy. She lectures on topics that include research protocol development, study design, measurement, quantitative data analysis, and sample size estimation. Nancy serves as a faculty advisor for MScPT research projects. She teaches and advises students in the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute and supervises work study and co-operative student internships.
Appointments
- Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto
- Professor, Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto
- Senior Scientist, The KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network