The Department of Physical Therapy is pleased to announce the following new appointments:
Dr. Brenda Mori will assume the role of Vice-Chair of Education (formally Program Director) in the Department of Physical Therapy effective July 1, 2023. Brenda is a Professor, Continuing Teaching Stream, and has been the Director of Clinical Education and Community Affairs in the Department of Physical Therapy for the past 20 years. Brenda will split her Clinical Education role with her new role as Vice-Chair of Education where she will be responsible for the overall administration of the MScPT program.
Meredith Smith will assume the role as Academic Co-Lead Clinical Education. Meredith is an Assistant Professor, Continuing Teaching Stream, and has a long history of being passionately involved in clinical education in her roles within the Department of Physical Therapy as well as the physiotherapy Academic Clinical Educator at Toronto Rehab. Meredith enjoys supporting students and clinical instructors and building community partnerships to facilitate exciting and engaging learning environments and will be a super addition to our clinical education team at the Department of PT at U of T. Meredith will be joining our clinical education team on July 1, 2023.
Lisa Caldana will assume the role as Academic Co-Lead Clinical Education. Lisa is a Registered Physiotherapist and has worked in multiple practice areas along the continuum of care and has experience working as a Clinical Practice Facilitator in the Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy (OIEPB) program. Lisa enjoys working collaboratively to develop positive strategies with learners, CCCEs, and Clinical Instructors enabling learners to progress their skills and professional competency development during internship. Lisa will be joining our clinical education team in August 2023.
Dr. Charlotte Anderson will assume her new roles as Academic Lead for Unit 1 (Critical Foundations of Physical Therapy) and Academic Co-Lead for Unit 2 (Introduction to Musculoskeletal PT) on July 1, 2023. Charlotte is a clinician, an educator, a researcher and an entrepreneur. She has experience working in a variety of different health care settings, but primarily in outpatient orthopedics, treating a wide range of conditions. Charlotte owns and operates clinics in Toronto and Muskoka, and provides physiotherapy locum services throughout the year in Whitehorse, Yukon. Charlotte brings a wealth of experience to the Department within her clinical areas, her business and professional acumen and through her post-doctoral fellowship, an in depth understanding of the current state of Ontario Health Teams in the Scarborough Region.
Dr. Chavon Niles will start her new position as Assistant Professor, Tenure Stream, in the area of Critical Disability and Health Equity Studies on July 1, 2023. Chavon holds a PhD from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Department of Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto, where her doctoral thesis explored the experiences of racialized immigrant youth with disabilities living in the Greater Toronto Area to better understand how they navigated education, rehab/health, and social services drawing on critical social theories. Her academic and community research and teaching intersect as she makes visible systems of inequities embedded in rehab, health and social services that further invisiblize the experiences of underserved communities.
