Sharon Switzer-McIntyre
BPE, BScPT, MEd, PhD
Sharon Switzer-McIntyre is an Associate Professor, Continuing Teaching Stream, in the Department of Physical Therapy at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, where she is the Director of the Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy Bridging Program. She is a 2023 University of Toronto President Teaching Award Recipient.
Professor Switzer-McIntyre has been deeply involved in innovative curricular design, development and delivery, learner assessment, mentorship, administration, and leadership activities in the Department of Physical Therapy for 30 years. Her teaching evaluations have been consistently exemplary throughout her career as an educator, with students consistently praising her engaging style and interactive teaching approach as she guides them through complex concepts in a manner that facilitates their acquisition of knowledge. During the past 15 years, Professor Switzer-McIntyre has been directly responsible for leading a team of faculty in the development and implementation of the Ontario Internationally Educated Physiotherapy Bridging (OIEPB) Program which has been a fertile learning ground for the conceptualization, development, and implementation of innovative approaches to creating learning environments. The OIEPB Program and it’s success in supporting the transition of internationally educated physiotherapists into practice in Canada is a highly successful, internationally recognized program.
Professor Switzer-McIntyre has received multiple awards recognizing excellence in education and teaching including: The Ontario Physiotherapy Association Award for Teaching Excellence, the Department of Physical Therapy Exceptional Achievement award (Education), University of Toronto Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Alumni Association (Alumni Achievement Award) , The Ontario Physiotherapy Association Special Award for Excellence in the UofT OIEPB Program Excellence, the Canadian Physiotherapy Association's Centenary Medals of Distinction and the University of Toronto President’s Teaching Award (is the highest honour for teaching at the University of Toronto).
Professor Switzer-McIntyre is a registered physiotherapist with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario and holds a Bachelor of Physical Education (BPE) from McMaster University, a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy (BScPT), a Master of Education (MEd), and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), all from the University of Toronto.
Professor Switzer-McIntyre‘s current research interests focus in the area of curriculum design and implementation and competency assessment for both entry level to practice MScPT and Bridge education as well as the integration of internationally educated physical therapists into the Canadian workplace.
Research & Scholarly Activities
Sharon’s current research interests focus in the area of curriculum design and implementation for both the entry level to practice MScPT and Bridge education as well as the integration of internationally educated physical therapists into the Canadian workplace.
Teaching
Sharon teaches in both the entry level to practice MScPT curriculum and the Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy Bridging Program in the musculoskeletal area.
Teaching Philosophy: I believe that education encompasses teaching and learning which are a shared responsibility that must engage both learners and teachers in the co-creation of knowledge. As a lifelong process learning is influenced by an individual’s self-awareness, unique perspectives and interpretations. I value my relationship with learners and strive to create a safe, yet challenging environment in which they can openly explore their opinions, questions and trepidations as well as challenge ideas to assist them to move to the next level of understanding.
I see my role as a teacher in both the MScPT and the OIEPB Program to create learning environments that provide safe yet challenging opportunities to acquire knowledge, facilitate understanding, apply the best available science and theory to practice and encourage creative experimentation while maintaining balance and fairness in supporting a wide diversity of learners and learner needs. I strive to create a true harmonized teaching and learning environment where knowledge and skills are co-created optimizing continuous learning for all parties.
Appointments
- Associate Professor, Continuing Teaching Stream, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto
- Program Director, Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy Bridging Program, University of Toronto
- Associate Member, Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Toronto
Publications
- Arnold DMJ, Ho ES, Switzer-McIntyre S, Amara C, Agur AMR. Anatomical study of the innervation of the posterior elbow joint capsule: implications for ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block and radiofrequency ablation procedures. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2024 Dec 3:rapm-2024-106098. doi: 10.1136/rapm-2024-106098. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39627023. C
- Musselman, K., Mayhew, M., Somal, H., Benn, L., Salbach, N., Switzer-McIntyre, S. Physical and occupational therapists' learning needs and preferences for education on functional electrical stimulation: A qualitative descriptive study. Artificial Organs; 15 April 2024 https://doi.org/10.1111/aor.14756 C
- Chiang JL, Kim D, Siu C, White B, Zhu M, Switzer-McIntyre S, Gibson BE. What is ‘disability’? Exploring the conceptions of internationally educated learners in a Canadian physical therapy bridging program. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice. 2024 Jan: 40 (2): 276-287. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2022.2113942 CSRA
- Campisi, E, Tran, J, Amara, CE, Switzer-McIntyre, S, Agur, A. (2023) The 3D muscle morphology and intramuscular innervation of the digital bellies of flexor digitorum profundus: Clinical implications for botulinum toxin injection sites. Journal of Anatomy Online. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13986 CSRA
- Campisi, E., Johnston, M., Kelly, E., Tran, J., Switzer-McIntyre, S., Agur, A. (2023) Intramuscular aponeuroses and fiber bundle morphology of the five bellies of flexor digitorum superficialis: A three-dimensional modeling study. Journal of Anatomy. 2023;00:1–9. CSRA
- Chiang JL, Kim D, Siu C, White B, Zhu M, Switzer-McIntyre S, Gibson BE. (2022) What is ‘disability’? Exploring the conceptions of internationally educated learners in a Canadian physical therapy bridging program. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice. 2022 Aug (e-print). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09593985.2022.2113942. CSRA
- Biasini, N, Bannon, B, Pellegrino, M, Qaderi, A, Trinh, W, Switzer-McIntyre, S, Reid, DW, Kasawara, K. Reliability and Validity of Shoulder and Handgrip Strength Testing. Physiotherapy Canada aop (2022): e20210041.https://doi.org/10.3138/ptc-2021-0041 CSRA
- Coleman, J., Langlois, S., Switzer-McIntyre, S., Mylopoulos, M., Tassone, M., & Vehter, A. (2022). Continuing Professional Development in Response to COVID-19: Knowledge Mobilization for Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy via a Curated Web Site. Physiotherapy Canada, (aop), e20210100. C
- Hassan, S, Stevens, B, Watt-Watson, J, Switzer- McIntyre, S, Flannery, J, Furlan, A. (2022) Development and Initial Evaluation of Psychometric Properties of a Pain Competence Assessment Tool (PCAT). The Journal of Pain, Volume 23, Issue 3, March 2022, Pages 398-410 C