Meet our Scholars
Alexandra Arnold-Oatley
Anita Kaiser
Gail Kunkel
Laura Moll
Growing up as a child with a congenital disability gave Alexandra a unique perspective on the impact rehabilitation can have on people's lives. Alexandra has wanted to be a scientist and researcher since she was a teenager. With a strong record of academic and research achievements, Alexandra graduated with distinction from McMaster University's Psychology Specialist Program with an Honours Bachelor of Science.
Alexandra has a form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia. It was during her undergraduate studies at McMaster that Alexandra developed a passion for neuroscience. She is fascinated by neuroscience and has a long-standing interest in the psychosocial impact of disability. As a graduate student at York University, her Master of Arts thesis examined students with physical disabilities adaptation to university life. Alexandra is now a Ph.D. student in York University's Clinical-Development Psychology Program.
Her Ph.D. research will investigate facial emotion perception in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) with a goal to develop a treatment to allow people to recognize facial emotions more accurately. Social isolation is often the biggest problem reported by people with TBI after their injury. Losing the ability to detect happiness, anger, sadness or boredom can lead to many serious misunderstandings. This research focus is allowing Alexandra to combine her love of neuroscience and clinical training with her desire to contribute to rehabilitation research.
Alexandra has trained at the Hospital for Sick Children, in both the stroke and oncology programs, and the Simcoe County District School Board. She developed her research skills while working in McMaster's Health Information Research Unit and the Adaptation to Chronic Illness Project at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Alexandra is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including a Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and two Ontario Graduate Scholarships. She also volunteers within the disability and university communities.
Upon completion of her Ph.D., Alexandra's ultimate goal is to become a research scientist and psychologist at a hospital or university. She also looks forward to teaching and sharing her knowledge with future students.
Anita is completing her Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Science through the University of Toronto and beginning a Ph.D. Her Master thesis titled “Use of Assistive Devices by Parents with a Spinal Cord Injury: A Preliminary Investigation from the User’s Perspective”, is focused on understanding the experiences and challenges facing parents with spinal cord injury with a view to better the care they receive by health care professionals and to improve the assistive technologies and devices they use.
Anita always wanted to go into the field of rehabilitation. She was planning on becoming a physiotherapist or chiropractor after completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Chemistry and Biology at Ryerson University, but after a car accident in 1996 left her paralyzed from the chest down, she turned her focus to rehabilitation research.
Her PhD work will be an extension of her master’s thesis and look more closely at the health care needs of pregnant women and mothers with a physical disability. It is Anita’s hope that this research will help to develop a service delivery model that can better meet the specific needs of this patient population.
In addition to being a student, Anita has been a research assistant at Toronto Rehab’s Lyndhurst Centre for the past five years. In that time, she has had the opportunity to work on several different research projects, written over 20 articles and attended numerous conferences presenting her team’s research. Anita’s future career goals include both a university teaching position and research scientist position in the Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Program at Toronto Rehab.
In addition to receiving the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Scholarship in Rehabilitation-related Research for Graduate Students with Disabilities, Anita has been the recipient of the Chemical Faculty Award while she was an undergrad, the Copnick/Hillard Scholarship Award, the Canadian Paraplegic Association Peer Support Volunteer Award, and the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation Graduate Studentship.
Over the years, Anita has also applied her considerable skills to community service volunteering with the Canadian Spinal Research Organization (CSRO), joining their Board of Directors as the Research Committee Chair, and the Canadian Paraplegic Association (CPA). Anita is a well-recognized positive role model for the spinal cord community. She works as an injury survivor presenter with SMARTRISK Heroes, an internationally acclaimed travelling road show that encourages young people to make sensible risk-taking choices in sports and recreational activities. The Globe and Mail newspaper nominated her one of Canada’s top 133 young leaders, and Chatelaine magazine ranked her as one of the top 15 up-and-coming Canadian women for the New Millennium.
Resilient and tenacious are the two words that best define Gail Kunkel. In the early years of her life, Gail struggled to overcome many personal, educational and financial challenges that threatened her dream of finishing high school and going on to university. But Gail had a strong desire to learn and, in spite of these obstacles, graduated from high school in 1978 and began her concurrent undergraduate degrees in Independent Studies and Psychology at the University of Waterloo in 1995. In 1999, Gail started her graduate studies at York University in the Clinical Developmental Program and in 2002 graduated with a Master of Arts degree.
Gail has a spinal injury, progressive spinal degeneration, and chronic pain. The experiences and lessons Gail has gained in her real-life classroom ignited her passion to pursue advanced studies in the field of women's mental health and rehabilitation. She is now a Ph.D. student in the department of Psychology at York University.
Her thesis is focused on gaining a better understanding of the factors that affect the reproductive health and psychological well being of all women during the course of their reproductive lives. Her primary focus is on pregnancy and the mental health issues that pregnant women with disabilities face. Gail is particularly interested in understanding the effects of early depression and trauma on subsequent developmental stages. She is looking at whether or not there is a link between depression and disability and trying to answer the question: do women reporting long-term disabilities experience more or less depression during their reproductive histories?
Her interest in depression and new mothers is a socially important one. Studies such as this contribute to mental health rehabilitation and prevention strategies. The importance of her research was recently recognized by Statistics Canada with its Tom Symons Research Fellowship. A strategic goal of Statistics Canada is to promote awareness of its data to future Canadian researchers. Gail's study makes use of their National Population Health Survey.
Gail is also interested in investigating developmental outcomes for persons with disabilities from a human rights perspective. She is currently contributing to a project, entitled, "The Landscape of Literacy and Disability in Canada", which explores the possible links between disability and literacy.
Over the past thirty years, Gail has provided leadership, group facilitation, and volunteer hours to several projects and community-based organizations. She has been the recipient of several awards, including two Ontario Graduate Scholarships and the Soroptimist Foundation Grant.
Her research background is complemented by clinical experience and training gained at a variety of clinical settings, including Surrey Place Centre, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the Counseling and Learning Skills Services Centre at the University of Toronto.
Gail's ultimate goal is to become a clinical researcher in the area of mother-infant disorders.
Laura is a Ph.D. student in the Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science at the University of Toronto. She is completing her Ph.D. dissertation in the Collaborative Program on Aging and the Life Course. Her journey to training as a Researcher began with her education as a Rehabilitation Counsellor through the York/Seneca Rehabilitation Program and completion of an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology (1990). Laura completed her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Toronto in 1994 and went on to obtain a Diploma in Gerontology in 2000.
Laura’s aspirations are rooted in her successful recovery after sustaining a traumatic brain injury and permanent injuries to her left arm and leg in a car crash when she was six years old. Her desire to use her own experience to benefit others was the impetus for pursuing a career in social work. With over 10 years experience as a social worker in the field of disability and aging, Laura has worked as a Counsellor for students with disabilities in the post-secondary sector and as a social worker in long-term care.
Her research interests have also been influenced by her experience growing up with a disability. Laura’s Ph.D. research focuses on the experience of individuals living with the consequences of congenital or early-onset disabilities as they age. It is her hope that her research on cerebral palsy will improve the understanding of what it is like to live with the disorder as an adult and into old age. It is Laura’s desire that her research will contribute to improving rehabilitation programs and policies for people with cerebral palsy.
Laura teaches a session on Aging and Traumatic Brain Injury as part of the curriculum for Occupational and Physical Therapy students at the University of Toronto. It is Laura’s ultimate goal to secure a combined research and university teaching position in the field of rehabilitation science.
In addition to receiving Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Scholarship in Rehabilitation-related Research for Graduate Students with Disabilities, Laura has been the recipient of the Helen and George Coward Award in Gerontology, the North Water Award, The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Scholarship Fund, and the Lexicon Award.
Over the past twenty-five years, Laura has also applied her considerable skills to community service, volunteering with Bloorview Kids Rehab, the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, and the Benard Betal Centre for Creative Living.