Opportunities

Sahar Johari recently completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Science (physical therapy) at Western University under the supervision of Dr. Joy MacDermid. With a background in Occupational Therapy, her research focuses on musculoskeletal rehabilitation, balance and fall prevention, and bone health in older adults, particularly those with osteoporosis, fragility fractures, and fear of falling.

Sahar’s doctoral work combined systematic and scoping reviews, qualitative research, and tool development/validation to create a balance-focused clinical decision support tool for therapists. Sahar also collaborates at the Hand and Upper Limb Centre (St. Joseph’s Hospital, London, ON), contributing to projects on upper-limb recovery and functional outcomes. Sahar brings expertise in mixed-methods research, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and knowledge translation.

Sahar is seeking postdoctoral opportunities in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, aging, and women’s health, particularly those involving clinical and implementation research, digital or remote rehabilitation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Sahar_Resume_2025

Interested colleagues or potential collaborators can reach Sahar at: sjohari@uwo.ca

Session four of the Writing and Publication Series titled “From Experience to Evidence: Partnering with Patients in Rehab Research” will focus on what trainees would like to know about patient partner engagement in research. Three engaging sessions will be provided by Dr. Joy MacDermid, Dr. Katie Kowalski, and Dr. Aliki Thomas. When: November 24, from 12-1pm ET Register here: https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/meeting/register/FxiVoLecTWqdL5cucnhnBw

Norio Tomita is a PhD candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Montreal. Norio has completed the final requirements and will be completing their PhD this fall.

Norio is seeking a research position. Norio is an ultrasound engineer with skills in non-invasive measurement and medical image analysis. Through their PhD program, they have gained experience in clinical study design, ethical review, and biostatistics. Norio will also be participating in several task forces within the Fascia Research Society, where they will be able to share the latest insights into fascia research.

For more information contact: norio.tomita@gmail.com

Raghava Neelapala is seeking post-doctoral opportunities in the areas of pain mechanisms and targeted rehabilitation strategies for knee osteoarthritis.

Raghava Neelapala is a physical therapist by training and a recent PhD graduate from the School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University. His PhD work, supervised by Dr. Lisa Carlesso, focused on identifying phenotypes and examining the role of adiposity and systemic inflammation in knee osteoarthritis (OA).

He is a recipient of competitive scholarships from the Arthritis Society, Canada, McMaster Institute of Pain Research and Care, and McMaster Institute of Research in Aging. The scientific impact of his work has been published in 25 peer-reviewed articles and presented at over 15 conferences.

He is seeking post-doctoral opportunities to further his training and contribution to the field of chronic musculoskeletal pain, specifically in the areas of subgroup-specific treatment approaches for the rehabilitation of knee OA.

For more information contact: yvraghava9@gmal.com

Planning is underway for the 2026 MSK Network Summer School, and we want to ensure the program reflects the needs and interests of our community. To guide our planning, we are seeking input from both trainees and supervisors. We invite you to complete a short, two-question survey to let us know which topics you believe would be most valuable to feature at the Summer School. Your feedback will directly inform the design of the program and help us deliver content that is timely, relevant, and impactful. Access the survey here: https://uwo.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6PYjmo2e5M54UC2 Thank you in advance for taking a moment to share your perspective. Your contributions are essential to making the 2026 Summer School a meaningful and enriching experience for all.