Post Doctoral Fellows
Deniz Bayraktar, PT, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Deniz Bayraktar is a visiting assistant professor and post-doctoral research fellow from Izmir Katip Celebi University, Turkey. Deniz completed his PhD at 2017 in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation (Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey).
He is currently under supervision of Dr. Linda Li at UBC Department of Physical Therapy. His research has been mainly focused on exercise (mainly water exercises) and measuring the impact of musculoskeletal diseases. Although Deniz’s primary interest is in clinical research in the field of rheumatology, he aims to expand his knowledge about implementation studies and knowledge translation during his visit.
He will be involved in the project “Implementing an evidence‐based exercise program to reduce falls in community‐dwelling older adult” which is a community‐based cluster randomized trial to evaluate two different methods to deliver the Otago Exercise Program, an evidence‐based program aimed at preventing falls in frail older adults.
Codie Primeau, PhD, MPT, MSc
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Codie is a post-doctoral fellow through Arthritis Research Canada and the University of British Columbia working with Dr. Linda Li. Codie’s previous training includes a BSc in Human Kinetics (University of Ottawa), an MSc in Kinesiology (Western University), and a combined MPT (physical therapy – clinical) and PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Western University). Codie’s graduate work focused on clinical trials and observational studies to evaluate clinical and cost-effectiveness of exercise and surgical interventions in patients with knee osteoarthritis. He also completed work related to improving health education and inclusiveness for physical therapists in working with individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.
Funded through a Michael Smith Health Research BC Trainee Award, Codie’s post-doctoral work focuses on better understanding the experiences of living with pain and/or long COVID in individuals who identify as a sex and/or gender minority (SGM). He plans to engage with individuals with lived experience (i.e., patient, caregivers, and clinician partners) in this work through various engagement strategies (e.g., Citizen Science). The goal of his project is to work collaboratively to identify key research priorities and messaging informed by the voices and perspectives of individuals who identify as SGM to help improve the healthcare experiences and outcomes of the SGM community who face significant barriers in accessing quality care.
Outside of his research, Codie enjoys playing volleyball, hiking, travelling and is a dancer/choreographer. Codie also plans to begin working clinically soon as a physical therapist.
Jenny Leese, MA, PhD
Visiting Post-Doctoral Fellow
Jenny is a post-doctoral fellow supervised by Dr. Ian Graham in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, and Centre for Implementation Research at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. She is also a visiting post-doctoral fellow at Arthritis Research Canada. Jenny’s research interests lie in relational ethics, integrated knowledge translation and qualitative methodologies. Her post-doctoral work is centred around ethical issues experienced in partnerships between patients and academics in research.
Funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral award, Jenny completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences with the supervision of Dr. Linda Li at the University of British Columbia. Her PhD research focused on supporting the self-care of people with arthritis. She examined benefits and downsides experienced by people with arthritis when using wearable technology to promote their physical activity.
PhD Students
Ellen Wang, MSc
PhD Student
Ellen is a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Linda Li at the University of British Columbia.
She received her Master and Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo. During her time in Ontario, Ellen was involved in multiple implementation projects for older adults living with chronic conditions and mobility impairments. Her thesis work examined the feasibility of telephone and virtually delivered functional strength and balance training combined with nutrition education for older adults living with frailty. From her experience, she developed a keen interest in the use of technology to prescribe, monitor and maintain physical activity; especially in vulnerable and underserved populations. Her current research is at the intersection of knowledge translation, digital health innovation and physical activity promotion. In specific, she wants to understand the therapeutic interaction between mobile applications and rehabilitation/exercise training to improve participant adherence.
Outside of her studies, Ellen volunteers and works as a dance choreographer, yoga instructor and personal trainer
Heather Worthington, BSc, MSc
MPT/PhD Student
As an MPT/PhD student in the Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Heather is conducting research on access to physiotherapy services and training to become a physiotherapist. She received her Master’s of Science degree in Epidemiology from Queen’s University, and her Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo.
Heather has been involved in health services and policy research projects for many years – primarily in the area of pharmaceutical policy. After experiencing a life changing injury, she became acutely aware of the gaps in care experienced by outpatient physiotherapy patients, and the integral role physiotherapists play in the health system.
She plans to use her knowledge and experience to provide evidence that will be able to inform policy to address these gaps.
Thalia Otamendi
PhD Candidate
Thalia Otamendi is a PhD student in the Rehabilitation Sciences program at the University of British Columbia. She is co-supervised by Dr. Linda Li and Dr. Noah Silverberg. She received her BA in Psychology from McGill University and her MA in Sport Psychology from UBC.
Thalia’s research focuses on the psychological aspects of concussion recovery and finding ways to improve psychological care for concussion patients. Her research motivations stem from her own recovery from the injury. Her PhD focuses on exploring patient-related barriers to the adoption of evidence-based concussion care. Specifically, she wants to understand the relationships between patients’ perceptions of their injury, their help-seeking experience and coping strategies.