Advancing the Rehabilitation Workforce Goals: Grassroots Case Studies

Monday, May 18, 2026

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PT

Location: 121 & 122

Ideal Audience:Administrators, Physicians, Researchers, Residents/Fellows, Medical Students

Course Director(s)

HD

Heather Dow, n/a

Executive Director
CANOSC

Faculty(s)

Peter Cassidy, FACHE MBA PT

Chief Operating Officer
Advocate Health - Carolinas Rehabilitation
Colleen O'Connell, MD (she/her/hers)

Professor and Medical Director
Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine and Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation

Speaker(s)

Britney A. Soll, DCPsych Candidate

Executive Director
Affiliate Therapy & Therapy Horses

Brief Session Description : Rehabilitation for All demands rapid workforce growth: one-third of people will need rehab in their lifetimes, yet capacity lags. This evidence-informed session showcases three grassroots models—an equine-assisted program in Mauritius and a Ukraine–North Carolina knowledge-transfer partnership—aligned with the WHO Rehabilitation Competency Framework and WRA Objective 2. Expect concise case lessons, interactive mapping to competencies, and practical tools for upskilling beyond formal training. Leave with ideas for how you can adapt to your context to expand access and strengthen local teams.

COI
Unless noted below there are none.
Colleen O'Connell, MD – Disclosed honoraria and research grant funding (Biogen, Tanabe)
Britney A. Soll, DCPsych Candidate – Disclosed leadership role (Therapy Director)

Session Objectives:

[1] llustrate how grassroots programs can be catalysts for broader systemic change by enhancing local and regional rehabilitation capacity.

[2] Demonstrate the impact of international collaboration and knowledge transfer in workforce development.

[3] Highlight practical approaches to education and training that extend beyond formal academic pathways, embracing culturally relevant, context-specific models.

[4] Inspire scalable models of community-based rehabilitation that align with the WHO Rehabilitation Competency Framework (RCF).
CanMEDS: Medical Expert. Health Advocate. Scholar.