School of Rehabilitation Therapy Distinguished Alumni Award

Carol Kennedy, PT'79

Carol Kennedy was born and raised in Kingston and graduated from Queen’s as a physiotherapist in 1979. She moved to Winnipeg and started her career focusing on both Orthopaedic and Sport Physiotherapy.  Moving to Vancouver in 1983 to work at Treloar Physiotherapy Clinic, she became a partner in 1989 and worked there until she retired from clinical practice in January of 2022. 

Carol completed her FCAMPT (Fellow of the Academy of Manipulative Physiotherapists), in 1983.  She became a Senior Instructor, then a National and subsequently Chief Examiner with the Orthopaedic Division, and continues to instruct and examine to the present.  Carol also was the Clinical Instructor for the Spinal Manual Therapy Course at UBC for 5 years. More recently (past 4 years) she developed and taught the Spinal Manipulation Block for the MPT2 students. 

Carol was the Lead Instructor and Program Coordinator for the UBC Graduate Certificate in Orthopaedic Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy (GCOMPT) within the post-professional Masters of Rehabilitation Science. Carol was integral in the development and initiation of that program. 

Carol attended Western University to complete a post-professional masters (MClSc – manipulation) in 2009 and also became a CPA Clinical Specialist – MSK in 2010 and was certified as an Assessor for that program. She has focused her research interests mostly on knowledge translation, being involved in the updates for the BC Tendinopathy Toolkits for both Achilles and Lateral Epicondylalgia, as well as the C- Spine Rule as examples. She has also published several book chapters mostly related to cervical exercise prescription, but also lumbar spine and lower quadrant exercise as well. 

Carol was honoured to be selected to present the Enid Graham Memorial Lecture in 2022. 

Shannon McGrath, OT'96

Shannon McGrath is a graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1996. After graduation, Shannon initially worked in the USA where she was trained in burn therapy. In 1998, Shannon moved to Calgary, Alberta where she worked in community practice on a specialized wound care team servicing the spinal cord population. Shannon moved to the Ottawa area in 2005 where she continued her work in community care, specifically spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation. 

Fiona Smith Bradley, OT'96

Fiona Smith Bradley is a graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1996. In 1998, Fiona opened her own community private practice, Smith Bradley & Associates. Fiona continued to advance practice in the area of mental health and brain injury rehabilitation and ergonomics.   

Fiona and Shannon partnered in 2011 to form Modern OT (formerly Smith Bradley & McGrath Occupational Therapy). Together they have built a team inclusive of occupational therapists, case managers, and occupational therapy assistants with a common goal of bettering the lives of clients through an innovative, client-centered approach to therapy. In 2022, Modern OT partnered with LifeMark Health Group. Modern OT is Eastern Ontario’s largest occupational therapy group, spanning three clinic sites – Ottawa, Kingston, and Pembroke. Fiona and Shannon remain readily involved in the daily practice of OTs and their clinic as a whole.

Susan Robarts, MSc'02

Susan Robarts developed a model of care at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre that changed the status quo. The model of care includes centralized referral intake and assessment by advanced practice physiotherapists, of which she was the first, reducing wait times and improving access to care for people with musculoskeletal conditions. As an advisor to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, she was instrumental in scaling up the team approach and implementing 53 Rapid Access Clinics for people with hip and knee arthritis across the province, with over 100 new positions for advanced practice physiotherapists. Previously, she developed a funded community-based rehabilitation initiative in the Mushkegowuk Territory with Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and Queen’s University to increase care capacity. 

Susan has co-authored over 20 publications in peer-reviewed journals. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Physiotherapy Association and continues to advocate for high-value care and the essential role of physiotherapists. Susan has a B.Sc. in Psychology, B.H.Sc. in Physiotherapy (McMaster University), M.Sc. in Rehabilitation Science (Queen’s University), and certificates in Lean for Healthcare (Michigan University) and Patient Safety Quality and Leadership (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine). 

Her work has been acknowledged with the Sunnybrook Schulich Award for Clinical Excellence, 3M Health Care Quality Team Award, and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care ACE Award for Achievement, Commitment, Excellence.