Keenan Research Centre

Scientist Profiles

Image of Dorcas E. Beaton

Dorcas E. Beaton

B.Sc. (occupational therapy), University of Toronto; M.Sc. (clinical epidemiology), University of Toronto; PhD (clinical epidemiology), University of Toronto

Affiliations

Director and Scientist, Mobility Program Clinical Research Unit, St. Michael's Hospital

Scientist in the Keenan Research Centre of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital

Scientist, Measurement theme, Institute for Work & Health

Associate Professor, Occupational Sciences and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto

Full Member, School of Graduate Studies, Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Toronto

Full Member, School of Graduate Studies, Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto

Research Interests

Outcomes research, health and quality of life measurement, measurement theory, perceptions of recovery, work productivity and prognosis, facilitating best practices, musculoskeletal, osteoporosis, fracture care, arthritis, upper limb reconstruction, hand therapy

Research Activities

My research interests involve the development, testing and interpretation of patient-based instruments, both outcomes and predictors. I conduct head-to-head comparisons of different instruments' performance in a given setting (i.e. longitudinal comparison of quality of life measures), do qualitative studies to discern the meaning of a concept such as "recovery" to a patient so that we can learn how to measure that concept well, and work on projects to bring the meaning of these scales and concepts into clinicians' hands (i.e. point of care reporting of prognostic profiles). My background is as an occupational therapist in hand and upper limb reconstruction, so I have a keen interest in upper extremity function and am one of the lead scientists supporting the DASH (disabilities of the arm shoulder and hand) Outcome Measure.

Currently I have funded studies evaluating the measurement of patterns of at-work difficulties (at-work productivity loss) in persons with arthritis, and similarly in injured workers where we are developing feedback prognostic profiles.

The application of measures and scales has led me to become involved in how we can deliver immediate feedback to the fracture clinic team to aid in the identification and treatment of osteoporosis in the patient with a fragility (low trauma) fracture. In collaboration with Osteoporosis Canada we have used tablets to collect, collate and feedback information in 33 fracture clinics across the province. Recently we received team development funding for a network of multidisciplinary clinics supporting the care and rehabilitation of injured workers and are beginning to work on the infrastructure of that network.

Selected Research

Link to Pub Med

Other Activities

  1. 2010 Carolyn Thomas Award for the best scientific abstract in the AHPA (Arthritis Health Professionals Association) section of the Canadian Rheumatology Association, Quebec, Canada February 2010
  2. 2007 Ian Kelley memorial prize for best scientific paper, International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists, Bahia Brazil, September 2007
  3. 2002 New Investigator Award, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, salary support, 2002-2007
  4. 1997 PhD fellowship (health research), Medical Research Council of Canada, September 1997-August 2000
  5. Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) operating grant review panel, social dimensions of aging, 2007-present
  6. Member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
  7. Member of the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
  8. The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 task force on neck pain and its associated disorders, advisory council member
  9. The Bone and Joint Decade research mentorship program, faculty, 2006-present
  10. The Arthritis Society of Canada, medical advisory committee member
  11. Quality of Life Methods Working Group, Cochrane Collaboration, member
  12. Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) faculty, co-chair worker productivity measurement initiative, 2006-present
  13. OMERACT Steering Committee, 2007-present
  14. Ontario Rehabilitation Research Advisory Network (ORRAN), 2005-present
  15. American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Therapists, research committee member 1995-present

Educational Activities

My main teaching responsibilities are in the clinical epidemiology stream of the Health Policy, Management and Evaluation graduate program as well as in the graduate Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. I welcome students who are interested in the development or evaluation of measures, development of methods and models for better use of these measures, the application of measures in clinical practice, and efforts to improve clinical care in orthopedics and arthritis as well as students (M.Sc., PhD or post-docs) interested in focused work in outcomes research and knowledge translation to improve care. We have exciting opportunities in several areas of arthritis (i.e. work productivity trajectories in people with arthritis), osteoporosis and fracture care.

Contact

Phone: 416-864-6060, Ext. 6701
Fax: 416-864-5003
E-mail: BeatonD@smh.ca

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