Rehabilitation Science PhD Student Receives CIHR Doctoral Research Award

| 19 June 2018 | 378 views

On April 17th, 2018, Kyle Vader, incoming PhD student in the Rehabilitation Science Program, was awarded a Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CIHR Doctoral Research Awards are valued at $105 000 over three years and include a $30,000 trainee stipend and $5,000 research allowance per annum.

“Receiving a CIHR Doctoral Research Award is a great honour and I’m very excited to begin my PhD studies at Queen’s University”, says Kyle Vader, who intends to focus his doctoral work on collaborative team-based models for the management of musculoskeletal pain in primary healthcare, will study under the supervision of School of Rehabilitation Therapy faculty member, Dr. Jordan Miller.

The Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Awards (CGS-D) program provides special recognition and supports students who are pursuing a doctoral degree in a health-related field in Canada. Applicants are expected to have exceptionally high potential for future research achievement and productivity. For the 2018/19 CIHR Doctoral Research Award competition, Vader was one of 144 PhD students across Canada who were awarded funding from approximately 1200 applications.

As a current physiotherapist in an interdisciplinary chronic pain program at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) Hotel Dieu Hospital site, Vader’s experiences as a front-line clinician inspired him to go back to school and pursue a PhD. Being able to leverage pre-existing partnerships with clinicians and researchers during his PhD provided the motivation to pursue graduate studies at Queen’s. Prior to beginning his clinical work, Vader completed his Master of Science in Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) from McMaster University.

“My long-term goal is to establish a productive research program at an academic institution where I can combine my interests in research, teaching, and service”, added Vader.

In addition to beginning PhD studies, Vader is a current trainee in the Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research – Primary Health Care (TUTOR-PHC) Program at Western University and holds an Innovations Strengthening Primary Care through Research (INSPIRE) Fellowship through the Ontario SPOR Support Unit. Staying active in the community and giving back to his profession, Kyle also serves on various committees, including as District President of the Quinte St. Lawrence District of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association.

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Learn more about the School’s Rehabilitation Science Program, visit: https://www.rehab.queensu.ca/academic-programs/rhbs

School of Rehabilitation Therapy