Research Awards

The Barbara Hanes Memorial Award was established in honour of her work as an Occupational Therapy Director at the Arthritis Society, Ontario Division, and her contributions as a teacher and a contributing author to the rheumatology textbook Physical Therapy in Arthritis. This award recognizes the best scientific abstract submitted by an occupational therapist.

2024 Barbara Hanes Memorial Award Karine Toupin-April, PhD The recipient of the 2024 AHPA Barbara Hanes Memorial Award is Karine Toupin-April, PhD for her abstract entitled "Interviews to Explore Perceptions of the Role of Occupational Therapists in the Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in Canada". Dr. Toupin-April is an Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences and with the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa and is affiliated with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. Her research in pediatric and adult rheumatology includes developing PROMs, clinical practice guidelines, patient decision support interventions and self-management tools. She is Chair of the AHPA Research Committee. View Past Award Winners

The Carolyn Thomas Award was established in honour of Carolyn Thomas, a founding member of AHPA who supported research. It is given to the first author of the year’s best scientific abstract.  The recipient of this award will also be presented with an opportunity to present their work as a Plenary presentation at the annual Canadian Rheumatology Association-Arthritis Health Professions Association Annual Scientific Meeting.

2024 Carolyn Thomas Award Susan Bartlett The recipient of the 2024 AHPA Carolyn Thomas Award is Susan Bartlett PhD for her work entitled "Specific Symptom Clusters at Diagnosis Signal a Poorer Early RA Prognosis on Mtx Treatment: Results from The CAnadian Early ARthritis Cohort (CATCH)". Dr. Bartlett is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Medicine at McGill University in the Divisions of Clinical Epidemiology, Rheumatology, and Respiratory Medicine. She is co-founder of the McGill Centre for Health Measurement, a senior researcher with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Arthritis Research Canada, and the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort. Her research focuses on patient-centred research, measurement development, treatment adherence, and psychosocial factors that impact treatment outcomes. She is Chair of the AHPA Research Committee, the Association of Rheumatology Professionals Board, the NIH PROMIS Board of Directors. View Past Award Winners

The Trainee Abstract Award was established to recognize research being done by allied health in summer studentships, graduate programs or post-doctoral fellowships. This award is given for the best scientific abstract submitted by a trainee. 

2024 Best Trainee Abstract Award Ellen Wang The recipient of the 2024 AHPA Trainee Award is Ellen Wang for her abstract entitled "Health Literacy in Arthritis Care in Canada: The Perspective of BIPOC Individuals Across Age Categories". Ellen is a MPT/PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Linda Li at the University of British Columbia. She is also the Programs Coordinator at Arthritis Consumer Experts, and a patient herself. 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. From this experience, she developed a keen interest in knowledge translation. Her current research is at the intersection of health equity and patient engagement. In specific, her work aims to uncover how best to reach and partner with diverse and underserved groups/communities in health research. View Past Award Winners

The ACPAC SIG Abstract Award is given for the best abstract submitted by an ACPAC SIG member.