Ruth Barclay

Ruth Barclay is a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Manitoba. She holds the Riverview Health Centre Chair in Telerehabilitation and conducts research focused on stroke recovery, aging, and mobility. Her work is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and spans multiple collaborative platforms including CanStroke Recovery Trials and the Centre on Aging.

• PhD in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba (2008)
• MHSc in Health Sciences, McMaster University (1995)
• Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation in Physical Therapy, University of Manitoba (1987)

Her research centers on health-related quality of life, community ambulation, and stroke rehabilitation, with a growing emphasis on telerehabilitation and winter walking in older adults. She investigates response shift—a methodological phenomenon in patient-reported outcomes—contributing significantly to psychometric rigor in rehabilitation research.

The available publication highlights her foundational work on response shift, which has become a cornerstone in quality of life research. Her recent focus on telerehabilitation reflects a shift toward innovative, accessible rehabilitation strategies, especially in remote or climatically challenging regions.

• Regional poster award winner, World Physiotherapy conference (2025)
• Outstanding Poster Award, ISOQOL (2022)
• Faculty of 1000 Recognition (2009)
• ISOQOL Article of the Year Award (2010)

Ruth Barclay has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and serves as a site investigator for three multi-site randomized controlled trials in telerehabilitation. She mentors within the Department of Physical Therapy and contributes to national and international research platforms such as CanStroke Recovery and Cochrane Collaboration.

She is affiliated with the Riverview Health Centre as a Research Affiliate and Chair in Telerehabilitation, and with the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba. She is also a member of the International Society for Quality of Life Research and the Cochrane Collaboration, contributing to global standards in rehabilitation and health outcomes research.