معرفی
Cara Brown is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Manitoba – Bannatyne Campus. Her academic and research work is centered on improving health outcomes for older adults through better integration of care services and community support.
Education:
- PhD in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
- Master's in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
- Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, University of Manitoba
Her research program focuses on supporting community-living for older adults with complex health and social needs. Key themes include smoothing care transitions between hospital and home, the role of occupational therapy in primary care, and community-based health promotion. She emphasizes participatory research, actively engaging individuals with lived experience, healthcare providers, and policymakers in research design and implementation.
Dr. Brown serves as the local site investigator for the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), where she plays a leadership role in participant engagement. As the first occupational therapist on the CLSA team, she is promoting the use of the CLSA dataset to advance occupation science and interdisciplinary aging research.
Scientific Awards:
- Health Research Graduate Studentship Award, Research Manitoba (2016)
- The Golden Quill Award, Canadian Association for Occupational Therapists (2014)
- Betty Havens Memorial Graduate Fellowship, Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba (2014)
- Thelma Cardwell Scholarship, Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation (2013)
- Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centres Rehab Fellowship (2011)
Dr. Brown has contributed to teaching in evidence-based practice, occupational therapy for progressive conditions, and person factors in occupational performance. She has also collaborated on teaching initiatives with the Lake Manitoba First Nation for elder wellness. Although she is not currently accepting graduate students, her mentorship and service contributions remain strong. Her work is supported by affiliations with the Centre on Aging and national research networks.
She is actively involved in research labs and teams related to aging and rehabilitation sciences, particularly through her CLSA leadership and interprofessional primary care initiatives.
