Team #7 – November 2010
Our 7th team was comprised of Dr. Nora Cullen (physiatrist), Beth Keidann (nurse), Fahreen Ladak (physiotherapist), and Edith Ng (occupational therapist). During the final week of October the team offered 5 workshops at Tansen Mission Hospital (TMH) in the area of spinal cord injury classification and functional implications, bladder and bowel management, and autonomic dysreflexia, all with an emphasis on interprofessional care. Two community visits and clinical consultation on specific cases were also completed. This consultation involved helping the TMH therapists to design and create therapy tools from locally available and affordable materials for patients and families as they transition home. Planning discussions were also held with the clinicians and leaders for the development of a rehabilitation program which NepalAbility would help co-fund with the the generous assistance of our donors. The following week was spent in Pokhara. We offered two full day workshops at Green Pastures Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre (GPHRC) on wound and pressure ulcer management. Clinicians from a variety of local and more remote organizations along the continuum of care attended these workshops. Thanks to our donors, we were able to provide GPHRC with a pressure mapping system to support their efforts to help their patients in preventing pressure ulcers, both within the hospital and when they return home. Education on the use of the pressure mapping system was also provided. The visit concluded with an invitation to present at the Spinal Cord Injury Conference in Kathmandu, that focused again on interprofessional pressure ulcer management.

Team #6 - May 2010
In May 2010, NepalAbility has been invited to present hands-on workshops on wheelchairs and postural seating at a national SCI conference hosted by Green Pastures Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre in Pokhara. These workshops are offered in affiliation with the Asia Spinal Cord Network (ASCoN), and aim to build on the momentum created by the recent international conference hosted in Kathmandu, Nepal last year. There is a real desire among local healthcare professionals to improve the rehab outcomes for SCI clients, where currently a quarter die within 2 years of discharge from rehabilitation, and most have extremely limited home and community re-integration. The visit will also continue to support interprofessional rehab services at Tansen Mission Hospital, including education and support to the new Occupational Therapy department there. The May team consists of Shaun Gray (Physiatrist), and Lynn Davies (OT), and Carol Scovil (Rehab Engineer).

Team #5 - November 2009
Our fifth team to Nepal consists of some familiar faces including Angie Andreoli, (PT), Nora Cullen, (Physiatrist), Cathie Percival (SW), and Catriona Steele (SLP and scientist), along with her daughter Madeline. This team built on the work of previous teams and focused on the prevention and management of neurological impairments, with particular emphasis on spinal cord injury. Our work again took us to Tansen Mission Hospital and Green Pastures Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre. At TMH for the very first time, both the OT and one of the PTs conducted their a joint home assessment of a woman with a spinal cord injury living in a remote hill village. The team also invited to present at the 8th Annual International Spinal Cord Injury Conference (ASCoN) in Kathmandu on our work on an interprofessional approach to sexuality education for patients and families following neurological injury. In conjunction with the conference, we also toured and met with the therapists at Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre, outside of Kathmandu.

Team #4 – March 2009
Team #4 focused once again on Tansen Mission Hospital and Green Pastures Rehabilitation hospital in March 2009. In Tansen, presentations, both didactic and hands-on were given to several groups, including physiotherapy staff on NDT/Bobath approach to neurological care; medical staff on the rehabilitation management of neurological injury; and nursing staff and students on the rehab management of neurological injury with workshops on positioning, transfers, and splinting and positioning. Follow-up community visits were also made to three patients and families in their homes. In Pokhara, workshops were given to an interprofessional group of rehabilitation staff on wheelchairs and seating, and as well as on team goal setting.Specifically, presentations were provided to rehab workers/team members on sexuality following neurological injury. The wheelchair and seating workshop was repeated. Team #4 consisted of Dr. Shaun Gray (physiatrist), Erica Gray (OT student) , Sylvia Haycock (OT), Carolina Kwok (PT), and Dr. Joy Wee (physiatrist).

Team #3 – September 2008

Team #3 included Returning Clinicians Angie Andreoli (PT), Nora Cullen (physiatrist), Edith Ng (OT), and new member Christine Tang.
Christine graduated from the University of Toronto in 1998. She is a plastic surgeon based our of Etobicoke General Hospital. Chris specializes in breast, cosmetic, and general plastic surgery. Her loves are operating, travel, cooking, and trying different food, in that order!

Team #2 – October 2007

Joy Wee
Joy is a physiatrist (rehabilitation medicine specialist) who has been engaged in community based rehabilitation training and evaluation, and international rehabilitation teaching since 2001. She is currently in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Queen’s University. She has ongoing communication with the past and current medical directors since doing a research project at Green Pastures Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre in 2003. She joined NepalAbility in 2007, and is on the Research Committee. She would like to see governments become more actively engaged in inclusion of persons with disability in all aspects of society.

Carol Mulder

Lesley Ruttan
Lesley is a psychologist practicing in the areas of Clinical Neuropsychology and Clinical Psychology. She works at Toronto Rehab on the Neurorehab program and in private practice. She joined NepalAbility after attending a presentation by Team I documenting their 2006 Nepal experience. She is very much looking forward to contributing to the group’s educational and research efforts.

Catriona Steele
Catriona Steele is a speech-language pathologist and director of the Swallowing Rehabilitation Research Laboratory at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. She is interested in exploring the experiences of Nepali people living with disability and in promoting the early identification and management of swallowing difficulties in individuals who have sustained neurological injuries.

Team #1 – November 2006

Angie Andreoli
Angie is a physiotherapist and researcher at Toronto Rehab. She has been a part of NepalAbility since its inception and is thrilled to contribute as vice-chair of the group. She brings with her with a keen interest in global development and combining her clinical, education and research experience to help build a sustainable program of service in Nepal.

Nora Cullen
Nora Cullen is a physiatrist (rehabilitation medicine specialist) who treats patients with disabilities as part of an interprofessional team. She did her medical training at the University of Toronto and now teaches at the same Faculty enjoying work with medical students, residents and fellows as an assistant professor. Since being at Toronto Rehab, she has had the opportunity to travel to many parts of the globe but none have captured her interest like the people and beauty of Nepal.

Zubeen Dharshi
Zubeen is a speech language pathologist who works with people who have sustained a brain injury in adult life. Her contributions towards introducing Nepali health care professionals to basic swallowing impairments was an important first step in building capacity in this new area.

Edith Ng
Edith is an occupational therapist at Toronto Rehab. She graduated in 1996 from Queen’s University and has developed a special interest in international rehabilitation. She has traveled to Nepal and Haiti to provide teaching and consultation as part of interprofesional teams. As the education committee chair and treasurer of NepalAbility, she is integral to NepalAbility's success and enhancing the quality of life of those living with disabilities in Nepal.

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