We are pleased to announce some exciting changes to the Physical Therapy Knowledge Broker (PT KB) position.
Effective July 1, 2021, the PT KB position will increase from 0.5 FTE to 1.0 FTE in recognition of the time required to address the scope and depth of the work.
The funding for this position is provided by the UBC Department of Physical Therapy, the Physiotherapy Association of BC and a new partnership with Arthritis Research Canada (replacing the previous support provided by Vancouver Coastal Research Institute).
Alison Hoens, who has held the PT KB position since 2009 and recently retired from Providence Health Care, will continue to serve in this role and is pleased to welcome Paul Blazey as a co-PT KB. Paul will work one day per week, with a view to expanding his involvement over the next 3-5 years,
"I am really looking forward to supporting Alison in the PT Knowledge Broker role, she has a wealth of experience and has built up a fantastic track record in the job. I feel my skills and experience are complementary to hers, so I look forward to getting to know the role more and working to further enhance the growing reputation of the PT knowledge brokering role with our partners."
Meet Paul
Paul Blazey qualified with BSc (Hons) PT in 2008 from the University of East London (UK). He worked full-time as a clinician and clinical educator both within the UK National Health Service, and professional sports. He attained post-graduate certification in Healthcare Education in 2015 and was responsible for assisting clinical educators and healthcare organizations to advance and expand their student learning environments. He became an Associate Tutor at the University of East Anglia in 2015 teaching in both the undergraduate and post-graduate (accelerated) Physiotherapy programs.
Paul moved to Canada in 2017. He has been working with Professor Karim Khan as (1) an author/editor of the textbook Clinical Sports Medicine Ed 5, Vol 2 and (2) Research Manager since 2018. Highlights include contributing to the updated International Olympic Committee guidance on injury and illness in sport (STROBE-SIIS) and leading an international consensus on Return to Sport post shoulder injury.
Additionally, Paul is an Associate Editor of the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), and the Editor of Social Media for the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT).
Paul works part-time in private practice at Restore Physiotherapy Vancouver and has taught UBC MPT students in clinical decision-making.
Alison and Paul will be a great team and look forward to facilitating partnerships, projects and initiatives that enhance evidence-informed practice in physiotherapy.
Knowledge Broker Infographic
Check out the highlights and successes of the PT Knowledge Broker in the following infographic.
Call for Proposals for PT Knowledge Broker Led Projects
To date, the PT KB has partnered in ~$17 million of funded research and more than 60 projects undertaken with over 500 clinicians, researchers, students, healthcare decision-makers and patients/families that has produced 22 resources accessed ~600,000 times worldwide.
There is now an opportunity to identify new projects that can help address gaps in BC and beyond. Learn more and submit your proposal for a project facilitated by the PT Knowledge Broker: