Department Head & Professor
T325 – 2211 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5
Office: T-334 Koerner
Tel: 604-822-7409 Fax: 604-822-7624
Email: catherine.backman@ubc.ca
Profile-Research-Teaching-Memberships-Publications
Research Graduate Student Opportunities
Current Research Graduate Students
Catherine currently supervises MSc and PhD students in Rehabilitation Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies, as well as MOT student projects.
Future Research Graduate Students
She will consider new MSc/PhD students in 2010, or after current students graduate. Try to plan a year in advance to apply for student funding. Visit the Rehabilitation Sciences Research Graduate Programs website for more information.
Occupational Profile
A UBC graduate, Catherine began her career as an occupational therapist in Halifax, NS. Providing fieldwork education triggered an interest in academia, and a variety of practice questions stimulated a desire for research training – together, these led her to graduate school in Seattle, WA, then to a faculty position at UBC in 1986. Catherine’s appointments at UBC have included Fieldwork Coordinator and Head, Occupational Therapy. She interrupted her teaching to complete a doctoral degree in Health Care & Epidemiology. Catherine is a Fellow of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, and received their highest honour, the Muriel Driver Memorial Lectureship, in 2004. She balances a sometimes hectic work schedule with beach vacations, knitting, and “critiquing” the medical procedures and ethics portrayed on “House” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Research Interests and Specialization
Catherine’s research interests lie in two main areas:
- Measuring occupational performance and participation in employment, parenting, and social roles, as well as underlying performance components like hand function or physical capacity.
- Evaluating the effect of rehabilitation interventions, such as the use of hand splints and development of clinical practice guidelines.
Catherine’s studies have involved people with arthritis, spinal cord injury, and infants with motor delay. In many cases, clients/consumers have collaborated to identify research questions and approaches, and graduate students have designed or participated in many of the projects. Many of her research teams are interdisciplinary in nature. Catherine’s current studies include the investigation of the impact of arthritis on mothering tasks; development of evidence-based guidelines for rehabilitation following hip and knee arthroplasty; development of the Social Role Participation Questionnaire, and the study of help-seeking behaviours in early arthritis. Much of Catherine’s research is based at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada (ARC).
To learn more about Catherine’s research interests, visit this link for a video profile on YouTube done by the Disabilities Health Research Network.
Teaching Interests
Catherine’s teaching expertise is in professional education of occupational therapists, and she has designed courses in clinical reasoning, professional issues, program design and theory. She facilitates experiential and participatory learning, small group tutorials, debates and self-directed projects. In addition to curriculum leadership at UBC, Catherine has participated as a peer evaluator in the accreditation of occupational therapy programs across Canada. In 2002, Catherine received a UBC Killam Teaching Prize.
Activities and Memberships
- College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC) – Disciplinary Committee
- Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) – Academic Accreditation
- British Columbia Society of Occupational Therapists (BCSOT)
- Canadian Society of Occupational Scientists (CSOS)
- Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP) – Past President
- Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN) – Investigator
- Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) – Affiliated investigator
Selected Publications
*links to articles provided when possible*
Gignac, M.A.M., Backman, C.L., Davies, A.M., Lacaille, D., Mattison, C.A., Montie, P. & Badley, E.M. (2008). Understanding social role participation: Measuring what matters to people with arthritis. Journal of Rheumatology, 35, 1655-1663.
Backman, C.L., Village, J., Lacaille, D. (2008). The ergonomic assessment tool for arthritis (EATA): Development and pilot testing. Arthritis & Rheumatism (Arthritis Care and Research), 59, 1495-1503.
Backman, C.L., Del Fabro Smith, L., Montie, P., Smith, S. & Suto, M. (2007). The experiences of mothers living with inflammatory arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatism (Arthritis Care & Research), 57, 381-388.
Backman, C.L. (2004). Muriel Driver Memorial Lecture. Occupational balance: Exploring the relationships among daily occupations and their influence on well-being. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71, 202-209.
Backman, C.L., Kennedy, S.M., Chalmers, A. & Singer, J. (2004). Participation in paid and unpaid work by adults with rheumatoid arthritis. Journal of Rheumatology, 31, 47-57.
Haskett, S., Backman, C.L., Porter, B., Goyert, J., Palejko, G. (2004). A cross-over trial of custom-made and commercially available wrist splints in adults with inflammatory arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatism (Arthritis Care & Research), 51, 792-799.
Backman, C.L. & Harris, S.R. (1999). Case studies, single subject research and N-of-1 randomized trials: Comparisons and contrasts. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 78, 170-176.
Backman, C.go & Mackie, H. (1997). Reliability and validity of the arthritis hand function test among adults with osteoarthritis. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 17, 55-66.
