PHD (C), OTR, BSR (UBC), MA (UBC)
Assistant Professor
Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist
F611, 4480 Oak Street
Centre for Community Child Health Research
Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604-875-2000 x 5200 Fax: 604-822-7624
Profile-Research-Teaching-Memberships-Publications
Research Graduate Student Opportunities
Current Research Graduate Students – Liisa currently supervises MSc and PhD students in Rehabilitation Sciences, as well as MOT student projects.
Future Research Graduate Students – Liisa is accepting applications from students interested in research MSc and PhD programs. Visit the Rehabilitation Sciences Research Graduate Programs Website for more information.
Occupational Profile
Liisa completed her Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Medicine in 1985. She was trained in both Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT), but when a great OT job opened up at B.C. Children’s Hospital in the NICU and in the Neonatal Follow-up Program, she took it, working clinically for almost 20 years. During that time, she received her M.A. specializing in Measurement and Statistics. She then completed her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2004. She joined the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Occupational Therapy (Now Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy) as a faculty member in 2005. She also works as Clinician Scientist at the Child and Family Research Institute.
Research Interests and Specialization
Preterm infant and animal studies suggest that exposure to pain and other stressors may alter brain development. For example, human infant and animals studies show that a single painful event can induce long term behavioural changes and decrease expression of genes coding for proteins that are protective against neuronal cell death. These alterations may then contribute directly and indirectly to the ways in which the central nervous system processes future painful events and ultimately to the developmental impairments found later in these children. Liisa’s research program, the Developmental Care Program, focuses on finding ways to assess and treat effectively pain and stress in preterm infants in the NICU. Her long-term objective is aimed at improving the health of preterm infants by minimizing the impact of the NICU environment and painful/stressful procedures on the development of the brain. Outside of work, you can find Liisa gardening, fixing up her house, swimming, jogging or walking the dog, reading mystery novels or watching movies.
Teaching Interests
Measurement, Research design, Pediatrics, Pain/Stress
Activities and Memberships
Professional Associations
Member, Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy (CAOT)
Member, British Columbia Society of Occupational Therapy (BCSOT)
Member, College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC)
UBC Faculty Committees
MOT Admissions Committee
Graduate Research Program Committee
Other Committees
Executive Member, Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program
Member, B.C. Children’s Hospital Clinical Research Committee
Member, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Clinical Research Group
Selected Publications
*links to articles provided when possible*
Stokes, R., Holsti, L. (2010). Paediatric occupational therapy: Addressing parental stress with the sense of coherence. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy,77(1), 30-37.
Holsti, L., Grunau, RE. (2010). Considerations for Using Sucrose to Reduce Procedural Pain in Preterm Infants. Pediatrics, 125, 1042-1047
Holsti, L., Grunau, R.E., Oberlander, T.F. and Osiovich, H. (2008). Is it painful or not? Discriminant validity of the Behavioral Indicators of Infant Pain (BIIP) Scale. Clinical Journal of Pain, 24, 83-88.
Arockiasamy, V., Holsti, L., and Albersheim, S.G. (2008). Fathers’ experiences in response to the stress of the neonatal intensive care unit. Pediatrics, 121, e215-e222.
Holsti, L. and Grunau, R.E. (2007). Initial validation of the Behavioral Indicators of Infant Pain (BIIP). Pain, 132, 264-272.
Holsti, L., Wienberg, J., Whitfield, M.F., Grunau, R.E. (2007). Relationships between adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol are altered during clustered nursing care in preterm inants born at extremely low gestational age. Early Human Development, 83, 341-348.
Holsti, L., Grunau, R.E., Whitfield, M.F., Oberlander, T.F., & Lindh, V. (2006). Behavioral responses to pain are heightened after clustered care in preterm infants. Clinical Journal of Pain, 22, 757-764.
Holsti, L., Grunau, R.E., Whitfield, M.F., Oberlander, T.F., & Weinberg, J. (2005). Body movements, and important additional factor in discriminating pain from stress in preterm infants. Clinical Journal of Pain, 21(6), 491-498.
Holsti, L., Grunau, R.E., Oberlander, T.F., & Whitfield, M.F. (2004). Specific NIDCAP® movements are associated with acute pain in preterm infants in the NICU. Pediatrics, 114(1), 65-72.
