Expanding our reach: Celebrating rehabilitation medicine growth

As I look back on the past year in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, I am filled with deep gratitude. Our Faculty community has once again come together in so many ways to show its passion and dedication to research, teaching and partnerships that will improve the lives of the communities we serve.

1 April 2025

This is a bittersweet moment for me as I wrap up my time at the �� at the end of March. The Faculty has grown so much during my time here, and so have I. I started my academic career here 24 years ago as an assistant professor, and have served as interim dean, then dean, in Rehab Med since 2021. I can honestly say that it has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences of my life to serve this Faculty.

One of my main focuses as dean has been the expansion of our Faculty, and I was thrilled to be here to witness the relaunch of the MSc PT program and the new launch of our MSc OT and MSc SLP programs at the Augustana campus in Camrose in the fall of 2024. Our Faculty also collaborated with the Saskatchewan government to reserve seats for students from that province in our MSc-SLP program. Another highlight was celebrating 10 years of our Calgary campus. Our reach is broad and growing, and it has brought me great pride to increase our capacity to teach and train so many more future leaders in speech-language pathology, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

I was honoured to help develop new partnerships with Treaty 8 First Nations of �� and to help launch the new Space for Truth and Reconciliation, a beautiful spot in Corbett Hall on the Edmonton campus that just recently opened, where all community members can learn and reflect. Our Faculty’s ongoing relationship with Indigenous partners is built on a deep respect and a shared desire to see Indigenous Ways of Knowing woven into all we do in rehabilitation. It has been humbling and deeply meaningful to be part of supporting that vision.

These are just a few of the most impactful, collaborative initiatives I will always look back on with gratitude from my time here. In the pages of this report, you’ll find many more reasons to celebrate the past year in our Faculty — from exciting student projects to inspiring client stories to breakthroughs in research.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Rehab Impact. It has been my great pleasure to work with all of you over the years and I know you will all continue to lead with purpose to a brighter future.

Sincerely,

Tammy Hopper, PhD, R-SLP
Professor and Dean, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

Read the 2025 Impact Report »