AI for DIGITAL Rehabilitation & Equity 

The rehabilitation services.

I am Makara Rolle, a fourth-year undergraduate student at Carleton University, studying Health Sciences. My areas of interest include pediatrics, geriatrics, and technological advancements in healthcare. I am passionate about exploring innovations in healthcare technology to improve patient care and health outcomes for individuals across all stages of life.

Research Assistant

Holly completed her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Mental Health at Carleton University in 2019, followed by a Master’s of Science at Carleton University in 2022. Currently, Holly is pursuing her PhD in Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University. Her thesis parallels facets of substance use disorders (i.e. reward deficits, stress, and inhibitory control) in order to understand the neurobiological mechanisms and behaviors underlying problematic social media use. Holly has been working as a research assistant for Dr. Veras since August 2023, focusing on the implementation of wearable technologies and artificial intelligence. Outside of academia, Holly enjoys travelling, spending time with friends and family, playing the piano, and golfing.

Clinical Advisor

My name is Tim Romanec, and I am a Physiotherapist based at Riverview Health Centre. I work as part of Manitoba’s first Indigenous “Ashern-Hodgson & Area My Health Team,” where I collaborate with a Rehabilitation Assistant to provide physiotherapy services to clients in the Interlake region, including nearby First Nations communities such as Lake Manitoba First Nation, Pinaymootang First Nation, Ashern, and Eriksdale. We offer both in-person and virtual appointments, utilizing a telepresence robot for virtual sessions. These services are provided free of charge and include one-on-one physiotherapy sessions as well as regular exercise classes.

This publicly funded initiative, which began in the Spring of 2024, aims to make physiotherapy care more accessible to individuals living in rural communities. As a Clinical Advisor, I contribute to research that focuses on ensuring equitable healthcare delivery in rural areas, drawing on my experiences to inform policies and practices that improve access to care.

Student Volunteer

Logan is a fourth-year student at Carleton University, pursuing a Bachelor of Health Sciences Honours with a concentration in Disability and Chronic Illness and Minor in Biology. Logan has a strong passion for research in rehabilitation sciences and is particularly focused on understanding their influence on health outcomes at individual and community levels.

Lived Experience Partner 

Cindy Jussup is a retired elementary school teacher (P-6)  from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She enjoys working with students of all levels.  In 2018, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She had already attended a local gym for many years where she had a fairly rigorous exercise program in place. Because of her diagnosis, she began an even more rigourous program,  involving aerobic exercise classes, pickleball, and boxing to name just a few. Cindy has certainly proven the correlation between exercise and Parkinson’s in slowing its progression.  Cindy attends physiotherapy, cranial sacral / massage and acupuncture sessions biweekly. She works very closely with her healthcare team. All  these factors, along with her positive approach to leading an active lifestyle, continue to contribute to her healthy mental and physical well-being. She is committed to advancing research and recognizes the importance of patient involvement to ensure studies are relevant, impactful, and informed by real-world experiences.

       Research Affiliate

Adjunct Research        Professor