Cara Brown, PhD, MSc, BMR (OT)

  • Portrait of Cara Brown

  • Associate professor

    College of Rehabilitation Sciences
    Department of Occupational Therapy
    University of Manitoba – Bannatyne Campus
    Room R125 – 771 McDermot Avenue
    Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6

    Phone: 204-480-1337
    Fax: 204-789-3927
    Email: cara.brown@umanitoba.ca

Research affiliations

Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba

Research summary

My research program focuses on supporting community-living for older adults despite complex health and social situations. Under this primary umbrella, I have two main foci:

  1. Smoothing care transitions between hospital and community
    This work is focused on improving care transitions between tertiary and primary care for adults with complex health and social needs. This work has a large engagement component, engaging people with lived experience, health and social service providers and policymakers in the design and implementation of the research. Related to this work is research on team-based interprofessional primary care.
     
  2. Research engagement with CLSA
    I am the local site investigator for the Canadian Longitudinal Study for Aging, a large, national, long-term study of more than 50,000 individuals that is helping understand how to live well as we age. I have a leadership role on this large team in the area of participant engagement. As the first occupational therapist on the CLSA team, I would love to collaborate with other occupational therapists on research with the CLSA dataset that will advance occupation science.

  • Keywords

    • care transitions
    • integrated care
    • occupational therapy
    • older adults
    • participatory research
    • primary care
    • research engagement

  • Research themes

    • Improving and reducing transitions from hospital to home
    • Occupational therapy role in primary care
    • Research engagement
    • Community-based health promotion and wellness 

  • Teaching fields

    • Evidence-based practice
    • Occupational therapy for progressive conditions
    • Person factors of occupational performance

  • Teaching collaboration

    • Teaching, service and evaluation – Lake Manitoba First Nation for elder wellness

Biography

My research interests are motivated by clinical conundrums that I observed in our health care system as an occupational therapist. My work across the entire continuum of care peaked my interest in the gaps between care environments, and how to support people with complex social and health care needs in the community as their needs evolve. My occupational therapy roots also inspire the use of lived experience engagement in my research design and implementation.

Education

PhD in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

Master's in Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, University of Manitoba

Awards

Health Research Graduate Studentship Award, Research Manitoba (2016)

The Golden Quill Award, Canadian Association for Occupational Therapists (2014)

Betty Havens Memorial Graduate Fellowship, Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba (2014)

Thelma Cardwell Scholarship, Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation (2013)

Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centres Rehab Fellowship (2011)

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Contact us

College of Rehabilitation Sciences
P304 - 770 Bannatyne Avenue
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6 Canada

cors.info@umanitoba.ca
204-789-3897
204-789-3927