Principal Investigator
Dr. Jill G. Zwicker
Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) | Pediatric Brain Development and Rehabilitation
Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia
Associate Member in the Department of Pediatrics (Division of Developmental Pediatrics)
Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Clinician Scientist at Sunny Hill Health Centre at BC Children's Hospital
Associate Investigator at Kids Brain Health Network
Research Associate at CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research
Chair of the International Society of Research in Developmental Coordination Disorder
Chair of the Organizing Committee for DCD-14 – the International Conference for DCD held in Vancouver July 2022
Dr. Zwicker has 25+ years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist and is an internationally recognized expert in Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). She established the first research-integrated diagnostic clinic for DCD in Canada to facilitate diagnosis of this under-recognized disorder and conducted some of the first brain imaging studies of children with DCD.
Fun Facts: Jill enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as her two rescue dogs from Maui. Jill likes to work out regularly, and has recently walked a full marathon in Hawaii and learned to row.
Phone: 604-875-2345 ext. 5948
Email: jill.zwicker@ubc.ca
To learn more about Dr. Zwicker, consult:
Research Staff
Gisela Gosse
Study Coordinator
Gisela is the primary contact for the JUMP for DCD study. She provides administrative support for lab research projects and assists with coordinating appointments for occupational therapy assessments and managing the needed documentation, to inform a DCD diagnosis.
Fun Facts: Gisela enjoys swimming in oceans, lakes or rivers throughout the year (almost daily in the summer and 2 times a week in the winter, depending on the weather).
Phone: 604-875-2345 ext. 4959
Email: ggosse@bcchr.ca
Erin Klein
Study Coordinator
PhD Student; Rehabilitation Sciences
Canadian Representative on the International Society for Research and Advocacy for Developmental Coordination Disorder
Erin has over 20 years of experience as a clinical occupational therapist, having worked with children and families within school and community settings. She provides administrative support, in addition to conducting occupational therapy assessments and interventions for research projects in the lab. Erin also contributes to the co-creation of knowledge tools and change initiatives, supporting advocacy efforts for children with DCD and their families.
Erin will be pursuing her PhD, exploring the impact of DCD in Indigenous communities. She completed her Masters in Rehabilitation Sciences, exploring the parental impact of raising a child with DCD across British Columbia.
Fun facts: Erin enjoys spending time with her family, exploring the beautiful hiking trails.
Phone: 604-875-2345 ext. 6417
Email: erink01@ubc.ca
Jane Shen
Research Coordinator
Jane manages the DCD Research database and data for related projects.
Phone: 604-875-2000 ext. 6535
Email: jshen@cw.bc.ca
Current Trainees
Patricia Mortenson
Registered Occupational Therapist, MSc (Rehabilitation Science), PhD student
Patricia completed both her BSc in Occupational Therapy and MSc in Rehabilitation Degrees at UBC, and after a long gap, has returned for doctoral studies. She has worked in paediatric OT practice for over 25 years, instructs in the UBC Rehabilitation Sciences Online Programs and is also currently involved in a project to support patient-oriented research for the Neuromuscular Disease Network for Canada. Her PhD work will focus on the occupational and participation needs for children with neuromuscular conditions, particularly Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Fun Facts: Patricia volunteers with the Girl Guides of Canada (cookies anyone?) and enjoys hiking and baking.
Olivia Tsihlias
MSc student in Rehabilitation Science
Olivia received her Bachelor of Science degree with an honours specialization in Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences. Olivia has a strong interest in motor skills and motor development. She is passionate about giving all children the ability to participate and develop through sport and play. Olivia’s research is focused on developing best practice principles for early identification of children with/at risk for DCD to ensure access to early intervention.
Fun Facts: Olivia enjoys skiing, sailing, soccer, football, and loves all outdoor activities. She is a big foodie and loves trying new and foreign foods.
Dorine Van Dyck
PhD, Postdoctoral Student
Dorine completed her Master of Science in Psychology (cognitive development and neuropsychology) and her PhD at the Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). She was particularly interested in the heterogeneity of the profiles of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and their brain functioning. Since then, Dorine has worked with children with neurodevelopmental conditions as a clinical neuropsychologist at the Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola and in a pediatric clinic (Brussels, Belgium). Seeking to integrate her research with her clinical practice, she joined the Zwicker Lab in 2024 as a postdoctoral fellow, starting a new research project focusing on the prenatal environmental predictors of DCD.
Stacey Miller
Stacey has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy and a Master of Rehabilitation Science degree, both from the University of British Columbia, and is now undertaking doctoral studies. Stacey has worked as a physiotherapist at BC Children’s Hospital since 2004, focusing on the orthopaedic management of children with cerebral palsy (CP) since 2009. Since 2014, she has led the development of North America's first province or state-wide hip surveillance program for children with CP. Her PhD studies will aim to lay the ground work for broader hip surveillance guidelines for children across motor impairments by first developing a system to classify motor function that is independent of diagnosis.
Siara Kainth
Siara received her Bachelor of Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology at the University of British Columbia. After gaining experience working as a Kinesiologist, she pursued a Master’s of Physiotherapy in the United Kingdom and is now completing a part-time PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She currently works as a Registered Physiotherapist with both children and adults in the community. Throughout Siara’s education and work experience, she was always held a passion for working with children of all abilities. Her goal is to be able to identify gaps in research while working in the field and address these gaps with valuable research in order to make a difference in the lives of those with DCD.
Rachel Devenyi
Rachael graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a minor in Neuroscience. Following graduation, Rachael worked as a Clinical Research Project Coordinator at The Hospital for Sick Children contributing to studies related to global childhood malnutrition, healthcare inequities and child and family centred care. Rachael is now pursuing a Master’s degree in the Women+ and Children’s Health Sciences program. Her research in the Zwicker Lab examines the trajectory of motor development in children with congenital heart disease, with the aim of improving clinical care and rehabilitation strategies.
Sarah Tischer
Sarah is a physiotherapist from Germany, where she obtained her license and practiced as a pediatric therapist for five years. She became interested in research while pursuing her BSc in Applied Therapeutic Sciences and working with emerging therapy approaches. Passionate about providing children with the best possible rehabilitation, Sarah recently moved to Vancouver to complete her MSc in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, where she is advancing her skills in research. In the Zwicker Lab, Sarah will focus on investigating brain changes following rehabilitation in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as part of her master’s research.
Former Trainees
Dr. Victoria Rapos
PhD (Rehabilitation Sciences), 2024
Victoria completed her Master of Science in Kinesiology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario before moving out to British Columbia. Victoria’s interest with children with DCD began during her master’s where she examined obstacle crossing behaviours between young adults, typically developing children, and children with DCD. Victoria’s PhD research focuses on understanding brain, balance, and coordination in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). By comparing neural activity to coordination during locomotion Victoria hopes to identify the underlying mechanisms of DCD. Victoria was fortunate enough to receive an NSERC PGS-D scholarship which motivates her to continue higher-level thinking and will support her throughout the next few years. Victoria is currently pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Steven Miller at BC Children’s Rehabilitation Institute.
Fun Facts: When not in the lab Victoria enjoys finding new and challenging hikes around Vancouver! Victoria was also a dance instructor for many years including volunteering with Movin’ and Groovin’, an activity class focusing on fundamental movement skills, dance, and social skills in children with a disability.
Dr. Melika Kangarani Farahani
PhD (Rehabilitation Sciences), 2023
Melika studied Bachelor and Master of Occupational Therapy in Iran. She worked as a pediatric occupational therapist for more than 10 years and then decided to continue her PhD at UBC. She has recently moved to Canada and is trying so hard to adjust to the culture. Not being a registered OT in Canada but having the passion to work with kids, Melika has started working as a behavioural interventionist with kids with autism. As for research, she focused on brain changes after rehabilitation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and DCD.
Fun Facts: Melika enjoys playing the traditional Persian musical instrument, the Santoor; doing crafts and paintings.
Myrah Malik
Master of Science (Rehabilitation Science), 2021
Myrah received her Bachelor of Science degree with a focus in Kinesiology from Simon Fraser University. She enjoys working with children with neurodevelopmental disorders which led her to pursue a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Science at the University of British Columbia. Her research focused on studying grey matter differences in children with developmental coordination disorder compared to typically developing children. As she strived to pursue a career in occupational therapy, she also investigated how rehabilitation intervention can lead to changes in the grey matter structure of the brain to further advocate for evidence-based rehabilitation intervention. Myrah is currently at the University of Alberta pursuing a MSc in Occupational Therapy to become an occupational therapist.
Fun Facts: Known for her family-famous apple pie, Myrah enjoys living an active and healthy lifestyle, and working with organizations to create inclusive recreational programs for children of all abilities.
Dr. Kamaldeep Gill
Registered Occupational Therapist and PhD (Rehabilitation Science), 2021
Kamal received her Bachelor of Kinesiology from University of the Fraser Valley and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from University of Alberta. Kamal’s primary research focus is studying the brain differences, specifically differences in a brain region known as the cerebellum in children with DCD compared to typically developing children. Further, she investigates whether rehabilitation leads to changes in the structure of the cerebellum. Over the last few years, she has also been involved in creating a mouse model of DCD, which will lead us to look into the genetic cause of DCD in the near future.
Fun Facts: When she is not researching, she enjoys running, hiking, and baking.
Dr. Sara Izadi-Najafabadi
Occupational Therapist and PhD (Rehabilitation Science), 2021
Sara received her Bachelor and Master of Occupational Therapy from Iran. She worked as a pediatric occupational therapist for a few years and then joined the Zwicker lab as a PhD student. Sara focused on brain changes after rehabilitation in children with DCD. She also collaborated with Shie to understand the effect of brain stimulation using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on motor learning of these children. Outside the lab, she has been involved in advocating for graduate students with disability at UBC and learning more about how science informs decisions and policy-making in the government of Canada. Sara is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Applied Research to Cancer Control (ARCC) at BC Cancer Agency.
Fun Facts: For fun, Sara enjoys cooking and biking.
Shie Rinat
Occupational Therapist and Master of Science (Rehabilitation Science), 2019
Shie is an occupational therapist from Israel. As an OT, she worked at a child development clinic and at the Rehabilitation Unit, Neurology and Neurosurgery Units at Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel. She joined Zwicker’s lab as a master’s student in the Rehabilitation Sciences Program in September 2017. Her main research project was to investigate functional brain networks of children with DCD, to better understand the neural characteristics of DCD. In addition, she was involved in a project that aims to investigate feeding behaviours of preterm infants as a predictor of DCD. She also collaborated with Sara to investigate the effectiveness of brain stimulation using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in improving motor learning among children with DCD. Shie is now pursuing her PhD at UBC.
Fun Facts: Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking, gardening and cooking.
Meisan Brown-Lum
Master of Science (Rehabilitation Science), 2017
As part of her Master's thesis, Meisan examined brain microstructure in children with DCD and how it compared to brain microstructure of typically developing children. Meisan is now working at the Institutional Programs Office, Office of the VP Research and Innovation, UBC.