Faces of U of T Medicine: Janine Farragher
What got you interested in the rehabilitation sciences?
I’m an occupational therapist, so understanding the science behind rehabilitation was a natural extension of my clinical training. I became an occupational therapist because the idea of a health profession that was so strengths-focused and client-centered really appealed to me. As I learned more about occupational therapy and rehabilitation, I realized there was immense potential and opportunity to strengthen the evidence in our fields using scientific inquiry. That’s how I ended up in the PhD program in rehabilitation science!
What is your research area?
I am interested in discovering how rehabilitation approaches can affect the quality of life and participation of people living with chronic kidney disease. My specific research is currently focused on developing and testing a fatigue management program - based on energy conservation principles - for people with kidney disease who are on long-term dialysis therapy.
Why are you interested in renal disease specifically?
I started working in nephrology because a great job opportunity emerged that looked like a good fit - a nephrologist was looking for a rehabilitation professional to conduct functional assessments for a research project. Once I started to learn more about kidney disease, I could see a lot of potential for occupational therapy to positively impact patient care and outcomes. I wanted to contribute an OT perspective to the field, so conducting research in this area seemed like a natural next step.
What will you remember most about your time in the program?
The countless opportunities I had to work and interact with so many brilliant and passionate people. The supervisors, mentors, students and research participants I was surrounded by were unfathomably innovative, insightful and methodical. I learned so much from them and I am so grateful for the time we had to learn and grow together.
You just started a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary. What will your research focus on?
I just began a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. My primary research project will be to conduct a pilot trial of the fatigue management program I developed during my PhD with people who have end-stage renal disease. I am so fortunate to have joined a very dynamic and talented multidisciplinary research team here (the Interdisciplinary Chronic Disease Collaboration), who have wide and varied areas of expertise. One of my goals is to learn as much as I can from them about topics like population health research, patient engagement and knowledge translation. Enriching my knowledge in these areas will help strengthen my own program of research in the future.
How was the move from Toronto to Calgary? Anything you’ll miss about living here?
The move has been an adventure so far! I was born and raised in Toronto, so it’s exciting to be able to experience and become intimately familiar with a new city in a different part of Canada. But I certainly miss many things about Toronto – being close to family and friends is probably the main thing, as well as the endless amount of things there are to do on any given weekend!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I hope to be working in a research-intensive faculty position at a major university in Canada, developing and testing rehabilitation interventions for people with chronic kidney disease. However, I also see my work extending beyond kidney disease to other areas of chronic disease management, as there is often a lot of overlap between the management of different chronic health conditions.
What advice do you have for incoming students?
My main piece of advice is to find ways to connect with other graduate students. It’s a great way to get some much-needed support as you navigate your graduate student journey, and it can help strengthen your work as you get exposed to different perspectives. Join a club, start a weekly writing group or organize monthly coffee hours – sometimes you might have to go out of your way to make this happen, but it’s absolutely worth the effort!
Faces of U of T Medicine introduces you to some of the interesting people studying in the Faculty of Medicine. From advising political leaders to providing care to Toronto’s most vulnerable populations, our students are making an impact on communities at home and around the world.
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