Toronto, ON (Sept 15, 2016) -- Holland Bloorview's research institute is pleased to announce that subsequent to an international search, Dr. Shannon Scratch has been appointed to the position of Clinician Scientist at Holland Bloorview effective October 3, 2016.
Shannon holds a Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) and a Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne, Australia. She completed her doctoral and post-doctoral research training within the Clinical Sciences and Cell Biology themes at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI), Melbourne, Australia.
Her past research has centred on two at-risk pediatric populations, children born preterm and those with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Research in both groups involved longitudinal study design of cohorts, brain imaging techniques such as brain volume estimation and functional MRI, and extensive investigations of cognition and mental health. Shannon has 17 refereed articles to her name, including a first-authored contribution in Pediatrics. From a clinical perspective, Shannon holds specialist endorsement in the area of Clinical Neuropsychology with the Psychology Board of Australia. She has worked across the lifespan in acute, subacute, and community settings, with clients who have experienced an acquired brain injury and their families.
Upon returning to Toronto earlier this year, she was registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario (supervised practice) and worked as a Clinical Neuropsychologist on the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.
Meet Shannon
What is your personal passion behind research? What inspires you?
Shannon: My clinical interest in the field of acquired brain injury (ABI) stemmed primarily from observing the varied outcomes that clients and families experience. Each story is unique because every client is unique. I am inspired to better understand why some clients experience significant challenges and others exhibit resilience, even in cases where the injury is similar. These varied experiences make ABI an interesting area to work in, but a challenging one to study. There is still so much to investigate about the brain and mechanisms of recovery, yet the clinical need continues despite the unknown. I hope, from a research perspective, to contribute to this uncertainly with the aim of better supporting the needs of clients and families during their path to recovery.
What do you want people to know about your research and real-life implications research should have?
Shannon: I believe that research can be a powerful mechanism to frame clinical practice. It’s our job, as a world-leading institute in pediatric rehabilitation, to drive best practice principles. This primarily includes investigating and developing targeted and cost-effective interventions that can help clinicians provide the best care possible and clients and families achieve the best outcomes possible.
How do you see the family voice impactful in research?
Shannon: Family members, especially parents and guardians, know their children best. We need to understand how our clients are doing not just in our assessment sessions, but also within the home, school, and social situations. The family voice provides that context. They help us to understand if the interventions we are using, or the recommendations we provided, are assisting our clients outside the hospital setting. It’s also important to understand not only the health of the client, but the health of the family. One rarely exists without the other. The family voice helps to ensure our research questions consider this broad lens.
