Dr. Courtney Pollock was recently appointed as an Assistant Professor in July 2018. She trained as a physiotherapist at McMaster University and worked clinically for over 10 years prior to transitioning to full-time research, this experience informs her research. Dr. Pollock earned a MSc at the University of Western Ontario, a PhD in Rehabilitation Science at UBC and completed post-doctoral studies at Simon Fraser University. Throughout her training, she was supported by several competitive awards from major agencies including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Dr. Pollock’s research aims to: 1) comprehensively understand the fundamental mechanisms of motor control of walking balance and balance reactions and, 2) understand how neurological changes associated with aging, disease and injury impact these aspects of motor control and mobility. The overarching goal of her research is to advance rehabilitation practice by development and evaluation of innovative therapeutic interventions designed with sufficient levels of challenge to optimize the motor control of independent mobility.
Dr. Pollock’s lab is located at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. She is accepting students interested in pursuing MSc and PhD degrees through the UBC Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Program. Work in the Mobility and Balance Rehabilitation Lab will immerse students in a highly collaborative research environment addressing questions related to fundamental motor control of balance and clinically driven questions addressing balance impairment and mobility.