Dr. Bonita Sawatzky

Dr. Sawatzky is an Assistant Professor in both the Division of Orthopaedic Engineering and Paediatric Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia. Her initial interests in orthopaedics as well as her Ph.D. thesis focused on the 3-D analysis of spinal surgery for scoliosis. She has since shifted her main interest to studying the physiological and biomechanical effects of wheelchair set up on wheelchair propulsion in both adults and children in hopes of improving function and decreasing long-term overuse injuries as a result of wheelchair propulsion. She has been affiliated with the Spina Bifida Clinic since 1986 here in Vancouver. Her expertise in wheelchair propulsion is her reason for her association with ICORD (Interdisciplinary Collaboration on Repair Discoveries) a new spinal cord research centre in Vancouver. Her academic affiliations are with the School of Human Kinetics and the School of Rehabilitation Medicine, and the Faculty of Dentistry. Her personal experience following a car accident in 1993 has also given her insight into the daily challenges of using a wheelchair.