Caregivers’ Impressions Predicting Fitness to Drive in Persons With Parkinson’s

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Dr. Alvarez is an assistant professor at the University of Western Ontario, School of Occupational Therapy. She is an emerging scholar in occupational therapy whose research is motivated by the potential of technology to facilitate participation for people with neurological conditions that impact their ability to engage in meaningful occupations. Specifically, her unfolding intervention research program centers on the role, implications, efficacy and effectiveness of vehicle automation, driving simulation, and assistive technologies on the health and well-being of at-risk populations across the life span. Dr. Alvarez completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Alberta, Canada, where she worked in the field of assistive technologies. Dr. Alvarez is originally from Colombia, where she pursued her Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences (Mechanical Engineering) after having completed her degree in Occupational Therapy. As an Occupational Therapist and scientist trained in the basic and applied sciences at the graduate level, Dr. Alvarez’s unfolding research reflects an integration of technology into the rehabilitation sciences that enables dialogue among these fields of knowledge. Dr. Alvarez is also the Interim Program Coordinator of Research for the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), and the delegate of Colombia to the WFOT. Dr. Alvarez currently serves as assistant editor of the Occupational Therapy Journal of Research (OTJR): Occupation, Participation and Health.

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