Douglas Gross, PhD, BScPT

Area of Study / Keywords

Work Disability Prevention Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Workers' Compensation Return to Work

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About

Credentials

• Diploma in Work Disability Prevention Research - University of Sherbrooke - 2009 
• PhD - Physical Therapy - University of Alberta - 2003
• BSc - Physical Therapy - University of Alberta - 1997

Background

• Licensed to practice physiotherapy since 1997
• Worked clinically in both private practice and occupational rehabilitation centres
• Completed graduate studies and started work in the UofA's PT department in 2003
• Interim PT department chair from July 2014 to June 2016
• Director of the Rehabilitation Research Centre since 2012

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Research

Doug is a rehabilitation scientist whose scholarship focuses on preventing work disability in people with physical and mental health conditions. This includes evaluating the effectiveness of clinical and public health interventions, investigating determinants of work disability and return to work, as well as developing and testing outcome measures and clinical assessment strategies. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts and contributed to funded research projects totaling over $30 million, including projects funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Alberta Labour and Immigration, WorkSafeBC, and various Workers’ Compensation Boards. He is a Killam Laureate, McCalla Professor, and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation.

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Teaching

University of Alberta Courses:

PTHER 572 - Basic Concepts in Evidence-Based Practice

Dr. Gross is not currently accepting graduate students.

2023 Best Oral Presentation at PREMUS Congress in Bengaluru, India

2022 Innovative Teaching Award (Rehabilitation Science) from the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine

2020-2022 McCalla Professorship

2018 'Great Supervisor' Award from University of Alberta's Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research

2017 Award for Research Excellence at the Safe, Healthy, and Productive Workplaces Conference: Learning from Research and Practice. Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain and Disability. June 1-3, 2017, Vancouver, British Columbia.

2014 Liberty Mutual Work Disability Award

2002 Killam Memorial Scholarship 

PTHER 572 - Basic Concepts in Evidence-Based Practice

Introduction to basic concepts of evidence-based practice with emphasis on the search, selection, evaluation, and application of scientific evidence to inform clinical decision-making in physical therapy. Students will consider issues of measurement and outcome assessment.

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REHAB 601 - Research Design in Rehabilitation Science

This course will provide students an overview of methodological approaches in health science and rehabilitation research, including features and issues that impact on research methodology (i.e., design, data collection, and analysis). Students will gain an understanding of the philosophical and theoretical perspectives that underpin quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches in health research.

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Browse more courses taught by Douglas Gross

Started: 2012-06-01

The Rehabilitation Research Centre (RRC) of the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (FRM) was established in 1989 to support and undertake health-related research in the rehabilitation disciplines.

See: https://www.ualberta.ca/rehabilitation/research/institutes-and-centres/rehabilitation-research-centre/index.html

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Started: 2020-07-01

The Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation is an international forum for the publication of peer-reviewed original papers on the rehabilitation, reintegration, and prevention of disability in workers. See: https://www.springer.com/journal/10926

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Doug’s scholarship focuses on rehabilitation strategies for preventing disability in people with physical and mental health disorders. This includes investigating the effectiveness of clinical and public health interventions, work disability prevention initiatives, and development and testing of outcome measures and clinical assessment strategies. 

Erin McCabe, Mary Roduta Roberts, Maxi Miciak, Haowei (Linda) Sun, Douglas P. Gross

European Journal of Physiotherapy. 2023 March; 10.1080/21679169.2021.2005138

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Brandon Krebs, Andrew Nataraj, Erin McCabe, Shannon Clark, Zahin Sufiyan, Shelby S. Yamamoto, Osmar Zaïane, Douglas P. Gross

European Spine Journal. 2023 February; 10.1007/s00586-023-07552-4

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Katelyn Brehon, Riikka Niemeläinen, Mark Hall, Geoff P Bostick, Cary A Brown, Marguerite Wieler, Douglas P Gross

JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies. 2022 September; 10.2196/39883

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Stefano Negrini, Kristian Borg, Anne Cusick, Giorgio Ferriero, Walter R. Frontera, Douglas P. Gross, Allen Heinemann, Wendy Machalicek, Ann Patricia Moore, Randolph J. Nudo, Dominic Pérennou, Henk Stam, Carlotte Kiekens

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2022 September; 10.1007/s10926-022-10071-6

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Douglas P. Gross, Geoffrey S. Rachor, Shelby S. Yamamoto, Bruce D. Dick, Cary Brown, Ambikaipakan Senthilselvan, Sebastian Straube, Charl Els, Tanya Jackson, Suzette Brémault-Phillips, Don Voaklander, Jarett Stastny, Theodore Berry

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2021 December; 10.1007/s10926-021-09963-w

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Douglas P. Gross, Alexander Asante, Joanne Pawluk, Riikka Niemeläinen

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2021 June; 10.1007/s10926-020-09934-7

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Michael Feuerstein, Patricia A. Findley, Douglas P. Gross

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 2019 October; 29 (4):669-670 10.1007/s10926-019-09859-w

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Foster NE, Anema JR, Cherkin D, Chou R, Cohen SP, Gross DP, Ferreira P, Fritz J, Koes B, Peul W, Turner JA, Maher CG on behalf of the the Lancet Low Back Pain Series Working Group

Lancet. 2018 June; 391 (10137):2368-2383 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30489-6

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