Eric Parent, PhD

Email

eparent@ualberta.ca

Phone

(780) 492-8889

Address

6-110G Clinical Sciences Building

11304 83 Ave NW

Edmonton AB

T6G 2G3

Credentials

• BSc. PT, MSc. experimental medicine, PhD rehabilitation science 
• Post-doctorate - University of Utah - Supervised by Julie Fritz - 2006-2007 
• Post-doctorate - Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital - 2006 
• PhD - University of Alberta - Supervised by Michèle Crites-Battié and Tapio Videman - 2005 
• MSc - Université Laval - Supervised by Hélène Moffet - 2000 
• BSc.- Sciences de la Santé Physiothérapie - Université Laval - 1996

Background

Dr. Parent is originally from Lac-à-la-Tortue, halfway between Montréal and Québec City. He studied physiotherapy at Université Laval in Québec City. He worked as a physiotherapist in a private practice with a focus on musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Parent completed his MSc in Experimental Medicine (Rehabilitation) at Université Laval in 2000. In 2005, he received his PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Alberta. Dr. Parent’s PhD work focused on the development of a measure of lumbar disc contour abnormality on MRI. He completed one year of post-doctoral work with the Edmonton Scoliosis Research Group with a focus on the assessment of the measurement properties of health-related quality of life questionnaires and surface topography measures. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr Julie Fritz at the University of Utah where he conducted a cohort study to create a prediction rule to identify the responders to extension exercises and understand the mechanisms of action for these exercises. Dr. Parent completed the Intermountain Healthcare mini-training program in Health Care Delivery Improvement. In January 2008, he joined the Department of Physical Therapy with a cross-appointment as a Clinical-Scientist at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital within the Edmonton Scoliosis Research Group

Professional Interests

Dr. Parent’s research interests are in the assessment of the measurement properties of questionnaires and performance measures. He is also focused on the development of prediction rules to identify responders to physical therapy treatments. Further, Dr. Parent is interested in assessing the mechanisms of action of physical therapy interventions using quantitative measures from MR images. The clinical populations he is most interested in are low back pain and scoliosis.

Current Research

• The Schroth Exercise Trial for Scoliosis (SETS) study
• The measurement properties of Full-torso surface topography for scoliosis
• Spinal stiffness characteristics and muscle thickness asymmetries at different levels of scoliosis curves.
• Identifying predictors of good therapeutic response to repeated exercises in patients with low back pain
• Correlations between the changes in pain and the changes in lumbar pathoanatomical findings in response to repeated movement exercises.

Eric Parent, PhD, is a graduate supervisor at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Dr. Parent currently mentors two PhD students and one MSc student.