June 22 and 23, 2015
University of Waterloo
Presentations
Keynote: Prevention of MSD in Ontario: Learning from the past and ideas for the future
Alec Farquhar, Director, Office of the Worker Advisor
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How We Got Here: A 10-Year Journey in MSD Prevention
Richard Wells, Director, CRE-MSD
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Summary
CRE-MSD celebrated 10 years of funding and supporting MSD related research on June 22 and 23, 2015 with an annual research symposium at the University of Waterloo.
Alec Farquhar, Director, Office of the Worker Adviser kicked off the event with an inspirational keynote presentation, “Prevention of MSD in Ontario: Learning From the Past and Ideas for the Future.” This was followed by an evening reception and networking opportunity where over 80 faculty, researchers and students connected on years past and viewed the many research project posters of current and recent MSD research.
The following day provided participants with thought provoking insights beginning with opening remarks from CRE-MSD Director, Richard Wells and Jack Callaghan, Associate Director. A foundational presentation on CRE-MSD, “A 10 year journey of MSD prevention” was given by Richard Wells, followed by 7 graduate student presentations from the Universities of Waterloo, Toronto, Ryerson, McMaster and Laurentian on “What’s New in CRE-MSD Research.”
The application of MSD prevention into practice complemented the morning academic research presentations as Blackberry, Ford, Hamilton Health Sciences and Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) profiled how MSD research is having a positive impact in the workplace.
Reflections on the trials and tribulations of moving MSD prevention research into practice provided participants with encouragement on overcoming barriers to implementing MSD prevention techniques into the mainstream.
Case based examples integrating MSD research into practice throughout a variety of organizational settings, including McMaster University and the University of Waterloo, the Institute for Work & Health, and Defense Research and Development Canada, served to close the loop on knowledge acquisition, dissemination and application.
Inspired to tackle gaps in MSD research and the opportunities for improving work life quality through MSD prevention, participants bestowed a resounding applause to all the presenters. A moving tribute of thank you was addressed to Richard Wells and Jack Callaghan by Robert Norman, Professor Emeritus (Waterloo) and past WSIB Research Advisory Council Chair, for their leadership, vision and stakeholder engagement throughout the past decade, encouraging continuation of this essential research work for the ones ahead.