Dr. Jill Zwicker
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jill Zwicker is the recipient of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award for her research: “Increasing awareness and improving outcomes of children with developmental coordination disorder in British Columbia”
Dr. Zwicker is Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy & Occupations Sciences, UBC and Associate Member, Division of Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, UBC. Dr. Zwicker, an occupational therapist with over 20 years clinical experience, completed her Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology at the University of Victoria, where she conducted a randomized clinical trial to compare multisensory and cognitive approaches for handwriting intervention. She then completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia and her dissertation examined the neural correlates of motor performance in children with developmental coordination disorder, which was one of the first studies to describe the neurobiological differences of children with DCD.
We are also pleased to announce that Dr. Zwicker is the recipient of the Career Development Award from the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program.
This four-year salary award will support Dr. Zwicker’s research on developmental coordination disorder (DCD). DCD is one of the most common motor disorders in children, and significantly interferes with a child’s ability to learn motor skills and to perform everyday activities. As a result, children with DCD often experience secondary psychosocial difficulties, including poor self-esteem, depression, anxiety, loneliness and social isolation.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Tim Oberlander, Professor, Department of Pediatrics at Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, and Dr. Deborah Giaschi, Professor in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Director of Operations for the Child and Family Research Imaging Facility, Dr. Zwicker’s research will aim to understand the neural basis of DCD and to use neuroimaging to assess the effectiveness of rehabilitation intervention for children with this disorder. Her research will also explore predictors of DCD by identifying children with this disorder in a longitudinal prospective cohort of premature newborns and examining associations with clinical risk factors and early brain development.