Program: Rehabilitation Science (PhD)
Supervisor: Dr. Marla Beauchamp
Cassandra D’Amore is a PhD candidate in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University. Her work focuses on understanding physical activity behaviour and its uptake in older adults. She is interested in strategies to maintain mobility and autonomy in the aging population. Cassandra is passionate about including older adult voices in research and creating opportunities for trainees to build capacity in community engagement. Before starting graduate studies, she worked in clinical rehabilitation settings as a registered massage therapist with an undergraduate degree in kinesiology.
Why did you choose to explore research at McMaster University?
I entered graduate studies after working in rehabilitative settings for three years as an RMT. In my clinical practice, I found a pattern among older adults identifying a lack of preventative strategies promoting the maintenance of mobility and avoiding injuries. I returned to academia hoping to explore the use of physical activity, specifically outside of exercise, to maintain mobility and quality of life as we age. McMaster University was the perfect fit, with strong researchers in the area of mobility and organizations like McMaster’s Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) that promote the inclusion of older adult voices in research.
What do you find most challenging as a trainee/about your specific research area and how have you overcome these challenges?
One of the challenges I have come across in my research is not losing the “voices” that made me decide to return to school. My work is mainly secondary data analysis using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. I have no direct contact with participants and was unsure how I could involve community members in this study design. However, I worked with the Collaborative to develop strategies that allow some community engagement in my projects. Acknowledging that there is still value in having smaller aspects of community engagement as it is not always feasible to include them continuously in all projects.
What experiences or advice would you like to share with prospective/new trainees?
I have found throughout my journey the most rewarding aspect is when I get to interact with people I hope to help in the future. Whether that was during my clinical work, performing data collection, or working with community member steering groups. These interactions keep me grounded and focused on what I am hoping to achieve. There is a lot of value in a conversation. Learning how to listen and have meaningful conversation with anyone (community members, fellow trainees, supervisors) is essential for work in research and academia.
More Info
MacData Graduate Fellowship, MacDATA Institute, January 2022 – August 2022
Project: Exploring predictors of physical activity behaviour patterns in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
MIRA Trainee Planning Grant, January 2022 – August 2022
Event: The In’s and Out of Co-design: Research for older adults with older adults (July 2022)
Summer Program on Aging, CIHR Institute for Aging, May 2021
D’Amore C, Reid JC, Chan M, Fan S, Huang A, Louie J, Tran A, Chauvin S, Beauchamp MK. Title: Interventions Including Smart Technology Compared with Face-to-face Physical Activity Interventions in Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 09/08/2022:36134 (forthcoming/in press)
Constantin N, Edward H, Ng H, Radisic A, Yule A, D’Asti A, D’Amore C, Reid J, Beauchamp M. The use of co-design in developing physical activity interventions for older adults: a scoping review. BMC Geriatr. 2022;22(1):647
Beauchamp, Marla K; Kuspinar, A; Sohel, Nazmul, Mayhew, A; D’Amore, C; Griffith, Luaren, E; Raina, Parminder. (2022). Mobility Screening for fall prediction in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA): implications for fall prevention in the decade of healthy aging. Age and Ageing.
D’Amore, C; O’Hoski, S; Griffith, L; Richardson, J; Goldstein, R; Beauchamp, M. (2022). Factors Associated with Participation in Life Situations in People with COPD. Chronic Respiratory Disease.
Beauchamp, M; Hao, Q; Kuspinar, A; D’Amore, C; Scime, G; Ma, J; Mayhew, A; Bassim, C; Wolfson, C; Kirkland, S; Griffith, L; Raina, P. (2021) Reliability and minimal detectable change values for performance-based measures of physical functioning in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.
Connect with Cassandra on Twitter.