Dr. Marla Beauchamp, Associate Scientific Director of the MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre, was awarded the 2024 Canadian Respiratory Health Professionals (CRHP) Distinction Award. The distinguished achievement award from the Canadian Thoracic Society recognizes healthcare professionals who have significantly enriched respiratory care through unique or long-term contributions.
Dr. Beauchamp, a physical therapist and Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, was nominated by colleagues and trainees for her work in rehabilitation for older adults with chronic lung disease, which influenced international clinical practice guidelines, and for her more recent work on long COVID.
Dr. Beauchamp serves as project lead for McMaster Monitoring My Mobility (MAcM3), a large 1,500 person cohort study tracking the everyday mobility and health trajectories of older Canadians. As one of MIRA’s Major Programs of Research, MacM3 aims to to improve, through the use of advanced technologies, the identification and assessment of early mobility limitation at the individual, home, and community level among older Canadians. In addition to recent work studying the effects of long COVID, All this work is at cross-section of aging, respiratory disease, and mobility.
The award, adjudicated by members of the CRHP Leadership Council, is presented based on nomination from a fellow CRHP member highlighting the nominee’s engagement in the mentorship of other health-care professionals and position as role models for professionalism and volunteerism. The CRHP, a network of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals associated with the Canadian Thoracic Society, includes nurses, respiratory therapists, physiotherapists, pharmacists, and other health professionals working in the respiratory field. Dr. Beauchamp received the award at the CRHP Annual meeting in conjunction with the 2024 Canadian Respiratory Conference, held April 11-13 in Toronto.
In addition to her position as the inaugural Associate Scientific Director of the MIRA | Dixon Hall Centre — a unique partnership with multi-service agency focused on addressing poverty, social injustices and isolation across the lifespan, in Toronto’s downtown East — Dr. Beauchamp leads or contributes to several of MIRA’s Major Programs of Research, including MacM3, EMBOLDEN and the MIRA – iGeN Study. Her research, aiming to identify ways to keep older adults mobile and healthy in their homes and communities for as long as possible, includes innovative approaches to fall risk assessment and prevention, wearable technology for mobility monitoring, and studies on recovery after COVID-19 and respiratory infection.
Dr. Beauchamp’s personal commitment to leadership, trainee mentorship and knowledge translation highlights her significant role in shaping policy, guiding clinical practice, and advancing our understanding of respiratory health in aging populations.
Congratulations, and very well deserved!
