Celebrating the Journey of Exceptional Female Leaders

Janelle Unger – Physiotherapist and Researcher at the Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity and Professor in the School of Physiotherapy at Western University

  1. What is the most rewarding part of your role at St. Joseph’s? 

Knowing the positive impact my research has on the people we serve and the ripple effect across the world is so rewarding. Helping one patient improve their mobility is amazing, but knowing that I can then share that knowledge with my physiotherapy students at Western and with physiotherapists across the globe is what keeps me motivated.

  1. Why did you choose a career in health care?

    Janelle Unger, Physiotherapist
    Janelle Unger, Physiotherapist and Researcher at the Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity

Growing up, I saw how physiotherapists were able to help people condition and recover from injuries. I loved the idea of helping others help themselves while assisting them in being active. I also did a research internship in high school and saw how being curious and asking questions was a way to contribute brand new knowledge to the world. As soon as I learned this was an option for a career, I knew health research was what I wanted to do.

  1. Why do you choose to work at St. Joseph’s? 

My role at St. Joseph’s is unique as I am a Western University researcher, embedded within St. Joseph’s Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity. My lab, the RED Neuro Lab (Rehabilitation, Experience and Service Delivery) is located at Parkwood Institute, which provides me the ability to collaborate with clinicians and patients in the stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and geriatric programs, while streamlining our research. I’ve chosen to work at St. Joseph’s because of their focus on encouraging researchers like myself to co-locate in clinical settings, removing barriers for patients to participate in research and furthering knowledge translation.

  1. How can we promote inclusivity for women in the workplace? 

I have been so fortunate in having really strong women as mentors in every stage of my career. I want to be that for young researchers and students and help them see themselves in these roles. I hope to continue to motivate people because we need more women from diverse backgrounds, such as women of colour, in science.

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As an organization built on the compassion, ingenuity and caring hands of the Sisters of St. Joseph, we’re proud to celebrate the women who contribute to our mission each day through their work and service to our patients, residents and caregivers. We want to mark this International Women’s Day by profiling a few of the thousands of remarkable women who work at St. Joseph’s Health Care London.

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