Ben Mortenson
Associate Professor
Research Classification
Quality of Life and Aging
Social Aspects of Aging
Mobility
Rehabilitation
Research Interests
Accessibility
Assistive technology
Occupational therapy
Caregiving
Social participation
Spinal cord injury
Outcome measures
Robotics
Relevant Degree Programs
Research Methodology
Mixed-methods research
Qualitative Research
Randomized Control Trials
survey research
Ethnography
Wheelchair skills mobility assessment lab
Recruitment
Complete these steps before you reach out to a faculty member!
Check requirements
- Familiarize yourself with program requirements. You want to learn as much as possible from the information available to you before you reach out to a faculty member. Be sure to visit the graduate degree program listing and program-specific websites.
- Check whether the program requires you to seek commitment from a supervisor prior to submitting an application. For some programs this is an essential step while others match successful applicants with faculty members within the first year of study. This is either indicated in the program profile under "Requirements" or on the program website.
Focus your search
- Identify specific faculty members who are conducting research in your specific area of interest.
- Establish that your research interests align with the faculty member’s research interests.
- Read up on the faculty members in the program and the research being conducted in the department.
- Familiarize yourself with their work, read their recent publications and past theses/dissertations that they supervised. Be certain that their research is indeed what you are hoping to study.
Make a good impression
- Compose an error-free and grammatically correct email addressed to your specifically targeted faculty member, and remember to use their correct titles.
- Do not send non-specific, mass emails to everyone in the department hoping for a match.
- Address the faculty members by name. Your contact should be genuine rather than generic.
- Include a brief outline of your academic background, why you are interested in working with the faculty member, and what experience you could bring to the department. The supervision enquiry form guides you with targeted questions. Ensure to craft compelling answers to these questions.
- Highlight your achievements and why you are a top student. Faculty members receive dozens of requests from prospective students and you may have less than 30 seconds to pique someone’s interest.
- Demonstrate that you are familiar with their research:
- Convey the specific ways you are a good fit for the program.
- Convey the specific ways the program/lab/faculty member is a good fit for the research you are interested in/already conducting.
- Be enthusiastic, but don’t overdo it.
Attend an information session
G+PS regularly provides virtual sessions that focus on admission requirements and procedures and tips how to improve your application.
Master's students
Doctoral students
Any time / year round
My research focuses on four overlapping areas: assistive technology, social participation, caregiving and outcome measurement. My work is centered on four main populations: assistive technology users, informal and formal caregivers, individuals with spinal cord injury and residents in long-term care.
Supervision Enquiry
If you have reviewed some of this faculty member's publications, understand their research interests and have reviewed the admission requirements, you may submit a contact request to this supervisor.
Graduate Student Supervision
Doctoral Student Supervision (Jan 2008 - May 2019)
Peer mentoring in residential care: a mixed-methods study (2019)
No abstract available.
Publications
- ‘I am busy independent woman who has sense of humor, caring about others’: older adults’ self-representations in online dating profiles (2019)
Ageing and Society, 39 (5), 951--976 - Building a Bridge to the Community: An Integrated Knowledge Translation Approach to Improving Participation in Community-Based Exercise for People after Stroke (2019)
Physical Therapy, 99 (3), 286-296 - Co-construction of an Internet-based intervention for older assistive technology users and their family caregivers: stakeholders’ perceptions (2019)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 14 (6), 602--611 - Comparing Assessments of Physical Functional Independence in Older Adults with Mobility Limitations (2019)
American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 98 (8), 637-641 - Determinants Influencing the Prestroke Health Behaviors and Cardiovascular Disease Risk of Stroke Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study (2019)
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 28 (6), 1509-1518 - Development of a Self-Management App for People with Spinal Cord Injury (2019)
Journal of Medical Systems, 43 (6) - Development of an online registry for adults with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita: A protocol paper (2019)
American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics, - Evaluating common approaches to improve visibility of wheelchair users (2019)
Assistive Technology, - Exploring perceptions of stroke survivors and caregivers about secondary prevention: a longitudinal qualitative study (2019)
Disability and Rehabilitation, - Exploring the lived experience of people using ultralight wheelchairs with on-the-fly adjustable seating function (2019)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, - Feasibility RCT protocol evaluating a powered-wheelchair training program for older adults,Faisabilité du protocole d’un essai randomisé visant à évaluer un programme d’entraînement au fauteuil roulant motorisé pour les aînés (2019)
Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 86 (3), 232-242 - Implementing a self-management mobile app for spinal cord injury during inpatient rehabilitation and following community discharge: A feasibility study (2019)
The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, , 1--9 - Longitudinal Outcomes Among Family Caregivers of Power Mobility Users (2019)
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, - Men's perceptions of living with osteoporosis: a systematic review of qualitative studies (2019)
International Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing, 33, 11--17 - Mobility and Participation of People With Disabilities Using Mobility Assistive Technologies: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study (2019)
JMIR Research Protocols, - Mobility Challenges Among Older Adult Mobility Device Users (2019)
Current Geriatrics Reports, 8 (3), 223-231 - Scoping review of propelling aids for manual wheelchairs (2019)
Assistive Technology, - Setting the Sails: Stakeholders Perceptions of an Adapted Sailing Program (2019)
Leisure Sciences, - Stakeholders Walkability/Wheelability Audit in Neighbourhoods (SWAN): user-led audit and photographic documentation in Canada (2019)
Disability & Society, - Starting and stopping kinetics of a rear mounted power assist for manual wheelchairs (2019)
Assistive Technology, , 1--5 - ‘Power in Mobility’: parent and therapist perspectives of the experiences of children learning to use powered mobility (2018)
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 60 (10), 1012-1017 - A survey of canadian occupational therapy practices to prevent pressure injuries among wheelchair users via weight shifting (2018)
Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, 45 (3), 213-220 - Caregivers’ experiences with the selection and use of assistive technology (2018)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 13 (6), 562-567 - Cultural adaptation and validation of patient decision aids: A scoping review (2018)
Patient Preference and Adherence, 12, 321-332 - Effectiveness of interventions involving nurses in secondary stroke prevention: A systematic review and meta-analysis (2018)
European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, - Effects of a caregiver-inclusive assistive technology intervention: a randomized controlled trial (2018)
BMC Geriatrics, 18 (1) - Efficiency and perceived exertion of novel wheelchair wheels: A comparative study (2018)
Assistive Technology, - Improving Self-Management Skills Among People With Spinal Cord Injury: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study (2018)
JMIR Research Protocols, - Improving Self-Management Skills Among People With Spinal Cord Injury: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study (Preprint) (2018)
- Learning to use a rear-mounted power assist for manual wheelchairs (2018)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 13 (8), 772-776 - Mobility and participation among ageing powered wheelchair users: using a lifecourse approach (2018)
Ageing and Society, - Mobility and Participation of People With Disabilities Using Mobility Assistive Technologies: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study (Preprint) (2018)
- Perceptions of Existing Wearable Robotic Devices for Upper Extremity and Suggestions for Their Development: Findings From Therapists and People With Stroke (2018)
JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies, - The role of neighborhood physical environment on mobility and social participation among people using mobility assistive technology (2018)
Disability and Society, 33 (6), 866-893 - Abstracts and Workshops 7th National Spinal Cord Injury Conference November 9 - 11, 2017 Fallsview Casino Resort Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada (2017)
The journal of spinal cord medicine, 40 (6), 813-869 - Broadening the Conceptualization of Participation of Persons With Physical Disabilities: A Configurative Review and Recommendations (2017)
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 98 (2), 395--402 - Components and Outcomes of Internet-Based Interventions for Caregivers of Older Adults: Systematic Review (2017)
Journal of Medical Internet Research, - Cross-Cultural Adaptation of a Decision Support System for at Selection (2017)
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 242, 52-58 - Exoskeletons as an assistive technology for mobility and manipulation (2017)
Robotic Assistive Technologies: Principles and Practice, , 179-218 - Experiences with and perceptions of an adaptive hiking program (2017)
Disability and Rehabilitation, , 1--7 - Feasibility of a Systematic, Comprehensive, One-to-One Training (SCOOT) program for new scooter users: Study protocol for a randomized control trial (2017)
Trials, 18 (1) - Measurement properties of the Wheelchair Skills Test for scooters among experienced users (2017)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, , 1--6 - Needs for mobility devices, home modifications and personal assistance among Canadians with disabilities (2017)
Health Reports, 28 (8), 9-15 - Non-digital game playing by older adults (2017)
Canadian Journal on Aging, 36 (3), 342-350 - Perceptions of Existing Wearable Robotic Devices for Upper Extremity and Suggestions for Their Development: Findings From Therapists and People With Stroke (Preprint) (2017)
- Psychometric properties of a power mobility caregiver assistive technology outcome measure (2017)
PLoS ONE, 12 (6) - Spinal cord injury rehabilitation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: time to rehabilitation admission, length of stay and functional independence (2017)
Spinal Cord, 55 (5), 509--514 - Traumatic brain injury rehabilitation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Time to rehabilitation admission, length of stay and functional outcome (2017)
Brain Injury, 31 (5), 702-708 - Discharge Criteria and Follow-Up Support for Dementia Care Units (2016)
Journal of Applied Gerontology, 35 (3), 321--330 - Effect of a tailored assistive technology intervention on older adults and their family caregiver: a pragmatic study protocol (2016)
BMC Geriatrics, 16 (1) - Intelligent power wheelchair use in long-term care: potential users’ experiences and perceptions (2016)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, , 1--7 - No Place Like Home? Surveillance and What Home Means in Old Age (2016)
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 35 (01), 103--114 - Older Adults Digital Gameplay: Patterns, Benefits, and Challenges (2016)
Simulation & Gaming, 47 (4), 465--489 - Older Adults’ Online Dating Profiles and Successful Aging (2016)
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 35 (04), 479--490 - Prevalence of Wheelchair and Scooter Use Among Community-Dwelling Canadians (2016)
Physical Therapy, 96 (8), 1135--1142 - Reliability and acceptability of an online decision support system for the self-selection of assistive technologies by older Canadians: A research protocol (2016)
2016 IEEE International Symposium on Ethics in Engineering, Science and Technology, ETHICS 2016, - Scoping review of mobility scooter-related research studies (2016)
Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 53 (5), 531--540 - Community and Social Participation After Spinal Cord Injury: An Evidence-Based Longitudinal Systematic Review (2015)
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96 (10), e119 - Development and preliminary evaluation of the caregiver assistive technology outcome measure (2015)
Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 47 (5), 412--418 - Exploratory Validation of a Multidimensional Power Wheelchair Outcomes Toolkit (2015)
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 96 (12), 2184--2193 - Taking Control: An Exploratory Study of the Use of Tilt-in-Space Wheelchairs in Residential Care (2015)
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69 (2), 6902290040p1 - The need for a social revolution in residential care (2015)
Journal of Aging Studies, 35, 201--210 - The power of power wheelchairs: Mobility choices of community-dwelling, older adults (2015)
Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 22 (5), 394--401 - A survey of stakeholder perspectives on exoskeleton technology (2014)
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 11 (1), 169 - Challenges and strategies pertaining to recruitment and retention of frail elderly in research studies: A systematic review (2014)
Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 59 (1), 18--24 - Measurement Properties of the Late Life Disability Index Among Individuals Who Use Power Wheelchairs as Their Primary Means of Mobility (2014)
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, - Myofascial Treatment for Patients With Acetabular Labral Tears: A Single-Subject Research Design Study (2014)
Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 44 (8), 604--614 - Stakeholders' perspectives related to the development of a scooter training program (2014)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, , 1--6 - Effects of an Assistive Technology Intervention on Older Adults with Disabilities and Their Informal Caregivers (2013)
- Power mobility with collision avoidance for older adults: User, caregiver, and prescriber perspectives (2013)
Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 50 (9), 1287--1300 - The nature and use of surveillance technologies in residential care (2013)
Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 7910 , 1-9 - The power(s) of observation: theoretical perspectives on surveillance technologies and older people (2013)
Ageing and Society, 35 (03), 512--530 - Validating the wheelchair outcome measure for residents in long-term care (2013)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 9 (3), 209--212 - Article 24 An Experimental Study of the Impacts of Assistive Technology on Users and Their Informal Caregivers (2012)
- Association Between Mobility, Participation, and Wheelchair-Related Factors in Long-Term Care Residents Who Use Wheelchairs as Their Primary Means of Mobility (2012)
- Commentary on “ICF from an occupational therapy perspective in adult care: An integrative literature review” (2012)
- How Assistive Technology Use by Individuals with Disabilities Impacts Their Caregivers (2012)
- Prescribers' Experiences With Powered Mobility Prescription Among Older Adults (2012)
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67 (1), 100--107 - Prevalence and Facility Level Correlates of Need for Wheelchair Seating Assessment among Long-Term Care Residents (2012)
- End-user involvement in the development and evaluation of the caregiver assistive technology outcome measure: Thematic session: End-user participation in the development of assistive device assessments and outcome measures (2011)
Assistive Technology Research Series, 29, 1043-1050 - Grey spaces: the wheeled fields of residential care (2011)
- Measurement properties of the wheelchair outcome measure in individuals with spinal cord injury (2011)
Spinal Cord, 49 (9), 995--1000 - Predictors of Mobility Among Wheelchair Using Residents in Long-Term Care (2011)
- Impact of an assistive technology intervention on users and their caregivers: Initial findings (2010)
Gerontechnology, 9 (2) - Reliability and validity of the telephone administration of the wheelchair outcome measure (WhOM) for middle-aged and older users of power mobility devices (2010)
Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 42 (6), 574--581 - Satisfaction with participation using a manual wheelchair among individuals with spinal cord injury (2010)
Spinal Cord, 48 (9), 691--696 - The ethics of gerontechnology: From intervention study to implementation in practice (2010)
Gerontechnology, 9 (2) - A Systematic Review of Therapeutic Interventions for Pressure Ulcers After Spinal Cord Injury (2009)
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 90 (2), 213--231 - Mixed Methods Research in Occupational Therapy: a Survey and Critique (2009)
OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 29 (1), 14--23 - The relationship between and predictors of quality of life after spinal cord injury at 3 and 15 months after discharge (2009)
Spinal Cord, 48 (1), 73--79 - Issues for the Selection of Wheelchair-Specific Activity and Participation Outcome Measures: A Review (2008)
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 89 (6), 1177--1186 - The Wheelchair Procurement Process: Perspectives of Clients and Prescribers (2008)
Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75 (3), 167--175 - A review of scales for assessing the risk of developing a pressure ulcer in individuals with SCI (2007)
Spinal Cord, 46 (3), 168--175 - Measuring wheelchair intervention outcomes: Development of the Wheelchair Outcome Measure (2007)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 2 (5), 275--285 - Prevalence and Predictors of Need for Seating Intervention and Mobility for Persons in Long-Term Care (2007)
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 26 (03), 195 - Overarching principles and salient findings for inclusion in guidelines for power mobility use within residential care facilities (2006)
Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 43 (2), 199-208 - Overarching principles and salient findings for inclusion in guidelines for power mobility use within residential care facilities (2006)
- Power and Client-Centred Practice: An Insider Exploration of Occupational Therapists' Experiences (2006)
Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73 (5), 261--271 - Perceptions of power mobility use and safety within residential facilities (2005)
Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72 (3), 142-152 - Perceptions of power mobility use and safety within residential facilities (2005)
Membership Status
Member of G+PS
View explanation of statuses
Location
Vancouver General Hospital
Program Affiliations
If this is your researcher profile you can log in to the Faculty & Staff portal to update your details and provide recruitment preferences.