3F Research Group

Niousha is a registered dietitian and she pursued her Master of Rehabilitation at Dalhousie University under the supervision of Dr. McArthur. Her thesis revolved around identifying the barriers and facilitators to receiving adequate nutrition among long-term care residents with moderate to severe dementia.

The 3F Research Group provided an interdisciplinary environment with invaluable experiences and insights from a diverse group of professionals. Notably, during weekly lab meetings, the team engaged in collaborative discussions, sharing challenges and benefiting from each other’s expertise.

Niousha continues to advance her research career by striving to develop strategies that effectively address the nutritional needs of individuals with dementia. She aims to bridge the gap between research and practice, and contribute to enhancing quality of life.

Dr. Michael Kalu completed his postdoctoral fellowship with the 3F Research Group where he conducted project-advisory led research on mobility data to inform care plan improvement interventions in long-term care. He recently joined the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University in Toronto as an Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Therapy

Dr. Kalu will continue to focus his research on exploring the multifactorial, multifaceted and multidisciplinary aspects of mobility prevention, assessment and intervention/enhancement across the continuum of care. Specifically, he hopes to explore the socio-cultural considerations of older adults’ mobility to co-develop mobility-adapted physical activity for “apparently healthy” black older adults or those with neuromuscular conditions using technology (AI) collected mobility data. 

Dr. Michael Kalu (opens in new window) is open to collaboration at York University.

Rachel joined the 3F Research Group as a volunteer. She completed her BSc in Medical Sciences with honours in rehabilitation research at Dalhousie University. Rachel’s honours project examined the association between communication impairment in long-term care residents with dementia and the receipt of physiotherapy and occupational therapy. This was a secondary analysis of data collected by the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI 2.0) in Ontario nursing homes.

Rachel is currently studying in the MD program at Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick where she will continue her involvement in research through the Research in Medicine (RIM) program.

Dr. Razan Al-Sharkawi completed medical school at Dalhousie University in 2024. She also holds a BSc in Medical Sciences with a minor in bioethics and is currently completing her residency in Internal Medicine at Dalhousie University-Saint John.

Dr. Al-Sharkawi participated in the Research in Medicine (RIM) project where she had the opportunity to work on a medically related research project. She started working in the research field during her undergraduate degree, and she wanted to expand her skillset with the 3F Research Group. Dr. Razan Al-Shaekawi worked on a project to determine whether the First Falls and Fracture Risk Scales in both home care and long-term care settings can be validated in international populations.

Dr. Al-Sharkawi appreciates the great work that she accomplished with the 3F Research Group.

Hello! My name is Lydia Kennedy, and I am a research in medicine student currently in my second year of Medicine at Dalhousie. I previously graduated with a Diploma in Veterinary Technology and a BSc in bioveterinary science. My project involves looking at the incidence of delirium in long term care homes in Ontario. I am looking at the time period prior to and after the COVID-19 pandemic, to determine whether the pandemic had an effect on rates of delirium in this population. This has been my first experience conducting research, and it has been very enjoyable so far! After having some personal experiences caregiving for my grandparents, it piqued a keen interest in the health of our geriatric populations. I am very excited to be able to provide care for aging Canadians in the future and looking forward to see where this research goes!