Living well with brain injury doesn't mean giving up the activities that matter most. It means finding new ways to approach them. This talk will explore practical strategies to manage life after brain injury while recognizing the strengths, possibilities, and supports to help people with brain injury move forward.
Details:
When: Wednesday, November 4th from 12:00 to 1:00 PM
Where: Zoom
About the Speakers: Dr. Julia Schmidt & Cayla Douglas
Dr. Julia Schmidt
Dr. Julia Schmidt is interested in understanding life after brain injury. Her goal is to learn more about changes in the brain after injury and throughout life, changes in daily life and social roles after brain injury, and programs that support people with brain injury to lead lives that are personally meaningful. Julia’s research is conducted in partnership with people with lived experience, caregivers, clinicians, and community organizations.
Julia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia. She completed her BSc(OT) at the University of Alberta and spent over 10 years working clinically in brain injury rehabilitation. Julia earned her PhD at the University of Queensland, Australia, where she studied the self-awareness after traumatic brain injury.
You can find out more about Dr. Schmidt’s work on her lab’s website here: https://cedarlab.med.ubc.ca
Cayla Douglas, UBC MOT, Reg. OT BC, UBC Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Student
Cayla is an Occupational Therapist and a passionate advocate for increasing equitable access to health services across British Columbia. In 2015, she graduated from Grant MacEwan University which is located in Alberta with a Physical and Occupational Therapist Assistant diploma. Cayla worked in this role for 5 years while completing her hybrid Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies degree through the University of Calgary. In 2022, Cayla graduated and was successfully selected as an out of province student for the Master of Occupational Therapy program at the University of British Columbia. Cayla brings diverse clinical knowledge and recently began her PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences this January 2026 to complete research alongside individuals living with a brain injury. Her research areas include community accessibility, brain injury and youth MH&SU. Clinically, Cayla works within various areas of practice that include brain injury recovery, youth and adult trauma & mental health and cognitive rehabilitation. Additionally, when Cayla is not at the lab or working clinically, you can likely find her at UBC supporting Occupational Therapy students within her clinical faculty role.