Jill Zwicker

Dr. Jill Zwicker is an occupational therapist and assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia, and an investigator with the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Her research program is focused on brain development and motor impairment throughout childhood, with a special focus on Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects an estimated 400,000 Canadian children. Using advanced neuroimaging techniques, she examines brain differences in children with developmental coordination disorder and explores early brain development in relation to neurodevelopmental outcomes of premature newborns.

Zwicker has received international recognition for her neuroimaging studies showing that children with DCD use different patterns of brain activation when performing a motor task compared to typically developing children and show altered development of motor and sensory pathways in the brain. In her novel research program, Zwicker is currently examining brain changes and motor outcomes associated with rehabilitation of children with DCD, as well as increasing awareness, diagnosis, and intervention to better serve and support children with this common motor disorder.

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