Full professor
Contact address (research)
Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal – CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal
6300, Darlington Ave
Montreal (Qc) H3S 2J4
T 514-340-2085
Contact (school)
T 514 343-6111, #52178
F 514 343-2105
johanne.higgins@umontreal.ca
Program
Occupational Therapy
Education
- B.Sc. Occupational Therapy, Université Laval (1995)
- M.Sc. Rehabilitation Science, McGill University (1998)
- Ph.D. Rehabilitation Science, McGill University (2008)
- Postdoctorate, Department of Experimental Medicine, McGill University (2009)
Current research projects
- Targeting peripheral and central mechanisms of the nervous system to improve function and social participation of people with osteoarthritis.
- Determining the usefulness of the motor evoked potential to guide the application of transcranial direct current stimulation for persons in the chronic phase after stroke.
- Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rtms): a novel approach for the treatment of phantom upper limb pain.
Selected publications
- Kairy, D., Veras, M., Archambault, P., Hernandez, A., Higgins, J., Levin, M., Poissant, L., Raz, A., Kaizer, F. Maximizing post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation using a novel telerehabilitation interactive virtual reality system in the patient’s home. Contemporary Clinial Trials. 47;49–53, 2016.
- Pelletier. R., Higgins, J., Bourbonnais, D. Addressing Neuroplastic Changes in distributed Areas of the Nervous System Associated with Chronic Musculoskeletal Disorders. Physical Therapy Journal. Nov; 95(11):1582-91 2015.
- Pelletier, R., Bourbonnais, D., Higgins, J. Is neuroplasticity in the central nervous system the missing link to our understanding of chronic musculoskeletal disorders? BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.16:25. 2015.
- Forget, N., Jerosch-Herold, C., Shepstone, L., Higgins. J. Psychometric evaluation of the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand with Dupuytren’s contracture: validity evidence using Rasch modeling. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 30:15:361, 2014.
- Higgins, J., Koski, LM. Combining rTMS and task-oriented training in the rehabilitation of the arm after stroke: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Stroke Research and Treatment. 539146. PMCID: PMC3865731. 2013.
- Higgins, J., Finch, L., Kopec, J., Mayo, NE. Development and initial psychometric evaluation of the stroke arm ladder – a measure of upper extremity function post-stroke. Clinical Rehabilitation. 52(8):740-759, 2011.
Research interests
- Neurophysiological mechanisms of musculoskeletal conditions and pain;
- Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying recovery of the upper limb following a stroke;
- Development and validation of rehabilitation measures with contemporary statistical models;