Tamara Kittelson to Become Executive Director of Clinician Task Force
Tamara Kittelson, MS, OTR/L, ATP/SMS, will become executive director of the Clinician Task Force (CTF) in January.
Current CTF Executive Director Cara E. Masselink, Ph.D., OTRL, ATP, HPCS, made the official announcement in a Dec. 10 bulletin, saying, “Tamara is an occupational therapist, RESNA-certified ATP/SMS, and International Society of Wheelchair Professionals-certified intermediate wheelchair provider who has worked in the wheelchair sector for 39 years. She founded Posture 24/7 and Eleanore’s Project, promoting 24-hour posture care management and appropriate seating and wheeled mobility provision in low-resource settings, presenting and writing on these topics nationally and internationally.”
Kittelson is also a longtime CTF member, Friend of iNRRTS, RESNA member, and American Occupational Therapy Association member.
“Tamara’s daughter Eleanore, who was born with cerebral palsy and profound deafness, taught her the importance of advocacy and working collaboratively with providers and families,” Masselink added.
Masselink additionally commented on her own tenure with the CTF. “I also would like to give my sincere thanks for the support, camaraderie, and collaboration over the last four years,” she said. “I’m so grateful to have been a part of a team that has made significant changes to access for people who need CRT [Complex Rehab Technology].”
The CTF’s mission “is to provide clinical-based expertise to inform and promote public policy, best practices, and positive outcomes regarding people with disabilities who require Complex Rehab Technology products and related services.”
UHN Selected for Neuralink CAN-PRIME Study
The University Health Network (UHN) is participating in Neuralink neurosurgical procedures as part of a Canadian Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface (CAN-PRIME) project.
In a November news release, UHN said, “This first procedure in Canada represents an exciting new research direction in neurosurgery and will involve the implantation of a wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) at UHN’s Toronto Western Hospital, the exclusive surgical site in Canada.”
Neuralink has Health Canada’s approval to recruit participants for the clinical trial. People with “limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)” could be eligible.
