Prof. Debbie Rand

Debbie Rand is an Associate Professor and an experienced occupational therapist in the field of geriatrics and stroke rehabilitation. She completed her doctorate in Occupational Therapy (Virtual Reality for Rehabilitation) at Haifa University and travelled to Vancouver for her post-doctoral training at the University of British Columbia  (researching physical activity post stroke).

Prof. Rand is particularly interested in healthy aging, focusing on the physical, cognitive and social aspects of older adults and how these may impact daily living and quality of life. She aims to develop clinical interventions to maintain and improve independence in daily living and participation. She integrates technologies for assessment and/or interventions. Executive function (cognitive) deficits are common in older adults and individuals with stroke. Prof. Rand has developed ’reallife’ functional assessments such as online shopping or bill payment, to assess executive functions and to understand how these deficits impact daily functioning.