Stephanie Lurch

Stephanie Lurch is a storyteller, activist, leader and physiotherapist. Aiming to bridge the gap between academia and practice, Stephanie has worked across multiple settings in the healthcare and education sectors, leveraging her Master of Education and Bachelor of Physical Therapy degrees. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at McMaster University, and has acted in the capacity of Assistant Professor and Academic Lead: Equity, Anti-racism and Social Accountability at the University of Toronto in the Department of Physical Therapy, as well as the inaugural Senior Advisor, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion at Children’s Treatment Network. Her career has been distinguished by a wide breadth of clinical, teaching and real-life experiences including working with the Cirque du Soleil, as part of a team of caregivers in West Africa, with Indigenous peoples in New Zealand, and currently as a paediatric physiotherapist. Her past achievements include, but are not limited to, co-authoring the Essential Competency Profile for Physiotherapists in Canada (2017), co-authoring equity-driven accreditation standards for Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Canada (2020), keynoting national conferences, and providing thought leadership to both learners and key opinion leaders. She is the mother of twins who are her raison d'être and who give her a reason to stand up for something much larger than herself.    