Spring 2024

CROSH Crew News

The CROSH Members' Newsletter

Welcome to the Spring 2024 CROSH Members' Newsletter - we hope you enjoy this issue!

Upcoming Events


  • May 22, 2024 at 9am. Pranil GC is defending his M.Sc. in Computational Sciences. Pranil's supervisor is Dr. Ratvinder Grewal and the topic of his thesis is "Evaluating the effectiveness of VR in a working at height training program: A crossover design experiment."

All are welcome to virtually attend his public presentation via Zoom:

https://laurentian.zoom.us/j/98930842703?pwd=VDlpL3NLVGRMV1NkUUYrUjE0b01mdz09 


  • May 23, 2024 at 3pm. Registration is open for the second lecture of the Leo Gerard Legacy Fund Lecture Series, taking place online. Click here to register. Full details further below in this newsletter.


  • June 5, 2024 at 10am. Annual General Membership Meeting. In person in the Ben Avery Anatomy Lab and also online via Zoom. If you're planning on attending, please RSVP to Giselle at gthrush@laurentian.ca


  • June 7, 2024 at 10am. Sudbury OHCOW Clinic Open House. The event is a celebration of OHCOW’s 35th Anniversary and also an opportunity to meet and interact with the staff and to visit their new hybrid clinic location. Please RSVP or email sudbury@ohcow.on.ca to learn more.


  • June 20, 2024. WSPS Partners-in-Prevention Northeastern Conference (Sudbury). Dr. Sandra Dorman is presenting and CROSH will have a booth at the tradeshow. We're also pleased to be able to cover the registration costs for some of our student members. Learn more about the conference.

Research Technologists Margaret Kanya-Forstner and Taylor Lloyd join the CROSH Crew

Margaret Kanya-Forstner


Originally a student member, Margaret Kanya-Forstner is now returning to CROSH as an experienced health and safety professional with a background in injury recovery and return-to-work planning.


“I am happy to be back with the CROSH team again, particularly to assist with further research development regarding safe work practices, injury prevention, and safe and effective return-to-work planning.”

Taylor Lloyd


Taylor Lloyd is passionate about improving work environments: her focus at CROSH will be researching the effects of heat stress on mine workers and wildland firefighters. Taylor is also working on her Masters in Human Kinetics here at LU under the supervision of Dr. Sandra Dorman.


“I am looking forward to contributing to the research to improve the quality of the work environment for mine workers and wildland firefighters.”


Researcher Spotlight:

Dr. Vineet Johnson

This issue, we're thrilled to showcase Dr. Vineet Johnson, BSC.PT., PG.DIP.PT., MSC, PHD, a CROSH Affiliate Member and the Founder, President, and CEO of IRegained Inc. A neuroscientist with training in physiotherapy, Dr. Johnson has 26 years of academic, clinical, and research experience across Canada, the UK, and India.


In 2016, Dr. Johnson founded IRegained. IRegained is a Sudbury-based MedTech company developing novel solutions for the physical rehabilitation needs of people with disabilities. Their mission is to help the 100 million stroke survivors who have hand function impairment. 


IRegained's flagship product is their MyHand System. The MyHand System is a portable smart device created to help people with impaired hand function due to stroke or traumatic brain injury. You can read about this state-of-the-art System here.


Under the mentorship of Dr. Johnson and his team, CROSH student members have worked on several exciting projects at IRegained, such as gamification in stroke rehabilitation*. 


Stay current on Dr. Johnson's and IRegained's revolutionary and life-changing work:


X: @JohnsonVineet

X: @IRegainedInc

Instagram: @Iregainedinc

Facebook: @IRegained Inc

Web: https://iregained.ca/


*CROSH student member Sara Perfetto's undergraduate thesis was "Gamified Robot - Assisted Rehab and Its Impacts on Engagement, Motor Ability, and Functional Outcome Post-Stroke." Sara was recognized for her Outstanding Research Presentation at the National Undergraduate Research Conference in Kinesiology at the University of Toronto last year. She was supervised by Dr. Johnson and Dr. Alison Godwin.


Congratulations to our 2023-2024 Graduate Student Award Winners!

This year we were pleased to present 6 graduate student awards for a total of $22,000. The students earned the awards through academic excellence and research potential.


Applications for the 2024-2025 Graduate Student Awards will be available this Fall.

Parastou Zerang

UA Local 800 Graduate Fellowship

$5,000

William Nesbitt

William Shaver Doctoral Scholarship

$5,000

Shaantanu Kulkarni

United Steelworkers Graduate Scholarship

$1,000

Pranil G C

CROSH Scholarship

$3,000


Dawson O’Hara

William Shaver Masters Scholarship

$5,000



Elmira Saffarvarkiani

CROSH Scholarship

$3,000

Student Spotlight:

Melanie Cloutier

Melanie Cloutier

Masters of Human Kinetics Student


Melanie graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Arts Honours Specialization in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology.


Here at Laurentian, her MHK supervisor is Dr. Alison Godwin, and she's currently working on a Seat Adjustment Training project under the supervision of Dr. Katie Goggins.

"I'm currently involved in a pilot study titled ‘Evaluating Seat Adjustment Training for Heavy Equipment Operators Based on Knowledge, Behaviours, and Self-Efficacy.’ I'm very excited to be working on this project as it has the potential to benefit many workers in the mining industry. This research highlights the need to implement a program to address the lack of seat adjustment training in the mining industry, as training is a critical part of a worker’s job and equips them with the tools they need to succeed. Currently, there is no training program that exists to address the concern that operators often engage in prolonged sitting in non-neutral postures for more than eight hours a day, significantly increasing their risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). By training workers to complete seat suspension adjustments and ergonomic adjustments, we aim to reduce their risk of injury by minimizing vibration exposure and maintaining the most neutral positions possible. The ultimate objective of this training is to provide workers with the knowledge and proactive behaviours to reduce discomfort and injury associated with prolonged sitting, ultimately decreasing their risk of injuries and MSDs in the future."


Melanie Cloutier


Second Lecture of the Leo Gerard Legacy Fund Lecture Series

Click Here to Register

About this Lecture


Many workers living with episodic, long-term physical and mental health conditions struggle when deciding whether to seek support from their workplace. In making decisions, they weigh risks such as the loss of privacy or reputation if they disclose any needs, versus concerns about job difficulties and changes to work performance if they don’t receive support. Workers, workplace representatives, and others often report being unsure what to discuss and what might be helpful for workers. This presentation discusses research on disclosure decisions and the development and evaluation of a new interactive resource, the Job Demands and Accommodation Planning Tool (JDAPT). The JDAPT was created as part of a large research partnership to help address the complexity of disclosure decisions and support provision. It is online and interactive, with worker and organizational versions that guide users through questions about job demands, job tasks and working conditions to help enhance workplace support processes.

About the Leo Gerard Legacy Fund Lecture Series


The United Steelworkers of Canada and Laurentian University established the Fund to commemorate Leo Gerard’s lifelong commitment to fighting for working families and labour rights worldwide. The Fund aspires to continue Mr. Gerard’s impactful legacy by supporting lectures that align with his work on labour advocacy and occupational health and safety and provide additional scholarship funding to support student training in occupational health and safety and labour studies. CROSH is honoured to organize and manage the bi-annual lecture series in Mr. Gerard’s name.

About Mr. Leo Gerard, C.C.


Mr. Leo Gerard, C.C., is well known internationally, with accomplishments including the Companion of the Order of Canada, the United Steelworkers International President Emeritus, and helping to establish the BlueGreen Alliance coalition in the USA and Canada. Locally, his impact on the lives of people in his community is also indisputable. At Laurentian University and CROSH, Mr. Gerard has been a champion in building occupational health and safety training and research. He has Chaired the Advisory Board for CROSH since its inception in 2008 and has co-chaired the Mirarco Advisory Board.

About Dr. Monique Gignac


Dr. Monique Gignac is scientific director and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. She is also a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.


Dr. Gignac’s research expertise is in the areas of health and social psychology, including health models of disability. Her research examines psychosocial factors like stress, coping, adaptation and communication, and their importance in understanding the impact of chronic diseases on the lives of adults across the life course. Of particular interest is research on workplace communication, privacy, support and accommodation needs among individuals living with chronic, episodic conditions.

Heat Stress Toolkit

CROSH and OHCOW create

Heat Stress Toolkit


As we know, heat stress is a serious occupational illness. When the body is unable to get rid of excess heat, heart rate and core body temperature increase, often leading to heat-related illnesses. Every year, hundreds of Ontario workers are affected by heat-related illnesses.


With funding from the MLITSD and input from health and safety partners and unions, CROSH and OHCOW have developed the Heat Stress Toolkit. The toolkit will help employees and employers understand the heat conditions in their workplace, assess the risk of heat stress, and take actions to protect themselves. The toolkit includes:


  • Guides
  • Videos
  • Infographics
  • Calculator tools
  • And more


The Heat Stress Toolkit is available at https://www.ohcow.on.ca/heat-stress-toolkit/


It's free and we encourage everyone to share it widely.

Resources for Members

There are a variety of resources for our members on our shared Google Drive, from presentation templates to the lab handbook. And there's more we're adding! If you don't have access to the drive, email croshtech@laurentian.ca.

CROSH Word Search

Play the CROSH Word Search online or print it out below.

Student Opportunities

Interested in a CROSH student internship? Email croshtech@laurentian.ca to learn more about internship opportunities and how you can join the pool.

Laurentian University's Goodman School of Mines' Mineral Resource Industry Leadership Certificate is an excellent opportunity for students considering a career in the mining industry. Click here to learn more!

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the next newsletter in Summer 2024!

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