Chester H. Ho: 2021 Champion of Change Awardee.

In 2010, the Champion of Change Award was initiated to honor Canadian professionals who have changed the fabric of the spinal cord injury community by enhancing patient care, producing impactful research, and demonstrating sustained and exemplary leadership. In 2021, Chester H. Ho, MD, was named a Champion of Change, joining the ranks of former Champions: Molly C. Verrier PhD (2017), Serge Rossignol, MD, PhD (2014), John Steeves, MD (2012), and Charles Tator, MD (2010).

A physiatrist specializing in spinal cord injury medicine, Dr. Ho is a mentor and leader who has contributed to advances in spinal cord injury research, including pressure injury management and prevention, applications of functional electrical stimulation (FES), and innovative changes to healthcare systems. Through his vision of delivering high-quality standardized care, Dr. Ho has significantly changed the fabric of the spinal cord injury community in the province of Alberta. His numerous contributions are shining examples of excellence in mentorship, leadership, and scholarship within the field of spinal cord injury medicine.

Dr. Ho completed his medical training at the University of Cambridge in England and did his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School/Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. He later completed a clinical and research fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine at the prestigious Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in the United States. His passion has led him to pursue key leadership roles in Canada and the US. His vision has always been to improve the care of people living with spinal cord injury, looking beyond the biomedical aspects to the psychosocial and systemic factors that contribute to the wellbeing of this population.

Dr. Ho serves as the inaugural Spinal Cord Injury Research Chair at the University of Alberta and the Section Director of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation for Alberta Health Services (AHS) Edmonton Zone. He is also Senior Medical Director of the newly formed AHS network, “Neurosciences, Rehabilitation & Vision Strategic Clinical Network (SCN)”, a provincial initiative aimed at improving the function and quality of life of people living with disabilities, including people with spinal cord injury.

Through his leadership, Dr. Ho is creating an exciting provincial, national, and international network of clinicians, researchers, administrators, community leaders, and people with spinal cord injury. This community is actively working to accelerate the implementation of research and innovations, which is considerably improving the care of people living with spinal cord injury in Alberta.

As principal investigator of two large research programs, Dr. Ho is addressing the scope of issues affecting life after spinal cord injury. On one hand, he is exploring the physiological effects of FES cycling during the acute injury stage. On the other hand, Dr. Ho is implementing mixed methods within a participatory research framework to design, implement, and evaluate a systems-based model to improve the transitions of care for people living with spinal cord injury in Alberta. The quality of his academic work is evidenced by more than 53 peer-reviewed publications, 7 book chapters, and more than 2324 citations to his work.

As a clinician, Dr. Ho is praised by his patients, not only for his scientific and professional skills, but for his genuine kindness and patience. As a researcher, he is an authentic leader, always motivating his team to do their best and always pushing the boundaries, putting the needs of people with spinal cord injury first. As a leader, Dr. Ho is a consistent presence for supporting the needs of his team members, which has resulted in better standards of care for the people living with spinal cord injury in Alberta. As a catalyst who has transformed the future for individuals living with spinal cord injury, Dr. Ho deserves to be recognized by the Canadian spinal cord community by joining the ranks of the Champions of Change.

Disclaimer statements

Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.