Evaluation Workshop on May 8th: The “Live Evaluation” Series

At the Evaluation Centre we are committed to a model of integrated evaluation and knowledge translation. Evaluative thinking is a critical part of planning, implementing and sustaining interventions. We are especially interested in methods that would allow a more dynamic approach to evaluation and intervention planning. In this light, we are pleased to announce the start of a new series called the Live Evaluation Series. This series will feature dialogue between developers of interventions and evaluators. As we build a community of evaluators in Toronto, Ontario and beyond, we invite ideas from you for the next live evaluation series discussion in the next few months.

For the first Live Evaluation workshop we are delighted to announce that Sarah Robichaud and Rachael Gibson from Dancing with Parkinson’s will lead the discussion. A video of their program can be found here. We recommend you watch this 5-minute video before the workshop.

Date:                    Friday, May 8th, 2015

Time:                    10:00 am to 12:00

Location:              Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital

                            Room 136

209 Victoria Street (Queen subway station),

Toronto, Ontario M5B 1T8.

Map link:              Click here

Enrollment:          The workshop is free but there are a restricted number of spaces.

Please reply to Emily Chen at ChenXiE@smh.ca to reserve a seat.

For questions about the workshop, please email Sanjeev Sridharan at sridharans@smh.ca

We look forward to seeing you there!

Best,

Sanjeev Sridharan

Director, The Evaluation Centre for Complex Health Interventions

Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital

209 Victoria Street, Toronto

More about the workshop:

Dancing with Parkinson’s (DWP) has been awarded evaluation support by the Ontario Brain Institute and are undertaking an evaluation to discover their best practices, to build knowledge and measure the “intangibles” that are improving the quality of life of persons living and dancing with Parkinson’s disease. April Nakaima from the Evaluation Centre will present how a realist evaluation approach is useful for better understanding both the theory of change for DWP as well as progress along the theory of change. DWP wants to better understand not only what is working for their clients but also how this learning translates for spreading the intervention to other locations and what evidence is needed to garner more support for dancing as an intervention for Parkinson’s disease.

About the presenters:

Sarah Robichaud, Executive Director, founded Dancing with Parkinson’s in March, 2008. She is a classically trained dancer who has studied and performed extensively throughout Canada and Europe, including at the Bolshoi Ballet School. Sarah is also the on-air fitness expert for CBS Early Morning Saturday in New York and The Steven and Chris Show in Toronto, and the author of 2 books, Getting Fit without Hitting the Gym and Working on the Ball – A Simple Guide to Office Fitness. Sarah’s interest in Parkinson’s disease began in 2007 when a client asked for help managing his physical PD symptoms through exercise. Sarah was so inspired by the Mark Morris Dance Group’s innovative PD dance classes that she went to New York to participate in their workshop. DWP is now the Canadian affiliate of MMDG Dance for PD®.

Rachael Gibson received her training at L’École supérieure de ballet du Québec, and danced professionally with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Banff Festival Ballet.  She also spent several years in musical theatre, performing in Phantom of the Opera in Vancouver, Toronto, and Hamburg, Germany.  For the past seven years, Rachael has been delighted to teach dance and, more recently, serve as Executive Assistant to the Director at Dancing with Parkinson’s Canada.  She is also completing a PhD in political science at the University of Toronto.

For more information about Dancing with Parkinson’s please see their website (link below).

https://twitter.com/DancingwithPD

http://twitter.com/sarahsfitness

www.sarahrobichaud.com

www.dancingwithparkinsons.com