Jackie Bosch
Scientist Jackie Bosch has been named the inaugural McMaster/PHRI Chair in Global Stroke Rehabilitation, effective July 1, 2025. Bosch is a professor and assistant dean of Occupational Therapy in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University.
As chairholder, Bosch will strengthen her research program in global stroke rehabilitation at McMaster and PHRI. The chair is being established with funding from PHRI, via Hamilton Health Sciences Research Institute, and the School of Rehabilitation Science.
“Stroke impacts people’s ability to do what they need and want to do – everywhere in the world – but the challenges are even greater in low-resource settings. This Chair in Global Stroke Rehabilitation provides a unique opportunity to advance strategies that support individuals, families, and communities in regaining function and rebuilding lives, regardless of where they live,” says Bosch.
Bosch’s career has focused on clinical adult neurological rehabilitation – her work seeks to improve cognitive and functional outcomes following stroke, adapt evidence-based interventions to low-resource settings, and design and conduct large-scale cardiovascular trials. Her program of research includes a focus on integrating international stroke interventions work.
“Preventing stroke is important but so is helping people recover after one. The McMaster/PHRI Chair in Global Stroke Rehabilitation, led by Jackie Bosch, will focus on finding practical ways to improve recovery and quality of life after stroke for people around the world. This Chair will support the development of real-world rehabilitation solutions that can be implemented not only in Canada, but in a variety of healthcare settings globally,” says Hertzel Gerstein, interim executive director of PHRI.
Bosch co-leads the Organized Stroke Care Across Income Levels (OSCAIL) investigator group, which is a diverse and multidisciplinary network with representation across the health professions from more than ten countries across Africa, South Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
“Dr. Bosch’s appointment as the McMaster / PHRI Chair in Global Stroke Rehabilitation recognizes her existing leadership and expertise in stroke rehabilitation research, and her potential for continued excellence in this area,” says Sarah Wojkowski, executive director of the School of Rehabilitation Science and vice-dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Bosch completed a Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology at McMaster and began her work with large clinical trials at the Population Health Research Institute, focused on functional recovery post-stroke. She is a principal investigator on trials to improve stroke outcomes in low resource settings and is an investigator on studies examining interventions to improve outcomes, including function for those with stroke, frailty and peripheral arterial disease.
