Program Leads

Dr. George Francis - Residency Program Director

Dr. Francis is a Clinical Associate Professor with the Division of PM&R since 2017. His clinical practice spans cancer rehabilitation, general physiatry and neuromuscular/EMG medicine.

With an interest in medical education, Dr. Francis has been Program Director since 2021 and is also a member of the Residency Program Competence Committee. He is also involved in medical student and resident mentorship & education, and is the Fellowship Director for the Calgary Cancer Rehabilitation Fellowship.

Dr. Rebecca Charbonneau - Assistant Residency Program Director

Dr. Charbonneau is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary.  She is a physiatrist primarily focused in spinal cord injury. Dr. Charbonneau received her undergraduate degree at McMaster University followed by medical education at the University of Western Ontario.  She completed residency training at Dalhousie University.

Dr. Charbonneau’s main clinical interests are in the field of spinal cord injury, including pressure ulcers, neuropathic pain, FES, exoskeleton, and spasticity. She is heavily involved in medical education at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels in anatomy, clinical teaching, examinations and evaluation-driven growth.

Dr. Gentson Leung - Competency-By-Design (CBD) Lead

Dr. Leung is a Clinical Associate Professor with the Division of PM&R since 2013. His clinical practice includes stroke rehabilitation, neuromuscular/EMG medicine, and general physiatry. 

Dr. Leung was the previous Program Director for the Residency Program from 2016 - 2021, and his work has included developing the current PM&R Residency Program website (https://sites.google.com/view/uofcpmr) and the development of comprehensive policies and reference documents for the program which have been crucial to maintaining our program's standard of excellence and accredited status. 

He maintains an interest in resident education, and as the current CBD lead and Competence Committee Chair, maintains a high standard of training for residents that are involved in CBD residency since 2019.

Dr. Vithya Gnanakumar - Medical Student Electives Director

Dr. Gnanakumar is a Clinical Associate Professor with the Division of PM&R, and is cross appointed to the Department of Pediatrics. Her clinical work is in pediatric physiatry. This includes areas such as General Pediatric Physiatry, Myelomeningocele, Neuromuscular, Amputation and congenital limb difference, Arthrogryposis, Rehabilitation medicine for Adults with Pediatric onset Conditions, and others.

Dr. Gnanakumar is involved with Undergraduate Medical Education, and PM&R residency program education. She is a Pre-clerkship Educator (PCE), and Tutorial Group Facilitator (TGF) for pre-clerkship students, at the University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine. She is the Medical Student Electives Physician Contact, for The Division of PM&R, at the University of Calgary.

Daphne Bates - Program Administrator

Daphne is the program administrator for Calgary PM&R since June 2021. Her work involves organizing and maintaining all resident schedules, rotations, activities, event booking and funding, as well as assisting Dr. Dukelow and Dr. Francis with program-related issues. She is the primary contact for organizing CaRMS and can direct all program inquiries to the right individuals and resources.

Daphne is the foundation of our program and we cannot thank her enough for her hard work and dedication!