SCI Mobility Lab

About

The overarching aim of the SCI Mobility Lab is to develop innovative, clinically feasible approaches to restore movement, function and participation for individuals living with complex neurological disease across the lifespan. The SCI Mobility Lab team develops and implements assessments, technologies and interventions that emphasize individualization (i.e. customization to individuals for targeted applications of therapy), self-efficacy and the principles of neuroplasticity (i.e. intensity, challenge, and task-specificity). 

Our lab is located at the KITE Research Institute

NEWS

Apr 2025

Elina Nezon's paper "Combining functional electrical stimulation with visual feedback balance training: a qualitative study of end-user perspectives on designing a clinically feasible intervention" was published in BMJ Open. You can view it here. 

Ravneet Sidhu from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Jan 2025

Arya Raha was awarded an Ontario Graduate Scholarship from the University of Toronto. Congratulations!

Dec 2024

Dr. Anita Kaiser's paper "Content validation of an activity-based therapy tracking tool in a community setting for people living with spinal cord injury or disease using cognitive debriefing interviews" was published in PLoS ONE. You can view it here. 

Nov 2024

Nadeen Al Awamry and Marissa Condo from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Sep 2024

Anita Kaiser successfully defended her PhD thesis. Congratulations, Dr. Kaiser!

Lovisa Cheung successfully defended her PhD thesis. Congratulations, Dr. Cheung!

Matt Heffernan was awarded 3rd place for the Vodovnik Award at IFESS 2024. Congrats!

Aug 2024

Natasha Benn's paper "Balance Interventions to Improve Upright Balance Control and Balance Confidence in People With Motor-Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury or Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis" was published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. You can view it here. 

Jun 2024

Dr. Kristin Musselman and Elina Provad were awarded a Cass Family Grant for Catalyzing Access and Change to investigate "Stimulating Change in Pediatric Rehabilitation: An Implementation Intervention to Increase Use of Functional Electrical Stimulation". Congratulations!

Laura Seidelin from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

May 2024

Lovisa Cheung was awarded a CIHR Fellowship at McMaster University. Congratulations!

Apr 2024

Anita Kaiser's paper "Development of an activity-based therapy tracking tool: Item generation and reduction using the Delphi method" was published in The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. You can view it here. 

Mar 2024

Nicole Cesca's paper "Exploring knowledge and implementation gaps of activity-based therapy in centers lacking specialized spinal cord injury services: understanding therapists’ perspectives" was published in Spinal Cord Series and Cases. You can view it here. 

Nov 2023

Katherine Chan's paper "Communicating standing and walking data after spinal cord injury: a patient-engaged, qualitative study" was published in Topics in SCI Rehabilitation. You can view it here. 

Lovisa Cheung's paper "Exploring the experiences and perceptions of adults with spinal cord injury or disease aged 50 years or older on participation in sports" was published in Topics in SCI Rehabilitation. You can view it here. 

Anita Kaiser was awarded the Sunlife Financial Scholarship from Spinal Cord Injury Canada. Congrats!

Alyssa Benitez from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Congratulations to Natasha Benn for winning the Spinal Cord Injury ISIG Best Poster Award at ACRM!

Oct 2023

Anita Kaiser received the Tamara Gordon Foundation Scholarship and the Union of Taxation Employees Regional Scholarship. Congrats!

Sep 2023

Madi Mayhew from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Nicole Cesca's paper "Facilitators and barriers to pressure injury prevention, management and education: Perspectives from healthcare professionals—A qualitative study" was published in Int Wound J. You can view it here. 

Anita Kaiser was awarded the RSI Doctoral Completion Award. Congratulations!

Jul 2023

Natasha Benn's paper "Identifying priorities for balance interventions through a participatory co-design approach with end-users" was published in BMC Neurology. You can view it here. 

Anita Kaiser was awarded a KITE-Toronto Rehab’s TD Graduate Scholarship for People with Disabilities. Congratulations!

Jun 2023

Lovisa Cheung's paper "Exploring sport participation in individuals with spinal cord injury: A qualitative thematic synthesis" was published in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. You can view it here. 

Dr. Kristin Musselman, Lovisa Cheung, Natasha Benn and Anita Kaiser were each awarded the Department of Physical Therapy Recognition Award (Lecturer). Congratulations!

May 2023

Mohamad Mehrez from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Arya Raha from McMaster University joined the lab as a summer student.

Anita Kaiser was featured in the article "The Benefits of Activity-Based Therapy" on the Voices Blog of SCI Ontario. You can view it here. 

Apr 2023

Dr. Kristin Musselman's paper "Exploring the experiences and perceptions of pediatric therapists who use functional electrical stimulation in their clinical practice" was published in Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics. You can view it here. 

Anita Kaiser's paper "Tracking activity-based therapy for people living with spinal cord injury or disease: insights gained through focus group interviews with key stakeholders" was published in Disability and Rehabilitation. You can view it here. 

Matthew Heffernan's paper "Spatial characteristics of reactive stepping among people living with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury" was published in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. You can view it here. 

Harneet Somal from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Jan 2023

Lovisa Cheung was awarded a SGS Conference Grant. Congratulations!

Qian Liu joined the lab as a volunteer. Welcome!

Dec 2022

David Houston and Dr. Kristin Musselman's work was featured in the 2022 UHN Report, titled "Feeling Better: Computer-Assisted Balance Training Program Improves Confidence". Watch the video here. 

Dr. James Sessford's paper "Protocol for a single group, mixed methods study investigating the efficacy of photovoice to improve self-efficacy related to balance and falls for spinal cord injury" was published in BMJ Open. You can view it here. 

Nov 2022

Tanha Patel from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Oct 2022

Chantal Lin from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Sep 2022

Nicole Cesca and Elina Provad have joined the lab as PhD students. Welcome!

Lovisa Cheung's paper "The impact of sport participation for individuals with spinal cord injury: A scoping review" was published in Neurorehabilitation. You can view it here. 

Jul 2022

Dr. Kristin Musselman's paper "Validity and responsiveness of the Standing and Walking Assessment Tool for sub-acute traumatic spinal cord injury" was published in Spinal Cord. You can view it here. 

Dr. James Sessford was awarded the Promise Award for Best Young Investigator Article by the Office of Research Trainees at UHN. Congratulations!

Jun 2022

Sara Ngan from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Katherine Chan's paper "Impact of falls and fear of falling on participation, autonomy and life satisfaction in the first year after spinal cord injury" was published in Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences. You can view it here. 

May 2022

Hanan Idd from the University of Toronto and Sydney Winokur from the University of Western Ontario joined the lab as summer students.

Apr 2022

Lovisa Cheung is a 2021 ORT Conference Award Recipient. Congratulations!

Mar 2022

Hope Jervis Rademeyer's paper "Using activity-based therapy for individuals with spinal cord injury or disease: Interviews with physical and occupational therapists in rehabilitation hospitals" was published in The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. You can view it here. 

Jan 2022

Lovisa Cheung's paper "Exploring sport participation in individuals with spinal cord injury: A qualitative thematic synthesis" was published in The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. You can view it here. 

Dec 2021

Dr. Kristin Musselman was a recipient of the 2021 KITE Leadership/Mentorship Award in the Scientist category. Congratulations!

Nov 2021

Dr. Wagner Souza joined our lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Welcome!

Dr. Hardeep Singh's paper "The impact of falls and fear of falling on participation, autonomy, and life satisfaction among individuals with spinal cord injury: A brief report" was published in The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. You can view it here. 

Chris Taylor from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Sep 2021

Alexander Djuric and Kenneth Ong from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Natasha Benn joined our lab as a PhD student. Welcome!

Matthew Heffernan successfully defended his MSc thesis. Congratulations! He will continue to be a member of the lab as a PhD student.

Aug 2021

Hope Jervis Rademeyer's paper "The effects of epidural stimulation on individuals living with spinal cord injury or disease: a scoping review" was published in Physical Therapy Reviews. You can view it here. 

Jul 2021

Ingrid Yuen and Dayna Bercovitch from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Jun 2021

Dr. Kristin Musselman's paper "Development of priorities for a Canadian strategy to advance activity-based therapies after spinal cord injury" was published in Spinal Cord. You can view it here. 

Lovisa Cheung's paper "Activity-based therapy in the community for individuals living with spinal cord injury or disease: qualitative interviews with clinicians" was published in Disability and Rehabilitation. You can view it here. 

Dr. James Sessford joined our lab as a postdoctoral fellow. Welcome!

Giana Bodnariuc and Rebecca Feld from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 5-week MScPT research placement.

May 2021

Dr. Kristin Musselman was a recipient of the CPA's Medals of Distinction for having a significant and meaningful impact on the physiotherapy profession. Congratulations!

Kayla Benson from McMaster University joined the lab as a summer student.

Apr 2021

Brittney McKay from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 6-week MScPT research placement.

Dr. Andresa Marinho-Buzelli's paper "The state of aquatic therapy use for clients with spinal cord injury or disoder: Knowledge and current practice" was published in The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. You can view it here. 

David Houston's paper "Perspectives of individuals with chronic spinal cord injury following novel balance training involving functional electrical stimulation with visual feedback: a qualitative exploratory study" has been published in Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. You can view it here. 

Dr. Hardeep Singh's paper "Therapists' perspectives on fall prevention in spinal cord injury rehabilitation: a qualitative study" has been published in Disability and Rehabilitation. You can view it here. 

Mar 2021

Anita Kaiser's abstract "The characteristics of activity-based therapy interventions for people living with spinal cord injury or disease across the continuum of care: A scoping review" received second place in the Knowledge Generation category for the 9th National Spinal Cord Injury Conference.

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez's abstract "A qualitative, photo-elicitation study exploring the impact of falls and the risk of falling on individuals with sub-acute spinal cord injury" received third place in the Knowledge Generation category for the 9th National Spinal Cord Injury Conference.

Feb 2021

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez's paper "Characterizing inter-limb synchronization after incomplete spinal cord injury: A cross-sectional study" was published in Gait & Posture. You can view it here. 

Dr. Janelle Unger's paper "The effect of Perturbation-based Balance Training and Conventional Intensive Balance Training on reactive stepping ability in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury or disease: a randomized clinical trial" was published in Frontiers in Neurology. You can view it here. 

Dec 2020

Dr. Kristin Musselman's paper "Evaluating intrinsic fall risk factors after incomplete spinal cord injury: Distinguishing fallers from non-fallers" was published in the Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation. You can view it here. 

Dr. Hardeep Singh's paper "Exploring the perspectives of outpatient rehabilitation clinicians on challenges with monitoring patient health, function and activity in the community" was published in Disability and Rehabilitation. You can view it here. 

Dr. Janelle Unger's paper "The measurement properties of the Lean-and-Release test in people with incomplete spinal cord injury or disease" was published in The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. You can view it here.

Nov 2020

Nicole Gastle from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 5-week MScPT research placement.

Oct 2020

Hope Jervis Rademeyer presented her work titled "The effects of epidural stimulation on individuals with spinal cord injury or disease and on animal models of spinal cord injury: a systematic scoping review" at the 2020 ACRM Annual Conference.

Matt Heffernan presented his work titled "Spatial characteristics of reactive stepping among people living with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury" at the 2020 ACRM Annual Conference.

Lovisa Cheung presented her work titled "Perspectives of people living with a spinal cord injury on activity-based therapy" at the 2020 ACRM Annual Conference.

Dr. Kristin Musselman presented her work titled "Feasibility of a functional electrical stimulation intervention for the upper limb in young children with unilateral cerebral palsy" at the 2020 ACRM Annual Conference.

Dr. Kristin Musselman, Dr. Cindy Gauthier, Dr. Hardeep Singh and Hope Jervis Rademeyer hosted a workshop titled "An Electrifying Introduction to the Use of Functional Electrical Stimulation in Neurorehabilitation: a Hands-on Approach" at the 2020 ACRM Annual Conference.

Dr. Cindy Gauthier was awarded the Spinal Cord Injury ISIG Early Career Poster Award at the 2020 American Congress of Rehabilitation  Medicine Annual Conference for her work titled "Perturbation-Based Training in Combination with Functional Electrical Stimulation: A Promising Mixed-methods Case Study". Congratulations!

Hetavi Patel from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 5-week MScPT research placement.

Sep 2020

Dr. Cindy Gauthier, Hope Jervis Rademeyer, Anita Kaiser and Lovisa Cheung presented their work at the 2020 Activity Based Therapy Expo hosted by the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute.

Dr. Cindy Gauthier presented her work titled "Activity-based therapy in the community for individuals living with spinal cord injury: the perspectives of clinicians" at the 59th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Spinal Cord Society.

Lovisa Cheung was awarded a SGS Conference Grant and the Ruth Bradshaw Award. Congratulations!

Lovisa Cheung joined our team to pursue her PhD. Welcome!

Aug 2020

Dr. Hardeep Singh's paper "Perspectives of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury on fall circumstances and fall prevention: A mixed methods approach using photovoice" was published in PLOS ONE. You can view it here.

Jul 2020

Samantha Martin from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 5-week MScPT research placement.

Anita Kaiser's paper "Characteristics of activity-based therapy interventions for people living with spinal cord injury or disease across the continuum of care: a scoping review protocol" was published in BMJ Open. You can view it here.

Dr. Kristin Musselman has been appointed Assistant Professor (tenure stream) in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto. Congratulations!

Jun 2020

Janelle Unger successfully defended her PhD thesis. Congratulations Dr. Unger!

Anita Kaiser was awarded a Vanier CGS Scholarship. Congratulations!

May 2020

Hardeep Singh successfully defended her PhD thesis. Congratulations Dr. Singh!

Apr 2020

Janelle Unger was awarded a CIHR Fellowship at the Université de Montréal. Congratulations!

Hardeep Singh's paper "Current state of fall prevention and management policies and procedures: the Canadian rehabilitation hospital context" was published in BMC Health Services Research. You can view it here.

Dr. Kristin Musselman was awarded the CIHR Collaborative Health Research Projects grant (NSERC partnered). Congratulations!

Mar 2020

Anita Kaiser and Dr. Kristin Musselman were awarded the Praxis Spinal Institute Grant in Advancing the Evidence and Implementation of Activity-Based Therapy to Enhance Neuro-restoration in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury. Congratulations!

Feb 2020

Kyla Collins from the University of Saskatchewan joined the lab for a 5-week MScPT research placement.

Jan 2020

Anita Kaiser and Dr. Kristin Musselman were awarded the CIHR Catalyst Grant in Patient Oriented Research. Congratulations!

Dr. Kristin Musselman was awarded the Early Career Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentorship Award by Graduate and Life Sciences Education. Congratulations! See details here.

Dec 2019

Hardeep Singh's paper "Capturing the psychosocial impacts of falls from the perspectives of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury through photo-elicitation" was published in Disability & Rehabilitation.

Hardeep Singh's paper "Factors that influence the risk of falling after spinal cord injury: A qualitative photo-elicitation study with individuals that use a wheelchair as their primary means of mobility" was published in BMJ Open.

Hardeep Singh was offered a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute. Congratulations!

Dr. Kristin Musselman was featured on UHN's Behind the Breakthrough Podcast. Listen here.

Nov 2019

Lovisa Cheung and Emma Swaffield from the University of Toronto joined the lab for a 5-week MScPT research placement.

Dr. Kristin Musselman, Janelle Unger and Hardeep Singh hosted a workshop titled "Improving Balance Control and Preventing Falls: Evidence-Based Approaches for Adult Neurological Populations" at the 96th American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Annual Conference, Chicago, USA.

Oct 2019

Katherine Chan's paper "Quantifying balance control after spinal cord injury: Reliability and validity of the mini-BESTest" was published in The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. You can view it here.

Sep 2019

David Houston successfully defended his MSc thesis. Congratulations!

Grant awarded! New Frontiers in Research Fund. Identification of neuromuscular control impairment, towards optimal and personalized rehabilitation paradigms. Principal Investigators: Dr. Arash Arami, University of Waterloo, and Dr. Hossein Rouhani, University of Alberta. Collaborators: Dr. Kristin Musselm and Dr. Chester Ho, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. View details here.

Anita Kaiser (PhD student) and Matt Heffernan (MSc student) joined our team.

Aug 2019

Anita Kaiser received the TD Scholarship.

Jul 2019

Katherine Chan's paper "Reactive stepping after a forward fall in people living with incomplete spinal cord injury or disease" was published in Spinal Cord. You can view it here.

Hardeep Singh's paper "Factors influencing fall prevention for patients with spinal cord injury from the perspectives of administrators in Canadian rehabilitation hospitals" was published in BMC Health Services Research. You can view it here.

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez presented a poster, "The effects of intensive balance training in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury  on quiet standing centre of pressure measures" at the International Society of Posture and Gait Research (ISPGR) World Congress, Edinburgh, UK.

Dr. Kristin Musselman was a co-author for "Falls after spinal cord injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis of incidence proportion and contributing factors" which was selected as Featured Paper of the Month in Spinal Cord. You can view it here.

Jun 2019

Dr. Kristin Musselman was invited to speak at the International Neurorehabilitation Symposium 2019 on "Integrating technology into clinical practice to advance the quality of neurorehabilitation: challenges and solutions."

Jaclyn Dawe's paper "Validating Accelerometry as a Measure of Arm Movement for Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy" was published in Physical Therapy. You can view it here.

May 2019

Hardeep Singh received the CIHR Fellowship.

Sarah Donkers successfully defended her PhD thesis. Congratulations!

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez received the ORT Conference Travel Award.

Janelle Unger was invited to do a 3-minute thesis presentation at the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (RSI) Research Day, Toronto, ON.

Janelle Unger received the RSI PhD Research Recognition Award.

Apr 2019

Dr. Kristin Musselman presented at the Canadian SCI Conference, Vancouver, BC.

Dr. Kristin Musselman was a co-author for "Falls after spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis of incidence proportion and contributing factors" published in Spinal Cord. You can view it here.

Mar 2019

Chad Magee from the University of Saskatchewan joined the lab for a 5-week MScPT research placement.

Dr. Andresa Marinho-Buzelli won first place in the Post-doc category for her abstract "The use of aquatic therapy among rehabilitation professionals for individuals with spinal cord injury or disorder (SCI/D)", which will be presented at the 8th National SCI Conference in October (co-authors: Alexandra Zaluski, Avril Mansfield, Alison Bonnyman, Kristin Musselman). 

Katherine Chan won first place in the Knowledge Generation category for her abstract "Quantifying dynamic balance control after spinal cord injury: reliability and validity of the mini-BESTest", which will be presented at the 8th National SCI Conference in October (co-authors: Janelle Unger, Jae Lee, Gillian Johnston, Marissa Constand, Kei Masani, Kristin Musselman). 

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez won second place in the Post-doc category for her abstract "The incidence, causes and consequences of falls in the subacute phase of spinal cord injury", which will be presented at the 8th National SCI Conference in October (co-authors: Andresa Marinho Buzelli, Katherine Chan, Hardeep Singh, Kristin Musselman).

Dr. Kristin Musselman co-hosted the Canadian Activity-Based Therapy Summit with the Rick Hansen Institute in Toronto.

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez presented her work "Balance after concussion in the general population. In Symposium: Early predictors and management of concussion in the general population: Findings from the Hull-Ellis Concussion and Research Rapid Access Clinic" at the International Brain Injury Association World Congress on Brain Injury, Toronto, ON.

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez presented her work "Balance after concussion in the general population" at the Brain Best Practice Forum, KITE, TRI-UHN, Toronto, ON.

Feb 2019

Hope Jervis Rademeyer received the Lois Snelling Physical Therapy Bursary.

Alexandra Zaluski from the University of Saskatchewan joined the lab for a 5-week MScPT research placement.

Dr. Kristin Musselman was a co-author for "Accuracy of the Actigraph wGT3x-BT for step counting during inpatient spinal cord rehabilitation" published in Spinal Cord. You can view it here.

Jan 2019

Dr. Cindy Gauthier joined our team as a postdoctoral fellow. She is the recipient of the Rick and Amanda Hansen Fellowship.

David Houston, Hardeep Singh & Janelle Unger presented their work (poster and minute madness) at the 2019 KITE - Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Research Day.

Dec 2018

Hardeep Singh was awarded the Neural Engineering and Therapeutics Team Award for exceptional contribution.

Nov 2018

Dr. Kristin Musselman was a keynote speaker at the Adapted Physical Activity Symposium 2018 in Regina, SK.

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez presented her work at the Proceeding in the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

Janelle Unger presented her work at the Canadian Physiotherapy Congress in Montreal, QC as a result of receiving the Neurosciences Division Scholarship awarded by the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada.

Hardeep Singh co-presented her work alongside Dr. Craven in an interprofessional and continuing education webinar series to health professionals at the Women's College Hospital. 

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez presented her work at Innovations in Balance, Mobility and Fitness: The Link to Clinical Practice. 

David Houston participated in lab exchange at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre, University of Manitoba. He met with Drs. Katinka Stecina and Kristine Cowley to participate in an experimental protocol for inducing in vivo fictive locomotion in a rat and observed FES rowing training sessions for individuals with SCI.

Oct 2018

Dr. Kristin Musselman gave an oral presentation at the ACRM Annual Conference 2018 in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez's paper "Spectral analysis of centre of pressure identifies altered balance control in individuals with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury" was published in Disability and Rehabilitation. You can view it here.

Hope Jervis Rademeyer presented an e-poster based on her MSc work at the Canadian Physiotherapy Association National Congress

Sep 2018

Kyra Kane successfully defended her PhD thesis. Congratulations!

Hardeep Singh, Janelle Unger, and Katherine Chan presented posters of their work at the 57th International Spinal Cord Society Annual Scientific Meeting held in conjunction with the Australian and New Zealand Spinal Cord Society in Sydney, Australia.

Katherine Chan successfully defended her MSc thesis. Congratulations!

Hope Jervis Rademeyer was awarded an Ontario Graduate Scholarship and a University of Toronto Fellowship for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Aug 2018

Hope Jervis Rademeyer received a travel scholarship from the University of Saskatchewan for presenting authors.

Dr. Olinda Habib Perez was a co-author for "Self-reported Balance Disturbance and Performance-Based Balance Impairment After Concussion in the General Population" published in Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation . You can view it here.

Affiliations