5869 UNIVERSITY AVE., HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA | CANADA B3H 4R2 | +1 (902) 494-2524
Dr. Gail Dechman
Assistant Professor
BSc (PT) (Queens), PhD (McGill)
Office: Room 318, Forrest Building
Tel: (902) 494-2734
Email: gail.dechman@dal.ca
Biography: Dr. Gail Dechman joined the School of Physiotherapy at Dalhousie University in September 2006. She completed her BSc in Physiotherapy at Queen’s University and received her PhD in respiratory physiology from McGill University. Prior to joining the faculty at Dalhousie University she held faculty positions at McGill University and at Husson College in Bangor, Maine. Dr. Dechman also worked for three years as the Centre Director of the Kuwait-Dalhousie Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Project, the goal of which was to improve the standard of rehabilitation care in the state of Kuwait through education, service, and research.
Dr. Dechman has extensive clinical experience in cardio-respiratory physical therapy, with an emphasis in ICU care and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. Currently she teaches courses in exercise physiology, cardiorespiratory care and research methods.
Research interests: Dr. Dechman's research focuses on using exercise to improve function in people with chronic diseases. This includes assessing the role that aerobic and resistance exercise play in enhancing functional activity in people with chronic pulmonary disease, cancer and obesity. Dr. Dechman is also involved in developing functional outcome measures to objectively assess changes in activities of daily living for community-dwelling individuals with disabilities.