The Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2019 Bones and Phones Scholarship: Kayla Cyr from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

The Bones and Phones Legacy Scholarship Fund was established to recognize orthopaedic residents who have demonstrated commitment and contribution to enhancing musculoskeletal health in their community, or abroad, beyond that which would be expected during their residency training period. Founded by Dr. Veronica Wadey and Mr. Henry Chow, this $1,000 award recognizes and honours the vital role surgeons play in the lives of others.

Dr. Cyr received the award for her role as a Champion of EDUCATE: IPV, a multicenter, nationwide study that focuses on intimate partner violence (IPV) and its prevalence in fracture clinics. The EDUCATE program was developed to provide orthopaedic surgeons and healthcare providers working in fracture clinics with the knowledge and skills that will allow them to comfortably assist victims of intimate partner violence. As a local EDUCATE: IPV Champion, Dr. Cyr delivered the program locally, training surgeons and staff to recognize and combat intimate partner violence.

As part of her role, Dr. Cyr developed a presentation regarding IPV and how it impacts orthopaedic surgeons in St. John’s. “This project allowed us to begin a conversation on domestic violence among St. John’s’ population,” notes Dr. Cyr. “It also provided us the opportunity to discuss with other healthcare professionals the overwhelming statistics surrounding IPV, identifying a gap in knowledge and awareness regarding this important topic, and giving us an opportunity to educate and lessen the gap.”

As part of the EDUCATE program Dr. Cyr also created a pamphlet for St. John’s fracture clinics outlining local resources and programs available to victims of intimate partner violence. The pamphlets are strategically placed throughout patient areas. As Dr. Cyr says, “Access to these programs and resources will improve the quality of life for these victims, hopefully providing an escape from a life of violence. Ensuring the pamphlets are strategically placed in areas where patients can take them in confidence will increase the likelihood of them being used.”

Data collected from The Health Sciences Centre and St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital showed that after EDUCATE training there was a statistically significant difference in the way IPV was being managed, with staff recognizing IPV more frequently and reporting feeling more prepared to manage patients experiencing IPV.

The success of the EDUCATE program in St. John’s encouraged Dr. Cyr to collaborate with her colleagues on the creation and distribution of an IPV preparedness survey to healthcare professionals in Haiti, a country reported to have one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world.

Says Dr. Cyr, “It was an honour to be involved in the EDUCATE: IPV program, assisting in the identification and management of a vulnerable population of patients, and raising awareness of this important topic with healthcare professionals who have the resources to help them.”

The Bones & Phones award will be presented during the COA Annual Meeting in Montreal in June 2019.