I am a storyteller

1. hello.
KimCullen,Storyteller.

2. Here’s my story.
Education
Clinician
Scientist
Truth Seeker
Storyteller

3. Let’s start at the beginning.
Education
Clinician
Scientist
Truth Seeker
Storyteller

4. MY EDUCATION STORY

5. Education
After high school, I went to the University of Waterloo
and completed my B.Sc. in Kinesiology.

6. Education
After high school, I went to the University of Waterloo
and completed my B.Sc. in Kinesiology.
I had a keen interest in injury prevention and worked
with the varsity athletes as a student athletic therapist.

7. Education
After undergrad, I worked as a clinician (more on that
story in a minute). But that led to many questions…

8. Education
After undergrad, I worked as a clinician (more on that
story in a minute). But that led to many questions…
So 5 years later, I set off to McMaster University
to answer some of these, while working on an
M.Sc. in Rehabilitation Science.

9. Education
For the next several years I worked as a research
associate at the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto.

10. Education
For the next several years I worked as a research
associate at the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto.
Always a curious girl, I decided that research is more
fun when you are in charge of asking the questions…

11. Education
For the next several years I worked as a research
associate at the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto.
Always a curious girl, I decided that research is more
fun when you are in charge of asking the questions…
So I returned to campus once more, this time at the
University of Guelph, and finished a PhD in Biophysics.

12. MY CLINICAL STORY

13. Clinician
QUICK RECAP:
After undergrad, I worked as a clinician…

14. Clinician
QUICK RECAP:
After undergrad, I worked as a clinician…
For 5 years, I worked in outpatient rehab centers,
treating people who had been injured in car accidents.

15. Clinician
In this role, I helped people recover from their injuries
and prepared them to be able to return back to work.

16. Clinician
In this role, I helped people recover from their injuries
and prepared them to be able to return back to work.
I learned a lot about how car insurance works, and how
limited the injury protection is on most policies.

17. Clinician
I was concerned about the (lack of) evidence used to
justify the claims adjudication process.

18. Clinician
I was concerned about the (lack of) evidence used to
justify the claims adjudication process.
I wanted to learn more about the reliability and validity of
the tools used to make these clinical decisions.

19. Clinician
I was concerned about the (lack of) evidence used to
justify the claims adjudication process.
I wanted to learn more about the reliability and validity of
the tools used to make these clinical decisions.
That is why I first went back to school…

20. Clinician
I was concerned about the (lack of) evidence used to
justify the claims adjudication process.
I wanted to learn more about the reliability and validity of
the tools used to make these clinical decisions.
That is why I first went back to school…
Today, I am a still a Registered Kinesiologist, licensed to
practice in the Province of Ontario.

21. MY SCIENTIST STORY

22. Scientist
My research interests have always been related to
preventing and managing musculoskeletal injuries.

23. Scientist
But in my “other life”, I am also a dog trainer.

24. Scientist
But in my “other life”, I am also a dog trainer.
I compete with my border collies in a sport called agility.

25. Scientist
We are good. We have won many international
championship medals.

26. Scientist
We are good. We have won many international
championship medals.
For my dissertation, I decided to study the risk of injuries
in dogs playing agility.

27. Scientist
Turns out, I was the first person to ever
investigate this line of research.

28. Scientist
Turns out, I was the first person to ever
investigate this line of research.
Doing something that has never been done before
is fun, but can also be challenging.

29. Scientist
Turns out, I was the first person to ever
investigate this line of research.
Doing something that has never been done before
is fun, but can also be challenging.
One of these challenges, is that sometimes
it’s hard to find work in your field when
you’re a ground breaker.

30. Scientist
So now, I have taken these essential skills and I
apply them in my “first” world of research.

31. Scientist
So now, I have taken these essential skills and I
apply them in my “first” world of research.
I am back at the Institute for Work & Health, which
I’ll cover next in this story…

32. MY STORY AS A
TRUTH SEEKER

33. Truth Seeker
Since returning to the Institute, I continue to
study and answer tough questions.

34. Truth Seeker
Since returning to the Institute, I continue to
study and answer tough questions.
I focus on seeking ‘best evidence’ on topics related to
musculoskeletal injury prevention and management.

35. Truth Seeker
Since returning to the Institute, I continue to
study and answer tough questions.
I focus on seeking ‘best evidence’ on topics related to
musculoskeletal injury prevention and management.
The type of research I do is called
‘systematic reviews’.

36. Truth Seeker
A systematic review of the literature aims to first
find all of the evidence that exists on a topic.

37. Truth Seeker
A systematic review of the literature aims to first
find all of the evidence that exists on a topic.
Then you appraise its quality (i.e., believability) and
synthesize the findings into one set of key messages.

38. Truth Seeker
A systematic review of the literature aims to first
find all of the evidence that exists on a topic.
Then you appraise its quality (i.e., believability) and
synthesize the findings into one set of key messages.
This provides the highest level of evidence
to help answer tough research questions.

39. MY LIFE AS A
STORY TELLER

40. Storyteller
I became interested in story telling because of
my research.

41. Storyteller
I became interested in story telling because of
my research.
My work can only have impact if it is heard.

42. Storyteller
I became interested in story telling because of
my research.
My work can only have impact if it is heard.
To make this happen, I have worked hard on
communicating - sharing my findings in both
written and oral manners.

43. Storyteller
I am passionate about creating visually appealing
slides that helps me share my stories.

44. Storyteller
I am passionate about creating visually appealing
slides that helps me share my stories.
My work can only have impact if it is understood.

45. Storyteller
I am passionate about creating visually appealing
slides that helps me share my stories.
My work can only have impact if it is understood.
I am looking for opportunities to do more of
this work on a freelance basis.

46. Storyteller
I have used many different visual methods to
create stories. Some of these include:

47. Storyteller
You can see some examples of my
designs below.
For my students For my students For my son’s Grade 1 project.

48. Great stories happen to those who can tell them
~Ira Glass

49. Let me help you tell your story.
Kim Cullen, Ph.D, R.Kin
cullenkl@gmail.com
@cullenkl
ca.linkedin.com/in/cullenkl
905.379.4809
Let’s Talk!