Enid Graham Memorial Lecture
Please note:
In the absence of Congress, the Enid Graham Memorial Lecture Award will not be given out during the 2024-25 awards cycle.
The Canadian Physiotherapy Association is honoured to announce Elaine Maheu as the recipient of the 2023 Enid Graham Memorial Lecture Award!
The Enid Graham Memorial Lecture Award is the most prestigious award that the CPA bestows on a member. Established in 1980 to honour Enid Graham, the founder of the CPA (formerly known as the Canadian Association of Massage and Remedial Gymnastics), the award honours a member of the CPA who has provided outstanding leadership and has made a distinguished contribution to the profession.
A dedicated professional for over four decades with a remarkable academic record, Elaine Maheu has greatly contributed to the growth of the physiotherapy profession on a global scale, specifically in the field of Orthopedics. A trailblazer in Manual Therapy, she took her knowledge and expertise internationally, conducting courses and training not only in Canada but beyond. Throughout her career, Elaine has proven to be an exceptional leader and advocate for the profession, while remaining a curious student, knowledgeable teacher, and valued peer. As a committed physiotherapist, Elaine’s impacts on the advancement of the profession continue to live on and leave a mark across the globe.
2023 Enid Graham Memorial Lecture Award Recipient
Elaine Maheu
Elaine Maheu’s journey to practicing physiotherapy began in 1978 when she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy at McGill University in Montreal. Advancing her education, Elaine also went on to obtain her post-graduate diploma in Advanced Manipulative Therapy across the world from the South Australian Institute of Technology in Adelaide, Australia. Finally, Elaine completed her Masters in Clinical Science – Manual Therapy at the University of Western Ontario.
As an academic, Elaine has embarked on many teaching endeavours, too many to name them all. Since the year of 1986, Elaine has been an instructor of post-graduate manual therapy courses for physiotherapy associations and physiotherapy schools in Switzerland, France, and Belgium. She has also taught dentists on the temporo-mandibular joint in the specialty program for dentists at the University of Montreal. Currently, Elaine is an instructor of all the post-graduate manual therapy courses in the syllabus of the Orthopaedic Division of the CPA since 1984. Elaine wrote a book chapter on management of sacroiliac and pelvic disorders and an article on the history and concepts in Manual Therapy.
Working at Constance Lethbridge Rehabilitation Center in Montreal as part of the Orthopaedic Team marked the start of Elaine’s in-clinic practice. She later moved on to private practice in various clinics, including co-owning one. Over the span of her career, Elaine has also consulted physiotherapists and various specialists in orthopaedics, rheumatology, neurology, and sports medicine.
Evidently, Elaine’s accomplishments reach far and wide. Generous with her time and expertise, Elaine has sat on various committees, including the IFOMPT executive committee, the Chief Examiners Group for the Canadian Exams in Manual Therapy, the Manual Steering Committee of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and many congress committees, just to name a few. Elaine was also the Canadian delegate to the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapists (a sub-group of the then named World Confederation of Physical Therapists, now World Physiotherapy) from 1996 to 2000. For over fifteen years, Elaine was responsible for the organization of the manual therapy courses in Quebec as a member of the Orthopaedic interest group of the OPPQ.
Elaine has won multiple notable awards and has continuously been the recipient of many distinguished honors. Elaine has successfully worn many hats and taken on many roles – a teacher, a practitioner, a lecturer, a mentor, a genuine friend. A trusted voice in the physiotherapy profession, Elaine is also a past recipient (2012) of The Golden Hands Award of the National Orthopaedic Division of the CPA and of the Carol L. Richards Award given by the OPPQ. She is widely considered a long-standing and passionate proponent of manual therapy both in Canada and internationally.