Greetings and welcome to the Hands Of History Podcast, a production of the Society Of Massage Archives, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy's past, explore its evolution, and share the stories that have shaped this vital practice.

Join your host, Kirby Clark Ellis, for a conversation with Dr. Donelda Leverick.

Dr. Donelda (Gowan), Leverick holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Psychology, a Master of Science degree in Community Health & Epidemiology, and a Doctorate in Population Health Science from the University of Saskatchewan. She also has a diploma from the Canadian College of Massage & Hydrotherapy in Sutton, Ontario. Donelda is currently a Director in the Centre for Integrative Medicine in the Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, in the College of Medicine, at the University of Saskatchewan, where she holds an Adjunct Professor appointment. She is the Past-Research Chair on the Board of Directors of the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan and the Past-Chair of the Canadian Interdisciplinary Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Network (INCAM). Donelda’s career in the massage therapy field spanned three decades. She thoroughly enjoyed the clinical work as a massage therapist and ended the hands on portion of her career in recent years to pursue greater involvement in knowledge translation and exchange. She recalls joyful experience as a massage therapy educator in both pre-service and continuing education for massage therapists, and as a volunteer in leadership roles on various committees and boards provincially, nationally, and internationally. She is now a health services researcher and knowledge broker. Her main research interests include integrative healthcare and interprofessional collaboration and always, massage therapy.