Who is AMC Research?

Bonita Sawatzky, PhD

Associate Professor, Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Bonita Sawatzky (Bonnie) obtained her PhD in 1998 in Applied Science in Kinesiology and subsequently became a faculty member in Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia. She works at ICORD, a research centre dedicated to Spinal Cord Injury for both traumatic and acquired injuries. Her research focuses on studying wheelchair innovations in design and people using wheelchairs effectively. She has published over 50 articles and has given more than 100 presentations at national and international conferences. She supervises many graduate students in her lab and also teaches 1st and 2nd year medical students about the issues related to professionalism and communication skills. Bonnie has amyoplasia but it was complicated with pelvic injuries due to a car accident at the beginning of her PhD studies. This experience has probably had the biggest impact on her career and interests. When thrown lemons, make lemonade!

Tracey Schalk, BA

Tracey Schalk obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Disabilities Studies from The Ohio State University in 2012 and has been extremely involved in the AMC Support Group (AMCSI) for over a decade. She served as the Co-Chair for 2008 AMC Conference and was a member on the Board of Directors for AMCSI from 2009-2011. Professionally she works in Ohio’s system of care for persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Her first position assisted teens and adults in obtaining community based employment and currently, she determines eligibility for I/DD services and manages a caseload of school age children with various developmental disabilities. She has all-extremity, Amyoplasia type of AMC and resides in Huber Heights, Ohio with her husband John, who also has AMC.

Nicole Sidebottom, MA, LPC

Nicole earned a Masters in Counseling from Denver Seminary. She has been in private practice for over 10 years and currently works at The Clarity Group in Castle Pines, CO. Nicole serves those suffering from chronic pain/illness, grief and loss, and anxiety and phobias, creating dynamic spaces where her clients discover and deepen their own strength and resilience. She has a holistic approach that releases her clients to feel more integrated in mind and body, and she is steeped in research and offers only evidence-based interventions to help her clients achieve their goals.

Nicole speaks at local schools, churches, and community events, where families come together to receive resources and support, and where she can share some of her personal story of strength and perseverance. Overcoming challenges and obstacles related to arthrogryposis is a daily task for Nicole, and she is passionate about helping her clients do the same.

Ann Marie Davison, PhD

Biology Instructor in Genetics, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Ann Marie lives with her husband in the Vancouver area, which is also where she was born, raised, and educated. She has a B.Sc.(Hons.) from Simon Fraser University and a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of British Columbia. She has been teaching genetics at Kwantlen Polytechnic University since 1995. Ann Marie has been happily married to her husband Mark for 20 years. They love traveling together. She enjoys many types of crafts, especially card making.