Teitelman helped a wide variety of scientists and staff through her work as a research administrator
Shoshana Teitelman will retire this week after working as a research administrator with KITE scientists and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute for more than 15 years. “It’s amazing to think back on how much the Institute has grown and expanded over that time — how much the technology has changed, and how much we’ve accomplished,” she says.
Teitelman first decided she wanted to work at KITE — then known simply as the research arm of Toronto Rehab — after volunteering to help with some of its events. “It felt like this magical place, full of these really smart engineers working together and doing amazing things,” she says.
In 2009, she had the opportunity to join that group of change-makers when she began working under Dr. Douglas Bradley in the sleep research laboratory. Teitelman, who describes herself as a “life-long creative and forager of knowledge,” was especially valuable thanks to her broad range of experience from previous jobs and her strong scientific background. She has a Bachelor of Science in medical genetics and worked as an electron microscopist at the University of Toronto before joining the Toronto Rehab team.
Being able to understand the science and think outside the box helped her be more valuable in her role, she says, as well as giving her a deep appreciation of the importance of the work she was doing. “I always thought of my job as making sure that the scientists can do what they’re doing, and to support them so everything goes smoothly,” she says. “It’s satisfying to know you’re contributing to their success.”
In addition to her full-time job, Teitelman has volunteered at Toronto Rehabilitation’s specialized dementia unit for the past nine years. She first became aware of the power of music on dementia patients from personal experience: her father had Alzheimer’s, and even after he had lost the ability to speak, she would take him for drives, turn on the music, and listen as he would happily whistle along to the tune.
Many residents who can’t talk or are generally not very responsive will engage with the music and even sing along, she says. “There’s always one or two who are singing or just clapping along to the beat,” she says. “They laugh when I make a mistake — they can tell, but they’re forgiving — and quite often they get up and dance too, which is wonderful.”
Teitelman plans to continue volunteering to play music in the unit during her retirement until the unit finds a replacement for her. She’ll also devote herself more fully to the arts she enjoys in her spare time, such as bookbinding, calligraphy, and jewelry making, as well as spending time with her kids and grandkids. “I will not have any problems finding activities to participate in during my long-awaited retirement,” she says. “I’ve spent my life looking after everybody, both personally and professionally. It’s time for me now.”